#john potter

[dracaria-dracarys]

Michael McElhatton as John Potter THE HOUSE OF GUINNESS

[srednod]

Andreas Andersen Hendrik Andersen and John Potter 1894

[dodgermd]

So I watched House of Guiness and it was really nice, just my sorta shit, but y'know, my favourite character has to be Potter, the Butler.

Like, man, I can relate to you so much seeing and hearing and knowing all the idiotic stuff going on with the silly privilaged people around you and you're just like wow, what a shitshow take the money and keep doing your thing.

That's, like, my job discription right there.

[gotrbmm]

[antiqueanimals]

From Four-Legged Legends of Montana, illustrated by John Potter. 1993.

[uwmspeccoll]

Sparta: Savage or Noble?

My name is LauraJean, and as the Special Collections Classics Intern for this semester, I will be researching and writing about Classical antiquity through materials preserved in Special Collections.

Today I would like to discuss English Archbishop John Potter’s view of the Spartans and how that view has persisted over time. In 1697, Potter published his highly influential work, Archaeologia Graeca, or, The Antiquities of Greece, which continued to be republished in numerous editions well into the 19th century. Our copy is an 1804 edition printed in Edinburgh by Mundell and Sons for themselves and for a number of London booksellers. The various editions would become a contributing force for the next generation’s understandings of these ancient cultures, a sentiment that would be positive if it weren’t for the fact that Potter’s writings are dangerously biased.  

Despite citing the works of the ancient Greek historians Herodotus and Thucydides, Potter speaks in near opposition to their writings, most notably when describing Sparta. Instead of the relationship-based, decisive, organized culture described by the ancient historians, the archbishop morphs them into a jealousy-driven, impulsive, tyrannical state.  

On the opposite side of the ancient civilization, Potter praised the Athenians as civilized, well-meaning allies to those in their empire, despite Thucydides' histories depicting the many betrayals the democracy committed against their allies.

These biases were not born from any ancient sources listed by Potter, so this raises the question of where these ideas originated. Though it's impossible to pinpoint the motivations of this or any individual accurately, we can make some inferences by looking at the current events of the time. The early 18th century saw England at the height of its colonial power, but with that power came a distrust of their European neighbors, especially Spain and France. Their neighbors would be only one of their many problems. As with Athens, the people subjected by English rule were not always compliant, the results of which would come to pass in the next handful of decades.

These biases would continue into the next generations of scholars and with the influence of France only growing with the rise of Napoleon, the disdain shown by English scholars for the Spartans only increased, influencing the popular imagination about the Spartans even to our own day..

-- LauraJean, Special Collections Undergraduate Classics Intern

[de-salva]

... untitled

© John Potter

[itracing]

Harlequin Huracan

GRT Magnus Lamborghini Huracan GT3: John Potter, Andy Lally.

Image by Peter Burke