From Russia With Love

Historians often envisage a gulf between family history and other engagements with the past, but they can easily overlap.

‘The censor’s joy’: Ronald Syme by Walter Stoneman, August 1946.

I have been thinking about Sir Ronald Syme (1903-89). He was one of the great historians of ancient Rome and an outstanding practitioner of prosopography: the collective study of multiple lives in order to explain the structures of politics and society. It appeals to me as a historical method, but this is not why I’ve been thinking about Syme. I’ve been thinking about him because he was a friend of my grandmother.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.