“Either it is the grave-mark of someone who died long ago, or was set as a racing goal by men who lived before our time.”
Quite a bit of the culture shock that I experienced in the trip to Greece came from the way the very modern city of Athens lives so casually next to the ruins of the old. Not only is it a constant reminder of its rich history, but its physical presence and cultural impact are so well integrated into the modern form of the city. For example, I learned very quickly that the Greeks have a very different view on graffiti. There is no effort made to cover it up because they view it as the art of a living city, in the same way graffiti characterized many of their ancient monuments. This picture becomes visual evidence of the modern living alongside the ancient and it becomes a symbol of the way history will always have its lasting evidence and its prevailing impact.
The quote used as the title comes from Homer’s Iliad, where Nestor describes an ancient market, now used as a turning-post for a chariot race. This shows an example of how a person ancient to us (Homer of Archaic Greece) describes people ancient to him (heroes of the Bronze Age Greece) who were also aware of the people ancient to them. And throughout every iteration, each new generation carries the cultural impact of the old and lives alongside its physical remains as a constant reminder of that.
