Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,
There are plenty of classicists out there… and then there’s Mary Beard, in a class of her own.
Professor Emerita of Classics at Cambridge, a prolific author, and a familiar face well beyond academia, Beard has done something rather remarkable: she’s made the ancient world not just accessible, but genuinely interesting, even to people who don’t spend their weekends pondering the ingenuity of Roman aqueducts, ruminating over the audacity of latin graffiti or replaying the myriad contingencies surrounding the fall of the empire.
To say we were honored to host Professor Beard on Classical Wisdom Speaks would indeed be an understatement.
From her numerous books, including SPQR, Twelve Caesars and, most recently, Talking Classics, Mary has built a career on asking better questions about the past, and occasionally poking it with a sharp stick.
After all, Mary does not shy away from difficult conversations or fear holding unpopular opinions. It’s just one of her many virtues that we deeply respect.
And it’s with this approach she has tackled the Classics.
You see, sometimes the Classics (with a big “C”) are treated as something to admire quietly from a distance, on a pedestal of course. They are viewed as something important, sure, but not exactly inviting…
Mary Beard disagrees with this view. Quite strongly.
In fact, she argues we might get more out of the ancient world if we stopped revering it quite so much and started engaging with it instead, warts, oddities, and all.
And that’s where our conversation begins.
Because the Greeks and Romans aren’t here to hand us tidy life lessons or confirm our modern assumptions. If anything, they tend to do the opposite. They unsettle, they provoke, and occasionally they make you wonder… how we can understand anything at all?
But in that discomfort, what Mary calls the “shock of the old”, is where the real value lies.
So today, we’re not just discussing her book “Talking Classics” (though it is, of course, excellent). We’re talking about why the classics still matter, how best to approach them, and why curiosity, not necessarily expertise, is really the key requirement to unlocking their riches.
In other words, consider this your invitation to stop just admiring the ancient world from afar… and start having an argument with it instead.
Enjoy!
All the best,
Anya Leonard
Founder and Director
Classical Wisdom
P.S. I want to take a moment to say a sincere thank you to all our wonderful Classical Wisdom Members. Your support makes this project – and podcasts like these – possible, helping us continue our mission of bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds.
It’s a pleasure to be part of such a thoughtful community - filled with philosophers, history lovers, mythology enthusiasts, and students of ancient languages. You make this space engaging, curious, and alive.
Together, we’re keeping the Great Conversation going, and each of you plays an important role in doing just that.
If you haven’t yet joined our growing Classical Wisdom Society, make today the day you bring the Classics into your life, right here:
As I often rejoice, we have the nicest corner on the internet! Check out what our wonderful members have to say:
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*No suscribimos necesariamente las opiniones o artículos aquí compartidos. No todo es lo que parece.
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