The first systematic attempt to focus on the instrumental role of silent cinema in early twentieth-century conceptualizations of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East. It is located at the intersection of film studies, classics, Bible studies and cultural studies.

Although curriculum is central to the schooling process, debates about it are rarely well informed. Over the past ten years there has been a dearth of books that have informed the debate by examining curriculum in a broader context, beyond the National Curriculum. Ross, in this refreshing re-examination of the area, opens up a more general debate on how the curriculum is shaped and the compromises made between different ideologies of the nature and purpose of education.