Nouns: names, places, legacies

By Andreea Goian

Legacy, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is a tangible or intangible thing handed down by a predecessor or a long-lasting effect of an event or process.

Intangible, not easily pinpointed by a word or phrase. For many, legacies include memories of loved ones, places one has travelled to, but sometimes it is more than that. A culture whose legacy still weighs on our history, and proves itself more important than we could have originally guessed. 

The Ancient Greeks were living in a world full of art, culture, philosophy. At the heart of Athens was a democracy that paved the way for our politics. Independent and self-ruling city-states made up Ancient Greece (Athens and Sparta being the most famous) in 580BC. Greece was a place for art, culture, and philosophy—and still is. It became a symbol of modernity for the world in the period now known as classical antiquity. 

The birthplace of the theatre, originally used for worship through singing, dancing, and acting, in its rudimentary but nonetheless enduring form. Amphitheatres developed into theatres, developed into the opulent, state of the art facilities we now frequent. The birthplace of mathematics, philosophy, and religion – many of the structures of thought we have now are due to those who lived and breathed in Ancient Greece. 

As I look up at the Acropolis, I can’t comprehend how much time stands between myself and those who frequented it thousands of years ago. I think about the High Priestess of Athena Polias. A married woman held this office for life, seen as the highest religious duty, and was involved in decision-making in the most important political affairs. An opportunity for women to be involved in a place they normally were shunned out of. The highest prestige and honour was given to them as the most significant duty for men and women alike. She stands so close to me, across generations, I could be stepping on the ground she walked on. I feel under-dressed in my shorts and flip-flops, and suddenly the legacy of this monument is overwhelming – I see the ancients walking by, legends walking and talking all around me. 

Transported to the bustle surrounding the Acropolis, names are shouted in an unfamiliar language, people laugh and lounge around the structure. Instead of the crumbling building I looked at just seconds ago, there stands a blindingly bright monument that towers above me and gleams in the beating sun. People around me are draped in white cloth, smiling, laughing, all caught up in their own regular life to ruminate on the history taking shape around them. We are so similar in all the ways that matter. In the 21st Century, we also get caught up in the everyday to recognise that we are also a part of history – what seems normal will seem foreign in another hundred years. 

We climb back down past the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, past the new souvenir shops crammed with useless tat, magnets, postcards, and all sorts of little trinkets that only become sentimental once you assign meaning to them —and your Euros too. Between little alleyways and crowds of people I catch glimpses of Ancient Greece; couples, families, friends, walking and talking, some market goers selling their goods. It’s almost like looking in a mirror. 

Legacies are made every single day, shaped by delicate loving hands and tiny moments of everyday lives. Names and places seem to hold so much importance in a time when nothing really distinguishes our legacies from those which seem so weighty. Our desire for individuality comes at the cost of our shared traditions. We are building history – leaving a legacy just like the Ancient Greeks – let’s just hope it’s one worth remembering.

Image: Constantinos Kollias via Unsplash