In the lap of the Gods

Greece has always looked at its classical age as a usable past but there is no solace in the classics to inspire the country out of its financial and economic woes. What Greece needs is a cultural revolution, writes Fouad Ajami

Statues of Socrates and Apollo, above, who are the Greeks’ default sources of inspiration, according to Fouad Ajami, who says they offer no solace for Greece economically because they did not value commerce. Pictures: Getty

No solace could be found in that classical tradition. German bankers should not rest easy if Greeks come bearing the inspiration of the epics and ancient Greek heroes