The reason I have spent so much time studying the ancient world, writing it about and subsequently teaching it, is that it is the very foundation of modernity. It is the locus of our notions of democracy, theatre, politics, and architecture. The works of Thucydides and Cicero do not just tell us about antiquity but they offer valuable insights into our modern world and, indeed, ourselves. Paintings and literature are full of classical references, our modern languages take so much of their grammar and syntax from the ancient languages, and I love seeing each new group of students having their outlook transformed and their lives enriched when they first read Homer, or when they learn about Alexander the Great or the emperor Augustus. I firmly believe that Classics is not just a subject for the elite but for everyone. Generally, when students start studying Classics with me, they have only a cursory acquaintance with the subject. Frequently, at the end of the course, they have decided that it is the subject they wish to study at university. I have even sent some students on to do PhDs in Classics, and I feel immensely proud to have introduced them to a subject about which I feel so passionate, and which I feel still has immense relevance to the modern world.