Channing Tatum, the Hemsworth brothers, Vin Diesel—these are just a few of the contemporary actors whose success is arguably equal parts talent and six pack. The recent rise of the modern-day beefcake actor is one that’s easy to pin on, say, early 2000s Abercrombie & Fitch models. But to CIW Speaker Natalie Haynes, a classicist and stand-up comedian, it’s clear that the contemporary physical ideal has much older roots. Specifically, she’s referring to the Greeks, a group who Haynes says were dismissive of the very idea of internal beauty.

In 2012, Natalie Haynes shared the ancient view on the meaning of life from the CIW stage.

“[Y]our visual representation was a very accurate depiction of your emotional and intellectual representation,” Haynes said of the Greek view on beauty. “If you looked lovely, you probably were lovely.”

In a recent BBC documentary, Haynes mines the topic—and the British Museum’s “Defining Beauty” exhibit on Greek art—for further insights into life, both modern and ancient. And just what are those insights? Many are—as you might have guessed—decidedly abs-related. Take the Belvedere Torso. A sculpture usually housed at the Vatican, it inspired Adam’s torso on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and was considered by Michelangelo to be beyond reproach. “Imaging how brilliant it must be that Michelangelo stepped back and went, ‘No, I don’t think I can do anything for that,’” Haynes said, with obvious delight.

In fact, Haynes takes an obvious delight in all things Greco-Roman. On her first foray into the classics-meets-comedy material, she mused, “It was just so much fun I couldn’t believe that no one had thought to do it before.” On her current project, a futuristic reworking of Antigone, Haynes admits: “I’ve played really fast and loose with it. I’ve been really cavalier; I’m not going to lie to you. This might be the actual definition of hubris.” And, finally, on the 300 series: “I think it’s fair to say that 300: Rise of an Empire wasn’t really aiming for realism.”

Even so, the success of a series like 300 perhaps points to the ancient world’s continued relevance in the modern era. In fact, Haynes says of Greek philosophy, “I use loads of it, all the time.”

“I’m very keen on that Protagoras line that ‘man is the measure of all things,’” she continued. “What I’m basically aiming to be is the best human being I can be…for other people and for myself. So, yeah, Protagoras wins out at the moment.”