The Classics and Theology on Her Throne

Over the summer, Americans rediscovered an appreciation for ancient epics, with Nolan’s blockbuster sending copies of The Odyssey flying off bookstore shelves. Aficionados of ancient epics should consider adding another book to their newly minted classical libraries: Virgil’s Aeneid, which also begins with the fall of Troy.

A rather famous scene in The Aeneid shows Aeneas careening out of Troy, carrying his father, Anchises, on his back while gripping his young son’s hand, Ascanius. This image tells us something important about the nature of conserving civilization, and consequently, education. 

I live in the Pacific Northwest, where wildfires raged over the summer. One lesson we’ve learned is that what someone carries out of his house during a fire is a tell-tale sign of what he holds dear. This is true of Anchises, who, rather than gathering loot from his vault, chose to grab his household gods. Though pagan, the Trojans evince a piety rare in our modern world.