There’s more to civilisation than visual art
SIR – Good as it was, the latest episode of Civilisations should have been described as “the history of visual art”. Not only did it ignore other arts – such as music and dance – but it failed to explain the true meaning of the word “civilisation”.
Civilisation is about respect and tolerance of others and their views – and, indeed, of life itself, whether human or animal.
Ian Evans
Derby
SIR – With Civilisations, the BBC has yet another high-profile series almost made unendurable by adding intrusive background music. I found it impossible to concentrate on Mary Beard’s commentary or contemplate the images.
Lionel Binns
Bristol
SIR – Mary Beard’s attempt to prove equivalence between classical Greece and the Olmecs (who had no lasting effect on world culture or history, as far as I know) was risible.
She is learned, but has jumped on the modern bandwagon of “How does it feel?”
Marian Waters
Pebworth, Warwickshire
SIR – I would like to thank the BBC for making Civilisations because it inspired me to dust off my DVD box set of Kenneth Clark’s original series and start watching it all over again.
These magnificent programmes are authoritative and have a clear chronology; they inform, educate and entertain. The series does show its age in its production values, but it is much better than the remake, which has tried to cover too much ground, can’t decide on its audience and appears to have been made by a politically correct committee. Richard Pickwoad
London N10