この英文の意味するところを教えていただけませんか．
少し長くなりますが，前文がないと意味の取りようがないと思いますので，タイプします．次に挙げる文の前に，主人公は図書館に入って，余り興味を感じないギリシャ史の本を読もうとしていたが，そのうちうとうととしだしたと言う意味合いの記述が数行に渡ってあります．
When I opened my eyes there was an old man sitting there opposite me. I hadn't heard him come in and I must have looked surprised at seeing him there, because he smiled and asked if it was all right for him to sit there. He was silent for a few minutes and then he began to talk. His long thin finger pointed to the book in front of me and he said that it was interesting. Of course I didn't argue with him, even though, I didn't really agree. But it soon became clear to me that he knew a lot about Greek history, for he started to tell me things that were in that book as if he'd written it himself. [ He made it sound as if those long-dead Greeks were part of today's world.]
[ ] の前までの内容は分かるのですが，[ ]の部分がどういう状況を言っているのかよく分かりません．まったく自信はないのですが，礼儀として，私のあてすっぽの解釈を申し上げます．
「彼はそれら死んで久しくなるあのギリシャ人たちが，まるでこの世の一部分であるかのように…？」
it の内容とsound の訳し方が分かりません．辞書では一応当たってみましたが．また，long-dead Greeks の意味も自身はありません．全体的にはどういう状況を表現しているのでしょう．宜しくお願いします．
お礼
for displayがそんな意味になるのですね。 ありがとうございます。