Is it also the secret of success? The command to “know thyself” is one of the most famous in history. But 2,500 years after it was written, thinkers still disagree on its meaning.
The superpower that brings happiness
Warning: This mosaic with Greek text was excavated from a convent in Rome. It delivers a famous reminder: you are mortal and you will die. Glossary
Apollo - A US space programme which ran from 1961 to 1972 and took 12 astronauts to the moon and the ancient Greek god of the sun, poetry, and archery.
Delphi - A world heritage site in central Greece, famous for the oracle of Apollo. People travelled there to hear prophecies.
Maxims - Short statements of general truths.
Moralists - People who have strong opinions of what is right or wrong, or followers of a 19th Century philosophy which sought to spread traditional "morals" or behaviour.
Protestant - A Christian religious movement that began in Europe in the early 16th Century.
John Calvin - A French theologian (1509 to 1564) who was key in the Protestant Reformation.
Thomas Hobbes - An English philosopher who is regarded as one of the founders of modern political theory.
Samuel Pufendorf - A German philosopher, jurist and historian (1632 - 1694).
Hegel - A 19th-Century German philosopher.
Microcosm - A small version of something larger, or a representation of something on a smaller scale.
Prodigy - A child with exceptional skill or talent.
Narcissistic - Interested only in themselves.