Socrates

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In part two of Genius of the Ancient World, Bettany investigates the revolutionary ideas of Socrates. Socrates was born in Athens during a creative, yet extremely tumultuous period of Greek history. Athens had given birth to democracy, and become a hotbed of new philosophical ideas. Socrates would become, arguably, it's most vocal and charismatic thinker. He set about scrutinizing, and working through, the key moral issues of his day. His technique, a systematic form of question and answer "the Socratic method", was delivered with such dazzling irony that he became a celebrity in his day. Yet, by challenging tradition and convention, he also made enemies. Eventually he was put on trial, found guilty, and sentenced to drink deadly hemlock. Drawing on archaeology and expert opinion, Bettany investigates this inspiring figure.