--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ancient history has an air of antiquity…" description: "\"Ancient history has an air of antiquity. It should be more modern. It is written as if the specator should be thinking of the backside of the picture o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/henry-david-thoreau-20_air_ancient-history-has-an-air-of-antiquity_2252786.jpg" --- # Ancient history has an air of antiquity. It should be more… ![“Ancient history has an air of antiquity. It should be more modern. It is written as if the specator should be thinking of the backside of the picture on the wall, or as if the author expected that the dead would be his readers, and wished to detail to them their own experience.” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/henry-david-thoreau-20_air_ancient-history-has-an-air-of-antiquity_2252786.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/henry-david-thoreau-20_air_ancient-history-has-an-air-of-antiquity_2252786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/henry-david-thoreau-20_air_ancient-history-has-an-air-of-antiquity_2252786.jpg) > “Ancient history has an air of antiquity. It should be more modern. It is written as if the specator should be thinking of the backside of the picture on the wall, or as if the author expected that the dead would be his readers, and wished to detail to them their own experience.” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical narratives often feel distant, written for a dead audience, missing modern relevance. **In simple terms:** History feels distant and outdated. Key Takeaway Reframe history to connect with today’s readers. Themes history relevance perspective writing Mood thoughtful critical inquisitive Type analytical educational When to use this quote - education - museum exhibits - public talks - historical fiction Key Concepts literature philosophy cultural criticism Questions to Reflect On - How can we make past experiences feel immediate? - What modern lenses can reinterpret old texts? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of traditional scholarship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Ancient history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-history/) [Antiquity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiquity/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) ## Related quotes > [“Virtue became less the harsh and martial self-sacrifice of antiquity and more the modern willingness to get along with others for the sake of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/virtue-became-less-the-harsh-and-martial-self-sacrifice-of-antiquity/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [Nonsense prevails, modesty fails Grace and virtue turn into stupidity While the calendar fades almost all barricades to a pale compromise And our leaders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/nonsense-prevails-modesty-fails-grace-and-virtue-turn-into-stupidity/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [To some extent, mythology is only the most ancient history and biography. So far from being false or fabulous in the common sense,it contains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/to-some-extent-mythology-is-only-the-most-ancient-history-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Any man will go considerably out of his way to pick up a silver dollar; but here are golden words, which the wisest men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/any-man-will-go-considerably-out-of-his-way-to-pick-up-a-silver/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [We do not associate the idea of antiquity with the ocean, nor wonder how it looked a thousand years ago, as we do of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-do-not-associate-the-idea-of-antiquity-with-the-ocean-nor-wonder/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The heroic books, even if printed in the character of our mother tongue, will always be in a language dead to degenerate times; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-heroic-books-even-if-printed-in-the-character-of-our-mother/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Nothing but great antiquity can make graveyards interesting to me. I have no friends there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nothing-but-great-antiquity-can-make-graveyards-interesting-to-me-i/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [We are underbred and low-lived and illiterate; and in this respect I confess I do not make any very broad distinction between theilliterateness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-are-underbred-and-low-lived-and-illiterate-and-in-this-respect-i/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our own country furnishes antiquities as ancient and durable, and as useful, as any; rocks at least as well covered with lichens,and a soil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-own-country-furnishes-antiquities-as-ancient-and-durable-and-as/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Why will we be imposed on by antiquity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/why-will-we-be-imposed-on-by-antiquity/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A fortified town is like a man cased in the heavy armor of antiquity, with a horse-load of broadswords and small arms slung to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-fortified-town-is-like-a-man-cased-in-the-heavy-armor-of-antiquity/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Why should Canada, wild and unsettled as it is, impress us as an older country than the States, unless because her institutions are old?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/why-should-canada-wild-and-unsettled-as-it-is-impress-us-as-an-older/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [History has neither the venerableness of antiquity, nor the freshness of the modern. It does as if it would go to the beginning ofthings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/history-has-neither-the-venerableness-of-antiquity-nor-the-freshness/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What is a country without rabbits and partridges? They are among the most simple and indigenous animal products; ancient and venerable families known to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/what-is-a-country-without-rabbits-and-partridges-they-are-among-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [ I always resented Tom \[Hardy\] for turning up on Band Of Brothers and getting the girl — in fact, the only girl in a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/i-always-resented-tom-hardy-for-turning-up-on-band-of-brothers-and/) [Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/) ## More by Henry David Thoreau > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. 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