What the End of Reading Truly Means

In a city center somewhere in the ancient Greek world—let’s say Epidaurus in the sixth century BC—a religious festival is in progress. The mood is festive, buoyed by the free barbecue that religious sacrifices occasioned for the entire local populace. Animal sacrifices were ostensibly for the gods, but it was the humans who benefited tangibly from the opulent community cookouts. The gods largely just enjoyed the smell. And now, bellies full, the moment everyone has been waiting for has arrived: entertainment.