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Is the ancient world all Greek (or Latin) to you? Read on...
A COUPLE of years ago, writer and publisher Caroline Taggart sat down and wrote a book called I Used to Know That, a little treasury of facts most of us were taught at school but had probably forgotten over decades since – such items as how to work out percentages or do quadratic equations, the kings and queens of England and the correct use of apostrophes.
The kind of book, in other words, that many people shove under a cushion or even eat rather than be seen with. All the same, its popularity spoke of some national insecurity – or at very least a latent desire for intellectual self-improvement.
With one surprise bestseller under her belt, Taggart went on to co-author My Grammar and I (or should that be 'Me'?), which again flew off the shelves. A series was developing, under the thoroughly English umbrella I before E. Now she's back with A Classical Education – the stuff you wish you'd been taught at school, a cutely old-fashioned volume covered in Roman centurions' helmets.
Many years ago, such a book would have been unthinkable and unnecessary, as classical education was very much in vogue and many school pupils dutifully wrestled with Latin verbs, classical mythology and the rules of rhetoric – then seen as the hallmark of the well- educated.
But are we really so impoverished today if we don't know who Phaedra or Ptolemy were, if we can't tell the story of Icarus flying too close to the sun, understand what vomitoria were or why a Trojan horse can be so useful? Hasn't the world moved on, taking the definition of the term "well-educated" along with it?
"Maybe it has but I think society has suffered because of it," says Taggart. "There is a strong argument for bringing back a classical education, because a rich element of life is being lost, and the learning of classical stories and events is reflected in so much of what we see around us, from buildings to poetry."
She believes we're really losing out on our understanding of parts of today's culture without a basic core of classical studies in our heads. The classical world is ubiquitous (yes, that's from Latin), especially in our language.
"Many writers, from Shakespeare and Milton to romantic poets are difficult to teach and learn these days because they are full of classical references and words. Many paintings also involve ancient stories, and when George Bernard Shaw wrote Pygmalion, his audience knew why he had used that title.
"By the time the film and musical were made many years later, the title had to be changed(to My Fair Lady), because people no longer had a clue what it meant."
There's an element of preaching to the converted with Taggart's books. "It's true, some people will buy it because they're always been interested in the subject, but might feel they want to brush up a little. And many are probably the same people who have a thing about missing apostrophes and misuse of words or sloppy grammar.
"In the 1960s, there was a move away from any kind of classical education and formal knowledge of use of language towards freedom of expression, which meant expressing yourself was more important than getting things right. Using spelling and grammar correctly is vital, but the rich fabric of knowledge provided by a classical education is also important. People may well have heard about Hannibal crossing the Alps, but it's odd that they usually haven't the foggiest about why he did it."
A Classical Education by Caroline Taggart is published by Michael O'Mara Books, 9.99. To order a copy from The Yorkshire Post Bookshop, call 0800 0153232 or go to www.yorkshirepostbookshop. co.uk Postage costs 2.75.
Test your classical knowledge (no prize, just for fun)
1. Many Latin expressions are commonly used in financial and legal contexts. What do pro rata and in camera mean?
2. Who were the Greek gods of the sea and war?
3. The Greek historian Herodotus is considered to have been "the father
of history," and other ancient Greeks are said to have "fathered" other disciplines. Which subjects did Archimedes, Socrates and Hippocrates "father"?
4. What numbers do the Roman numerals L, C and D represent?
5. The common people were know as plebeians in Roman times. What were the aristocracy known as?
6. On which Greek island can the remains of the Palace of Knossos be
found?
7. Who was Pygmalion and what did he make?
Answers on next page1. Pro rata means "in proportion", often used in relation to part-time jobs, such as three-day-week, 25,000 pro rata, meaning the payment is three-fifths of that sum; In camera means "in the room", used when legal proceedings are held behind closed doors rather than in open court.
2. Poseidon and Ares.
3. Maths, philosophy and medicine.
4. 50, 100, 500.
5. Patricians.
6. Crete.
7. He was a mythical character who sculpted a statue of a woman so beautiful that he fell in love with her. In answer to his prayers, the goddess Aphrodite brought the statue to life, and Pygmalion and the woman married.
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