Mary Beard: Why You Should Argue With the Ancients

What is the point of studying Classics today? Mary Beard explains why the ancient world still shocks, challenges, and reshapes how we think. Discover how Greek and Roman history can change your perspective, without offering easy answers. In this conversation, renowned classicist Mary Beard explores how ancient Greece and Rome remain deeply relevant today, not as a guidebook for life, but as a way to see modern problems differently. You’ll learn how to approach classical history without intimidation, why “the shock of the old” still matters, and how anyone can join the conversation. If you’ve ever wondered how ancient history connects to today’s world, this episode will change how you think about the past and the present. KEY IDEAS: • Why studying Classics isn’t about finding “answers” • The idea of “The Shock of the Old” and why it still matters • How ancient texts like Medea continue to unsettle us • The danger of over-revering Greek and Roman history • How Classics helps challenge modern “presentism” • Can the ancient world teach us anything useful today? • How to get into Classics without knowing Latin or Greek • Why Classics has no single political agenda • How the past has been used by both left and right movements • Finding wonder (“thauma”) in ancient history TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction to Mary Beard & Talking Classics 00:23 Why the Classics still matter 01:24 Why we should revere the ancient world less 02:39 The “shock” of ancient culture (Medea example) 04:48 Wonder and awe in the ancient world 05:44 The Egyptian bread story (first encounter with history) 07:29 Making Classics accessible to everyone 08:43 Do the Greeks and Romans offer life lessons? 10:06 Using Classics to rethink modern problems 11:37 Presentism vs learning from the past 13:22 How to start engaging with Classics 15:04 Podcasts, media, and entry points into history 16:20 Seeing the classical world all around us 19:08 Technology (VR) and experiencing the past 21:05 Is Classics political? 22:25 How different ideologies use ancient history 24:48 Classics and democracy, revolution, and reform 25:38 Who “owns” the past? 26:18 Final thoughts If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to

You can listen to Mary Beard: Why You Should Argue With the Ancients online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Mary Beard: Why You Should Argue With the Ancients is an episode from Classical Wisdom Speaks by Classical Wisdom .

This episode is 27:15 long.

This episode was published on Apr 17, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Classical Wisdom Speaks when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.