“The 27th annual Runciman lecture by Professor Emerita Charlotte Roueché (King’s College London):

Seeing the Levant: From Herodotus to the present day

Over the centuries, western Europeans have viewed the middle east through the lens of Hellenism. When Rome reached the eastern Mediterranean, they found the world created by Alexander; Greek language provided a conduit for middle eastern thought and religions, most obviously Christianity. Over succeeding centuries Classical, Hellenistic and Byzantine concepts have influenced how western Europe has seen the area; one striking case is how classical scholars and archaeologists were involved in the settlements at the end of the First World War. The aim of this lecture is to trace some of these perceptions, and to examine how we see the Middle East in consequence – both in words and images.”