What do ancient Roman wars have to do with modern Europe’s borders, values, and ways of thinking? Why do ideas about power, citizenship, law, and even “Europeanness” keep echoing back to conflicts that happened over two thousand years ago? And how can European art give us clues to better answer those questions?

 

In this discussion, we’ll look at several pivotal wars from the Roman era and explore how they quietly but powerfully shaped the continent we know today, from political structures and military thinking to everyday attitudes about authority, unity, and resistance.

 

For each war, we’ll also turn to art: paintings, sculptures, and visual works created long after the battles ended, yet deeply influenced by them. These artworks act as time machines, revealing how later generations interpreted violence, victory, loss, and identity—and why those interpretations still matter now. This isn’t about memorising dates or generals; it’s about understanding Europe as a living cultural project, shaped by conflict, memory, and storytelling. Expect a smart, fascinating conversation that connects history, art, and the present in ways that make Europe feel far more familiar and far more complex.

 

古罗马的战争，跟今天欧洲的边界、价值观和思考方式到底有什么关系？为什么关于权力、公民身份、法律，甚至“欧洲性”这种概念，总是在不断回响到两千多年前的那些冲突里？而欧洲的艺术作品，又能怎么帮我们更好地回答这些问题？

 

这场讨论会带大家回到罗马时代几场关键战争，看看它们是如何在不经意间、但又非常深刻地塑造了我们今天熟悉的欧洲——从政治结构、军事思维，到人们对权威、统一与反抗的日常态度，都能找到这些战争留下的影子。

 

而且每讲到一场战争，我们还会把视角转向艺术：那些在战争结束很久之后才创作出来的绘画、雕塑和视觉作品，却依然被那些冲突深深影响。它们像“时光机”一样，让我们看到后来的人如何理解暴力、胜利、失败和身份认同——以及为什么这些理解到现在依然影响着我们。这不是让你死记硬背年份和将军名字，而是想让你理解：欧洲其实是一个不断被冲突、记忆和叙事塑造出来的“活着的文化工程”。你可以期待一场既聪明又上头的对话，把历史、艺术和当下连接起来，让欧洲这件事看起来既更熟悉，也更复杂。