Day 6: Mycenae, Epidauros and Nafplio

Those who went on the tour to the Argolid, a coastal strip of land between the Saronic and Argolic gulfs, had a wonderful time.

We first made our way to the Bronze Age palace center of Mycenae, the famed seat of Agamemnon's power. The castle-palace has much in common with the Daimyo of Tokogawa Japan of the 19th century. Here however, the Greeks are building large defensive fortifications in the15th to the 13th centuries BCE.
For many this was the academic highlight of the trip so far.

 (from left to right) AJ, Heather, "Italian Holly", Kate, Derek, and "British Holly" standing in from of the MH tholos known as the "Tomb of Clytemnestra"

 Everyone in front of the fabled "Lion's Gate" at the entrance

 Surveying the heights from Grave Circle A

Director Spanier showing the wheel ruts in the "Great Ramp" at Mycenae

(courtesy of Kate Shanteler)

Derek in front of the "Treasury of Atreus"

For a sense of scale

We then drove 45 minutes along a windy road to Epidauros, where the famed Theater and Temple of Asclepius (god of healing) is located. This was a special stop for our own actress and drama maiden Holly Bonarrigo (Italian Holly). Here I was able to sneak in a little time in the very center of the theater in order to demonstrate some of the acoustical effects of this perfect theater. This theater can hold 14,600 audience members and was remade in the Roman period.

 Italian Holly in the center of the Orchestra  at the Theater of Epidauros.

 The SAG crew that went on the Argolid excursion.

Heather and Kate in front of a Roman building near the famed Asclepion.

A few of us were worn out by the high temps and lack of clean, cold water (and it's only early June) so we drove until we found a nice taverna that seemed to have nothing but local Greeks. It was here that a dozen of the 4 dozen women sitting in the restaurant merely stood and danced like a flash mob. Heather Garoufalis, one of the SAG 2012 participants, is of Greek heritage and had learned all these dances as a kid in Greek Sunday School. So she got in touch with her Greek roots and joined in. They were very welcoming.

After getting a bite to eat we all hit the beach for some very well deserved R&R and watched the waves dash the coastline. All but myself went in to enjoy the cool sea water. We then walked around the old quarter of Nafplio, considered Greece's "most romantic" city.Here is why:

The sun setting over the bay with the castle island called Bourtzi in the foreground. This was originally a Venetian stronghold that was taken over by the Turks.

Kate enjoying the beauty of the bay at Nafplio during sunset.

Day 5: Athens, Marathon and Sunion

One of the cornerstones of this class is the impact of Marathon on "Athenian Exceptionalism" and its influence on the cultural arts.We were taken to the museum and battlefield site of Marathon and even had a chance to reenact the famous "run" of the Athenians that occurred during the battle.

The museum was small but housed a nice collection of local finds.It is located next to a preserved Middle Helladic (1750-1550 BCE) site of grave tombs.

Then we reboarded the bus and looked out of the hill of the battle

First we viewed with our own eyes the hills where Miltiades ordered his men and then we discussed the specific aspects of the battle as I gave an oral midterm. We also looked at the surviving polyandron tomb of the 192 Athenians and the tumulus that stands as the victory marker

Here is a large 3-D scale map of the battle site. Kate, Peter, AJ and Derek are passionately arguing their theories of the battle

Strategoi AJ and Derek argue their respective positions

We then even recreated the famous "run" at Marathon as the Athenian troops charged the Persian lines. Here is a series of photos of myself, Derek, AJ, and Lucas charging "British Holly"
Click on this link to see an animated GIF: http://i.imgur.com/rvDpK.gif


Then we drove to the coast itself and splashed around on the very beach where the Persians moored their ships on the Attic coast exactly 2,502 years ago.

 This was, of course, the most difficult part of the day.

(from left to right) AJ, Italian Holly, Peter, Kate, and Derek return from the beach

(Courtesy of Holly Bowers)

Then the students returned to their dorms while I ran into the center of Athens to rent a large passenger van for our weekend excursion. We first used the van to see the sun set beneath the western waves upon the hill of Cape Sunion where Poseidon has an Archaic age temple.

Here Peter and "British Holly" stand before the temple

(Courtesy of Peter Stone)

Next we leave for the Argolid, where we will visit the Late Bronze Age sites of Mycenae and the Classical sites of Epidauros

Day 4: Athens Nat. Archaeological Museum

High temperatures and heat exhaustion weakened our numbers today but the majority of us made it (by various forms of transport) to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens just north of the Omonia district.

This museum is vast and houses some of the finest archaeological artifacts from the Greek, Roman and Egyptian worlds. We first ventured into the Prehistoric wing,where Cycladic, and Mycenaean treasures are held. We then went into the Dark and Archaic wigs were we saw such famous works as the Dipylon Krater showing the burial of Hector, the bronze Poseidon sculpture, and then only part of the Classical wing, where the Syracuse Aphrodite, and arrows recovered from the battlefield of Thermopylae reside.

