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...think for themselves instead of following the dictates of society and the accepted superstitions concerning the gods and how one should behave. While there are differences between Plato's and Xenophon's depictions of Socrates, both present a man who cared nothing for class distinctions or 'proper behavior' and who spoke as easily with women, servants, and slaves as with...

...think of her as an imperial 'Mother of her people'. It seems likely that she was considered to be responsible for the growth of barley, wheat and other grains. She was almost certainly the local form of 'Mother Earth', but she was as much a taker of life as a giver of life. The Greek Aphrodite is frequently identified as a Goddess of beauty, love and sexuality. Statues...

...system was breaking apart and Rome was plunged into two bitter civil wars between powerful political and military figures, such as Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, one after the other. Augustus – at this stage still called Octavian – was the last man standing after the second civil war, and this is how he came to be in control of the Roman state. [Figure 2: This image...

...think about how the music makes you feel. Does the pulse contribute to your emotional response to the music? In which extracts is the pulse more discernible? Audio 1: Bee Gees, Stayin’ Alive, 0:32–1:02 Audio 2: Brian Eno, New space music, 00:30–01:00 Audio 3: Beethoven, Grosse Fugue, Op. 133 03:55–04:25 Audio 4: Howard Goodall, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’,...

...think about these assumptions and to re-assess them. The idea, for instance, that Western music is exclusively composed is rather an exaggeration: there are numerous examples of improvisation in our art music tradition. The common view that most non-Western musics are improvised is even more dubious, especially if we accept Apel's definition of the term. As the...