The Ancient Greek World: Then and Now

Reaching new audiences and unravelling stereotypes

Ancient Greek society has fascinated people around the world, but it has often been misrepresented. Professor Michael Scott’s research has challenged the public’s perception of the Ancient Greek world. His new approach has re-evaluated the lived experience of ancient Greek society spread across the Mediterranean, as well as the effect of its cities and culture on the modern age. Through a number of successful TV series, a wide and dedicated social media platform, and other public engagement events, Professor Scott has brought this insight to an audience of millions.

The challenge

Many associate Ancient Greece with stereotypes of genius bearded philosophers or muscular warriors saving nymphs from monsters. Individual wars and discoveries were celebrated as snapshots of Greek culture, missing out much of Greece’s cultural growth across the centuries. Professor Scott’s approach foregrounds important places and landscapes, examining the development of Greek culture over time and shifting the focus from tales of battles and gods to Ancient Greece itself.

Our approach

Professor Scott has written and presented a series of documentaries for British and Australian television, such as:

• Ancient Greece: Greatest Show On Earth (2013)

• This is Greece (2017)

• Ancient Invisible Cities (2018)

His research has examined the changing importance of specific sites such as Delphi and Athens, interpreting and exploring those spaces in ways which bring the lived experiences of those places to the fore. This has included harnessing state of the art Virtual Reality (VR) technology to visualise the vanished past.

By providing a 360-degree analysis of these key sites, Professor Scott’s research offers an immersive way for audiences to experience and understand the Ancient Greek world.

Watch Professor Scott's inaugural lecture, "This is Sparta."

Our impact

Professor Scott’s research has given millions a fresh perspective on Greek history and culture. Audiences of over 10 million in more than 58 countries have benefited from his research through Professor Scott’s televised documentaries. This has in turn launched an entire season of BBC4 documentaries about Ancient Greece. He was made an honorary citizen of Delphi in 2016 in recognition of both his research on the ancient site and his work in communicating its ongoing importance to the modern world.

Professor Scott’s unique approach to understanding physical landscapes and locations has led to pioneering approaches to representing spaces from Ancient Greece digitally and the evolution of several TV Director/Producers’ working practices. The formats he helped develop, especially for digital representation, have since been used in other television programmes and installed as interactive displays in museums. Professor Scott has curated a collection of freely available VR videos for teachers to use in schools, engaging students with new ways of leaning about Ancient Greece, as part of his commitment to widening participation and access to Classics. He has also contributed extensively to the Warwick Classics Network, which promotes and supports the teaching of classics around the UK.

See more of Professor Scott's recent publications

Discover Professor Scott's documentaries about the ancient world