[dnqthao]

I thought Ancient Greek was the 2nd most common language for people to learn after Latin if they want to understand the era.

[inglor_cz]

Nevertheless the fraction among general intellectuals is todays negligible, and most current opinion makers wouldn't be able to say "Hello" in either language. This increases the civilizational distance significantly.

It used to be much higher; 100 years ago, both Greek and Latin were compulsory subjects in many schools.