Peter Jones

Ancient & modern – 6 March 2004

A classicist draws on ancient wisdom to illuminate contemporary follies

issue 06 March 2004

However one regards Mrs Gun after her betrayal of the Official Secrets Act — selfless heroine of Antigonean stature, or self-important, sanctimonious little twerp — her actions raise an important question: the security of the written word.

In classical Greece, inter-state politics were usually carried out verbally, either by well-briefed ambassadors or by messengers with orders committed to memory.

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