By Megan Robertson (Lower Sixth)

Recently I got the exciting opportunity to attend ‘An evening with Mary Beard’. Professor Beard is a lecturer of Classics at the University of Cambridge and a long-time inspiration of mine due to her bestselling book – SPQR – A History of Ancient Rome (a read I would recommend to anyone, even if Classics is not an interest of yours).

Professor Beard’s talk was divided into two sections, the former focusing on three unknown ancient figures, shining a light on what she believes to be an often forgotten, yet integral part of ancient history: the ordinary people. I found chariot racer Diocles the most fascinating of the few, with Professor Beard’s insights on the decadent gravestone of the racer showing the early formation of celebrity culture. The latter half of the talk was just as, if not more, interesting, firstly after an audience vote she focused on Emperor Caligula’s “Holiday from hell” to Egypt. The final part of her talk was one of the highlights of the evening, she drew unexpected comparisons between ancient Rome and the modern day, answering poignant questions such as “Which Roman emperor is President Trump most similar to?”.

I was extremely happy to also get to meet Professor Beard after the talk, having the opportunity to discuss the importance of women and young people having interests in Classics, to thank her for introducing this field to me and to gain valuable advice for my upcoming Classics A Level. Overall, the evening was not only an amazing experience, but also a valuable aid to my Classical Civilisation A Level.