Dame Mary Beard, a renowned classicist and professor at Cambridge, delves into the intricate relationship between power and history. She discusses how emperors, like Julius Caesar, used social media-like strategies to maintain authority in ancient Rome. The importance of shoes as symbols of power and the bizarre notion of drowning in rose petals pique curiosity. Moreover, Beard reflects on her controversial responses to 9/11 comments and examines the evolution of public discourse, emphasizing the role of myths in shaping historical narratives.
Dame Mary Beard illustrates how narratives surrounding Roman emperors reveal crucial insights into power dynamics and public perception across history.
Beard draws parallels between ancient Rome's charismatic leaders and modern politicians, highlighting the enduring strategies of engagement and visibility in governance.
Deep dives
The Ease of Website Creation
Creating a website can be surprisingly straightforward, as demonstrated by an individual who built a site to sell paintings with little to no prior computer skills. By using a platform like Squarespace, they were able to select templates and easily upload content such as images and videos without technical hassle. This experience highlights how accessible modern website-building tools have become, dispelling the myth that one needs advanced technical knowledge to create a professional online presence. The ease of this process led to humorous skepticism from their friend, who believed it was impossible for someone without expertise to create such an effective site.
Mary Beard’s Expertise in Ancient History
Professor Dame Mary Beard, a renowned classicist, is celebrated for her deep knowledge of ancient Greek and Roman history, art, and architecture. Throughout her career, Beard has authored over 20 influential books, one of which, 'Emperor of Rome,' delves into the power dynamics and identities associated with Roman emperors. Her works contribute significantly to discussions on how ancient practices relate to contemporary society, illustrating how historical figures navigated public perception and their own authority. Beard’s insights reveal that understanding history involves examining the complexities of power structures and the narratives that shape them.
Historical Narratives and Their Importance
The conversation emphasizes the often-blurred line between historical fact and fiction, especially in how stories about rulers can reflect societal fears and ideals. Anecdotes about emperors, like being smothered with rose petals, serve to highlight not just their excesses, but also the public's perception of power. Beard argues that these narratives, whether entirely true or embellished, are vital to understanding how people in ancient times viewed authority and governance. Such stories function as cultural reflections, offering insights into the human condition and our understanding of leadership across time.
Modern Parallels with Ancient Leadership
The dynamics of power in ancient Rome can be startlingly similar to contemporary politics, particularly in how charismatic leaders connect with the populace. Julius Caesar, for instance, utilized public displays and direct communication to forge a bond with the people, not unlike modern politicians who leverage social media for engagement. This unmediated relationship echoes the tactics employed by populist leaders today, illustrating a historical continuity in political strategy. The dialogues surrounding these themes remind us that the questions of visibility, access, and control in governance have persisted through the ages.
Adam meetsleading classicist Dame Mary Beard, who explains what social media tells us about how emperors held on to power in Rome, why shoes are important when talking about power, how many people in ancient Rome really died by being drowned by rose petals, the important roles that apocryphal stories and outright lies play in history and why she replied to every critical message she received following the controversial comments she made soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Conversation recorded face-to-face in London on April 16th, 2024.
Thanks to Séamus Murphy-Mitchell for production support and conversation editing.