I've had a break. I achieved my BA in Classical Studies three years ago and thought that was it. First person in my family line to earn a degree, first-class honours, I proved myself. Well done. That was hard work. What would be the point in doing more and putting myself through that again, I thought. But... I'm still obsessed with the ancient world. And studying fulfilled me in a way that my job does not. I realised that I didn't want to formally finish with the ancient world when there is so much left to explore and think about. I don't want to just become a passive observer. I want to actively engage myself with the ancient world and what it means today. So, here I am, at the beginning of my MA. What have I let myself in for?
My first challenge came during my first tutorial. My tutor asked us what got us into the classics. I listened to the other students describing their memories of how they came across the subject, and the responses didn't seem as obvious as I thought. One student liked the literature. Another the forensics. One studied other periods of history and wanted to expand their knowledge. Then it was my turn. And I said what I always do. The film Gladiator got me into history, and it went on from there. That must have been the case. Before Gladiator, I had watched a number of TV shows and films set in the ancient world and had not been obsessed with the ancient world. At some point after watching Gladiator, I was obsessed with the ancient world. So Gladiator must have been the catalyst. Except, I don't think it was. I now think that whilst I have probably watched the film more than 20 times, it did not in itself inspire me to want to learn more about the ancient world. I loved Gladiator, yes, but that may have just been because I liked the style of the Romans and the sense of honour Russel Crowe portrayed in the film. No; what really drew me fully into the ancient world was Alexander. I found a fictional series of books about his life and could not put them down. It was like the story of an underdog doing the impossible, at a ridiculously young age. And then he died. I couldn't leave it there. What other stories were there? I found Xenophon, then Leonidas, then Marathon. I went backwards and forwards, looking for more 'heroes'. I found Caesar and then the litany of wild emperors, many of whom should never have been anywhere near power. I read about battles. I read about the Peloponnesian War, the Punic wars. Hannibal, Spartacus, Attila. I got through the Iliad. Then I found more ancient authors and began to read their works. I visited Rome, and searched for Roman ruins anywhere I went.
Then I was made redundant. What then? I questioned my formal education and wanted to be better. I wanted to prove that I was as good as people with degrees, and to do something for myself. So, I enlisted at the OU. The Humanities sounded interesting. I felt enlightened. And there was Greece and Rome again. I could delve formally into my passion and think more about who and what the ancient world was, and then articulate my understanding. I learned more about systems of power, economics, entertainment, religion, myth, empire. And then it was over and I am back at the beginning of this blog.
What got me into the Classics? Everything about it. It is a window to a distant past that somehow feels familiar but alien. In many ways it still defines the world as we know it today, and it continues to be the place that we look to when deciding where to go next. Geography, race, culture, ethnic identity, politics, economics, equality, sexuality, religion; all have roots in the ancient world, and questioning what we think we know can help us to understand more about ourselves.