Interview

Half groat of Henry VIII, c.1544-47. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Alec Ryrie

‘Who is the most overrated person in history? Henry VIII. Nasty piece of work and not as clever as he thought he was.’

A barbarian kneels before Antoninius Pius, stucco relief fragment, c. AD 138-161. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Michelle Renee Salzman

‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That Rome “fell” because of the barbarians.’

The Resurrection from an Italian Book of Hours, c.1460. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Christopher de Hamel

‘Which moment would I most like to go back to? The Resurrection. Whatever happened, there has been no more consequential moment for Western civilisation.’

The Mutilation of Byzantine Emperors Justinian II and Philippicus, Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes, c.1413-15. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Mirela Ivanova

‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That the Byzantine Empire was decadent and effeminate. I wish.’

The Sudarium of Saint Veronica, Venice, 1450. Rijksmuseum. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Alexander Lee

‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That the Renaissance was a ‘secular’ age.’

Achaemenid-era head of a Persian guard, c.486-65 BC. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Phiroze Vasunia

‘Which moment would I most like to go back to? The Achaemenid Persian court when Alexander the Great took over in the 330s BC.’

USS Tybee in Savannah, Georgia, by William O. Golding, 1932. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Linda Colley

‘Who is the most underrated person in history? I would like to know more about William O. Golding, the Black sailor who produced images of all the great world ports in the 1930s.’

The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise, Giovanni di Paolo, 1445. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Alan Knight

‘Which moment would I most like to go back to? Just before the Big Bang. I realise there are risks attached.’

The Unicorn Purifies Water, French tapestry, c.1495-1505. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Justine Firnhaber-Baker

‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That medieval people were dumber than modern ones.’

A Dance round the Poles, cartoon on the partition of Poland between Russian empress Catherine II, Prussian king Frederick II, and Austrian emperor Joseph II, Richard Newton, 1794. Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Richard Butterwick-Pawlikowski

‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That “anarchic” and “fanatical” Poland was partitioned by its more “enlightened”, “tolerant” absolutist neighbours.’