 Some of our students climbing the steps to the museum

 "Italian" Holly with the famed Dipylon Krater

 Peter posing as Poseidon himself (and then being rebuked by museum guards.)

Professor Spanier explaining the finer points of Romano-Egyptian funerary masks to Italian Holly


After the morning session in the museum, we returned to ACG campus and I lead lectures on the Battle of Marathon (490 BCE) and the site of Delphi.

We are physically and mentally preparing ourselves for a visit to the battlefield of Marathon tomorrow, followed by a stop at the beach and a sunset visit to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sunion in southern Attika.

Derek is particularly excited to experience Marathon; AJ for the Temple of Poseidon.

Day 3: Athens and the Acropolis

We were all very excited to see the Acropolis yesterday. Many said that they had waited years to be here amidst the ruins of Athens' most sacred mountain. It was crowded, yes. But we were able to get some very nice photos of various buildings. Our tour guide, Maria, was very charming and had some good things to say about the history and culture of Greece both ancient and modern.

 Here students from UMass Lowell's Study Abroad Greece 2012 program peer down on the Herodes Atticus Theater (our guide Maria in the foreground)

Jackie and Lucas share a moment

 Here is Kate in her "cool aviators" before they broke.

Director Spanier pontificating as we enter the Acropolis

AJ looking stoic in front of the Propylaea

 Students in front of Nike Athena Temple looking across to the Pynx

 The Erectheion

Our guide Maria telling the SAG 2012 crew a story about the Erectheion

 The Erectheion (north side)

The Parthenon

Here we all are, the UMass Lowell Study Abroad Greece 2012 crew. (from left to right)
(Jeremiah "AJ" Arsenault, Heather Garoufalis, Lucas Boyans-Hahn, Jackie Smith, Derek Winslow, Holly Bonarrigo, Peter Stone, Kate Shanteler, Ethan Spanier (Director) and Holly Bowers.



We were all famished when we came down from the Acropolis, so we went to lunch at a touristy taverna near the Acro. Museum. Salads and meats all around.

The Acropolis Museum was also very interesting. As you approach the entrance, the floor is transparent and one can peer down to the ruins of Athens from the 6th century CE (Late Antique Period.)

(courtesy of Peter Stone)

The first floor holds famous sculpture found in Athens (Kritios Boy, Pensive Athena, Kore Peplophoros) We then stopped and took coffee on the 2nd floor where a balcony overlooks the Acropolis itself. (We sat inside to get out of the heat.) The museum has many nice touches, not least of which is that the top floor that holds the famous decorative sculptures is designed in the same size and orientation as the Parthenon itself. The brief movie was also informative.

(courtesy of Peter Stone)

Heather, Kate and Director Spanier look at a scale model of the Parthenon

         

 (courtesy of Peter Stone)

Day 2: Athens

We had our first day of lectures this afternoon and because we are cramming 43 contact hours into just 2 weeks and spoke for 3 straight hours. My voice is somewhat hoarse. No technological hiccups (except lack of AC in classroom.)

The campus here at ACG is almost indescribably beautiful. More than just the natural beauty of the physical surroundings, especially the mountain that cradles the campus. The facility is remarkable; many SAG students took advantage of the double-sized Olympic swimming pool once lecture was finished. But even just walking around campus, it is so pleasant to be in a thriving campus where you hear all these different languages being spoken and see students exchanging ideas in and around the center of learning, not a commuter campus like UML South. It reminds me more of Berkeley or UW.

Very very successful meetings with faculty here ALL of whom wish to collaborate with the UMass Lowell's Study Abroad Greece for the 2013 program. So many good ideas about how to shape next year's curriculum. We are leaning towards my Ancient History in Film class for next year. Also, was "taken" out to lunch today. Faculty here at ACG all get free lunch provided in the Faculty Lounge, I think they will permit me to partake in future.

We go to the Acropolis next--more on that later.

Athens, later that day,

Everyone arrived safely from the airport. The transportation company, Billy's Bus Tours acted in a very polite and professional manner. The driver even knew something about basketball and the current game of the Celtics (more than myself).I plan to use this company in future.

Day 1: Athens

The Program starts today and everything is all set. The students arrive this morning and get settled in. We have registration and orientation at 12:30 and a Welcome Reception this afternoon. First day of classes starts tomorrow.

I arrived early to meet with faculty and staff. The facilities on campus are impressive and I know that this will be a great experience for the students.

If students are so inclined, I'd be happy to lead them on a tour of Athens this evening. More later as the day progresses.