Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

The Impact of Ancient Greece on Modern Culture 313
nician) races. He then attempted to demonstrate the impact that
their cultures had upon Greek culture by appealing to etymology
and mythology. Bernal’s hypothesis that earlier generations of classical
scholars underplayed the contribution made by the African
and Semitic races has some merit, and it is certainly appropriate,
even laudable, to raise questions about the preconceptions of our
predecessors, whose view of the human family was very different
from ours. All historical inquiry is contingent and provisional, and
our own prejudices will in due course come under scrutiny by our
successors. This said, Bernal’s claim to be able to detect an “Aryan
model of Greek culture” propounded by nineteenth-century scholars
carries little weight. Nor is it true that contemporary scholars
are reluctant to ignore the contribution of Egyptian and Near Eastern
cultures to Greek culture, though they do not, for the most part,
consider their contribution to have been overriding.
More critically for Bernal’s thesis, few classical scholars would
concede that the Afroasiatic contribution to Greek culture was made
by the black African races, and that is where the heart of the controversy
lies. With the publication of Mary Lefkowitz’s response to
Bernal, entitled Not Out of Africa: How Afrocentrism Became an Excuse
to Teach Myth as History (1996), the debate became so politicized that
rational discourse between the two camps was almost impossible.
Yet, if Bernal’s work achieved nothing else, it has at least demonstrated
the continuing importance of classical antiquity by reminding
us that the enduring status of Greek culture in the West is such
that cultural descent has come to be regarded almost as a precondition
to cultural identity.
Making Connections
Describe some of the ways in which you have been made
aware of the impact of ancient Greece on modern culture.
Do not limit your answer to a discussion of “high culture”
but include also consideration of popular artistic media.
Which events, images, art works that have been inspired by ancient
Greece or have a connection with ancient Greece have made the most
forceful impression on you? Which of them has given you a new perspective
on the ancient Greeks?