Speaker: David Butterfield
Topic: Why We Need the Classics
Venue: Ondaatje Lecture Theatre, Radcliffe Centre
Time: 15.30-16.30 Friday 15 September
Talk Summary:
David Butterfield argues that knowledge of the Classical World of Ancient Greece and Rome is essential to serious engament with the modern world – and a joy in itself. Classical literature is the foundation of Western culture and politics, Greek and Latin are languages offering profound perspectives on past, present and future, while the art and architecture of the period remains unsurpassed in its beauty – and its legacy is all around us.
David Butterfield is a Fellow in Classics at Queens’ College, Cambridge, literary editor of the Critic and creator of the acclaimed Antigone website, which publishes leading experts on the Classical world who wish to engage with a wider public.