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Building Britannia: A Conversation with Steven Parissien

Building Britannia: A Conversation with Steven Parissien

The historian explains his use of architecture and landmarks in telling the story of Britain’s social and political history to author Paul Strathern.
Steven Parissien

Welcome, Steven, to Aspects of History. What was it that first led you into the study of architecture and cultural history? Which came first? I was always fascinated by British history and British architecture from my earliest years, though I’m not sure why: no-one in...

What Makes an Iconic Structure?

What Makes an Iconic Structure?

Britain’s truly iconic buildings are those whose architecture, symbolism and evolving histories have allowed them to transcend aesthetics and become expressions of national identity.
Steven Parissien

‘Iconic’ is a rather overused and clichéd word these days. It’s probably quite helpful, then, to unpack exactly what we mean when we use this term for the architecture of the past or present – or rather, what we ought to mean. Many new buildings in Britain’s towns and...

Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece, by Adrian Goldsworthy

Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece, by Adrian Goldsworthy

An ambitious and successful account demonstrating how unlikely alliance and antagonism, rooted in identity and ambition, led to the Peloponnesian War.

The Romans too often get the good gigs, both on our screens and on the shelves, these days; the Greeks, not so much… That is the starting point of Adrian Goldsworthy’s journey east across the Mediterranean and his sweeping account of the two headline acts at the tip...

Democracies vs. Authoritarian States

Democracies vs. Authoritarian States

A never-so-timely comparison of Athens and Sparta explores whether political freedom can establish military superiority and determine the outcome of ideological conflict.
Adrian Goldsworthy

Do the good guys always win? It would be nice to think that open, democratic societies are healthier and stronger and have inbuilt advantages over authoritarian regimes. After all, in World War Two the democracies led by Britain and the USA smashed totalitarian...