A brief survey of a lot of history. Neoclassicism, philhellenism, a former British Prime Minister, and my hot takes on creative writing.

My previous video:    • The Problem with Greek Myth Retellings  

The painting is called Livia. It’s painted by yours truly, oil on canvas (with a bit of gold leaf.)

Some sources on Greek independence: I consulted New Perspectives on the Greek War of Independence (edited by Yianni Cartledge and Andrekos Varnava), which is a series of thought-provoking essays. Another excellent book is Stathis Gourgouris’s Dream Nation: Enlightenment, Colonisation, and the Institution of Modern Greece. This is an analysis of nation formation and the use (and misuse) of classical antiquity to these ends.

Further reading that might be of interest — this is Usama A. Gad’s piece: https://eidolon.pub/papyrology-and-eu...

If you’d like to learn more about the Abbasid Caliphate, Overly Sarcastic Productions’ video on the Baghdad House of Wisdom is a great introduction:    • History Summarized: The Baghdad House...  . I also enjoyed this article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
04:20 - Part 1: In An Age of Surfaces
15:06 - Part 2: ‘The glory that was Greece’
23:10 - Part 3: Classics Under a Microscope
30:49 - Part 4: The Misuse of Classics
41:38 - Part 5: Reinvention
56:45 - Part 6: The Past is a Foreign Country

If you'd like to contact me directly, you’re welcome to do so via email: [email protected].

Thank you for watching!