Western World，Ancient Greece can be called a model of "classical" society。Since the publication of ancient bet365 champions league literature and philosophy more than 2,000 years ago，Has been researched and recommended。A major topic in contemporary Western cultural research is，The reason why ancient bet365 champions league texts and artifacts played such an important role，Because they contain intrinsic value from the beginning of their existence，Also because they were given extra value by later Western society。I think，Both formulations are correct: works with great intrinsic value must become classics，Need to be systematically promoted by later generations of culture；But later generations of culture cannot blindly "classicize" these works，Unless they do have great intrinsic classical value that needs to be preserved and continued。I will briefly return to the issue of the intrinsic value of ancient bet365 champions league literature at the end of the article。

Where does the concept of bet365 champions league “classicism” come from？I think，This term was not invented by later generations of ancient Europe，It was born in ancient Greece，The reason is related to the political history of ancient Greece。

　What is "ancient Greece"？When people use this concept，Usually refers to the culture of the bet365 champions league Peninsula and its surrounding areas from around the 8th century BC to the 4th century BC。But in fact，The history of ancient Greece is much longer than this。Chinese historian John Ma demonstrates the real “bet365 champions league Miracle” in a book he authored。In his opinion，From 3rd century BC to 3rd century AD，It is the ancient bet365 champions league city、The prosperous period of ancient bet365 champions league culture。At that time，Ancient Greece had a vast territory，Alexander the Great commanded the army to occupy the Persian Empire，Established a vast country。This campaign spread ancient bet365 champions league culture and religion to this vast land。I think，It was during this period，The concept of "ancient Greece" was just invented。

During this period，bet365 champions league has always been widely spoken，Literature、Philosophy and science continue to develop in relevant areas，Relevant creations continue to the present day，No obvious cultural break。The most important point is，From the beginning，bet365 champions league culture has great respect for the literary works of the past。A large number of ancient bet365 champions league texts that we will study today，For example, Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey”，Considered as a "classic"。But they are not considered distant sacred texts like the Bible，But it is regarded as an object of praise。Every bet365 champions league praised these two works。

How Homer’s name became widely known？At that time，Many people are illiterate，But you can understand long poems through public performances，Or excerpt the highlights - although bet365 champions league method is more time-consuming，It may take a whole day。

Starting from the 5th century BC，The wealthy bet365 champions league elite increasingly studied the works of Homer and other early texts through books。This transformation is related to the rise of Athens as the leader of city-states at the beginning of the 5th century BC。Athens at that time had huge strength in the military and cultural fields。The Athenian Navy’s control of the eastern seas，Enables Athens to extract money from so-called allies，And use part of this money to build magnificent new buildings (including the famous Parthenon，It is regarded as the most recognizable symbol of the bet365 champions league nation)。

Among the many bet365 champions league city-states，Athens consolidates its absolute leading position。This is largely due to Athens’ status as the academic center of Greece and its strong cultural atmosphere。In the words of a bet365 champions league leader，Athens is committed to education throughout Greece。The city of Athens not only promotes the promotion and dissemination of traditional texts such as Homer，And continue to produce new texts for future generations to study。For example，The texts of winning lines in drama competitions are carefully preserved in public archives，Become the object of admiration and imitation by future generations。This stage marks the true beginning of bet365 champions league "classicism"，The highly educated elite were increasingly immersed in bet365 champions league literature。

From the 3rd century BC，Education has become one of the systematic symbols of class differences in Greece。bet365 champions league is a very unique education system，It became the basis of the educational system throughout Europe in the Middle Ages。bet365 champions league foundation is rooted in the study of Homeric texts and the study of Athenian drama and poetry。

In the late Hellenistic and Roman periods，With the development of bet365 champions league education，Citizens learn to speak languages ​​that originated 500 years ago or earlier。In the Roman Empire，One of the most popular forms of literary performance among the elite is impromptu speech，The style and characteristics are derived from ancient historical or mythological figures。Speakers are invited to give short talks，The topic may be about "Alexander the Great's speech to his troops before the Battle of Granicus"。The essence of this art of speech is to maintain the identity of the character，and requires the use of earlier languages。Any mistake - e.g.，Accidental use of modern words or expressions – both may invite ridicule or cause the speaker to lose status。

This kind of copying and imitation of early languages，And an obsession with classical Athenian culture，Created a language phenomenon called "bilingual culture"。Until today，There are still two distinct forms of language in Greece，That is, daily language and elite language。This reflects the "conservative" or "traditional" power in bet365 champions league culture。Even as popular language forms continue to evolve，It is still closely connected with ancient times。

Therefore，bet365 champions league “classicism” can be seen as a term invented by the ancient Greeks themselves，Subsequently reused by the elite of the Roman Empire。In the above overview，I focus on the social and political factors that created bet365 champions league “classicism”，Of course there are more factors。Homer’s epic story，A profound reflection on human moral challenges in Athenian drama，The subtleties of the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle...there is great intrinsic value in bet365 champions league thought。But intrinsic value alone cannot create a classic: a classic needs an atmosphere of classicism culture。

In bet365 champions league sense，The ancients did not just create classics，Also created a system for evaluating and preserving classics，Making it relevant to the times。bet365 champions league is also the challenge we face today: how to follow in the footsteps of the ancients，Create a new culture，Cultivate classics，Making the classics alive in modern times。

(The author is Professor of bet365 champions league at the Department of Classics, University of Cambridge, UK、Academician of the British National Academy；This article is a speech given by the author at the opening ceremony of the First World Congress of Classics)