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Episode 4: Mary Beard, and Brian Dillon on Ruin Lust

Mary Beard on religion and art, and Brian Dillon on the attraction of ruined places

Mary Beard reveals the thinking behind The Eye of Faith, the fourth programme in the Civilisations series. Depicting the divine in art has been a fascination for Mary since she studied for her PhD on Roman religion. Plus, she reveals the ancient civilisation she’d most like to invite round for dinner.

The Civilisations series is packed with stunning shots of picturesque ruined places. Writer and art critic, Brian Dillon traces the long history of our fascination with ruins. He introduces us to the aristocrats of the 18th century who built imitation ruins in their gardens, and explains why the Nazis imagined how their architecture would look like after a thousand years of dilapidation.

Produced and presented by Viv Jones.

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25 minutes

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