For some years my wife and I took holidays in Greece and were struck by how many new buildings appeared to have been abandoned part way through the build. We were told that this was due to the way in which the planning laws and tax regime worked, but it did make me question whether the residents of classical Greece were all they were cracked up to be. After all, do we know for sure that the Parthenon was actually completed and ‘topped off’ so to speak?
If not, then the Elgin Marbles now in the British Museum may not after all have formed the frieze of that famous temple to the Goddess Athena, but lain on the ground for two thousand years awaiting sale by a Turkish dealer to Lord Elgin in 1816.
In the nineteen eighties Greek roads were notorious for pot holes and motorcycling around the islands on our hired Honda was a dangerous past time. As formal verges and barriers were few, numerous roadside shrines played an important role in warning motorists of the dangers ahead.
Those Greek roads come frequently to mind as we dodge the potholes, cracks and broken verges of Gloucestershire lanes but at the same time I wonder if like the roads, the historic decline of Greek influence on the world is matched by that of our own. As Greece declined the power of Rome increased but even that had its limits and my great grandfather was wont to say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” But he always added, “And it didn’t last for ever either.”
The fall of Rome was chronicled by Edward Gibbon, (1737-1794) and as a young man, I read his book The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Gibbon examined why the empire fell and suggested that among the reasons were division and corruption at its core, and a failure to adapt to the uncontrolled immigration of cultures antipathetic towards the gods and mores of ancient Rome. In addition Christianity, and later Islam, were forces used to fragment the old empire into tribal and nation states. He notes that although the empire collapsed, the countries of Greece and Rome/Italy did not disappear and continued to shape our own civilisation.
Excavations, ancient documents, buildings and church traditions tell us a great deal about the inhabitants of Rome and Athens but I am struck by how many of their stadia, theatres and public buildings remain on view. Entertainment must have been important to the Romans given the considerable sums of money that went into the construction of these huge buildings. Such expenditure invites comparison with the Dome, Wembley, the Millennium Stadium, countless football grounds, and leisure centres. I guess that future British residents may gaze on the ruins of our stadia and wonder why we spent money on such projects, when the roads were full of pot holes, public buildings decaying and our ancient churches in need of renovation.
We do however need to keep a sense of perspective when talking about progress and comparisons with the past and this was brought forcibly to mind a few weeks ago when I took some twelve year old cull ewes into Hereford Market. The market was strong, and as I arrived home I expected to surprise the wife as I revealed the price of ninety pounds each.
My elation was short lived however, when she replied, “humph, we used to get that twenty years ago at Gloucester.”
As my old mentor Allan Evans used to say, “That’s how to make money out of farming!”
View from the Pew 