Читать книгу Looking for Aphrodite - David Price Williams - Страница 42

My book learning was totally theoretical and, I now realised, completely sterile, lacking in that essential vitality that makes studying other people, past or present, in any way worthwhile. A well head, a game carved on a paving slab, an oil lamp, a broken amphora, a fragment of graffiti, these were evidences of daily life, of a living people, infinitely more than could be found in the pages of Abbott and Mansfield’s Primer of Greek Grammar. The austerity of the Aorist tense and the idiosyncrasy of the iota subscript suddenly transposed themselves into the veracity of a people going about their daily round, speaking to one another in authentic situations. The experience struck me like a lightening bolt. I was at once smitten.

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To understand Knidos in its full geographical context, the best and most spectacular views of the city are from the Acropolis, high above the north east of the site.

“Say, David, would you like to lead us in a hike up to the Acropolis tomorrow?”

This is many years later, and speaking is the leader of one of our visiting Transatlantic groups who had invited me to show them the ancient world.

“I realise David that you are probably totally unfit, not playing tennis, going to the gym or jogging and all, but, Hell, we’d really like to do it, and we’ll even let you rest, and we’ll wait for you half way. OK?”

“Well, if you really want to, then I’ll take you. But be warned, it’s a tricky ascent, very prickly, very steep, with lots of scree, and it will be hot.”

“Oh that’s OK. We can go real early. How about six tomorrow morning? You up by then, David?”

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