It is hard to believe that we are already nearing the end of the trip as it feels like we have not been here for very long at all. This week brought a packed trip to central Greece, as well as a return trip to the Acropolis museum. This trip was a bit unique in that the sites spanned quite a bit more time than a lot of what we’ve been focusing on. Our weekend excursion included sites spanning from the Mycenaean period (about 1750-1000 BCE) all the way to the Middle Byzantine period. As a person who does medieval history I really enjoyed seeing some medieval structures as I do not often have the opportunity to see them. The real highlight of the week, however, was Delphi and its ancient sanctuary and immense natural beauty. Natural beauty was a general theme throughout our time in central Greece and I was amazed by all of the gorgeous views.
On Thursday we visited the Acropolis Museum, though I had gone previously with my Myth and Reception class, it was interesting to go with Alex’s class. Instead of focusing on the myths and individuals from the myths, we focused mostly at looking at the impressive collection of Archaic statues on the first floor, as well as some of the pediments from previous temples that stood on the Acropolis. It never ceases to amaze me that much of this material was preserved in “trash” deposits on the side of the Acropolis hill where the damaged Archaic statues were deposited after the Persians destroyed the Acropolis during the Persian War. Though Alex reminds us that much of Archeology is looking at “ancient trash” it is very interesting to think about how these items which were deemed damaged and discarded in ancient times are so important to our understanding of entire cultures and time periods. While at the Acropolis museum we also got to go have another look at the (mostly replicas of the) Parthenon marbles and pediments, which were no less impressive on the second look.
As I stated in my week 6 blog post, the originals of the Parthenon marbles are still held in the British museum. They have not been returned despite the fact that they were acquired in the eighteenth century under dubious circumstances and the Greek government has attempted to reclaim them multiple times. Though it is unlikely that they will be returned imminently, I hope that the full set of marbles is reunited at the Parthenon in the near future.
On Friday we were off on our weekend trip to central Greece. Our first stop was at Thebes, where we visited the Archeological Museum of Thebes. I thought the museum was very well done, and I particularly liked the ways in which they displayed Linear B tablets and their translations along with items associated with the activities or goods that they described. As much of Linear B was used for administrative purposes, it is often associated with specific trade items or practices. I thought displaying items associated with the writing was an interesting way to get the idea of the tablet across visually. It was also interesting to see regional variation in pottery styles and traditions, as Thebean pottery is not identical to other pottery types we have looked at such as those from Attica or the Peloponnese. For example, there was a lot of rooster or chicken imagery in funerary settings, which Alex explained was meant to accompany the person into the afterlife.
Though Thebes was a prominent area starting with a Mycenaean palace all the way through its importance in regional conflicts the Hellenistic and Classical periods, there is not a ton to see in the way of archeological sites as much of the ancient city is directly under the modern one.
After Thebes we visited Gla, which is one of the largest known Mycenaean palaces. The area within the walls was very large, and although much of it remains un-excavated, it was interesting to see some of the same themes we’ve seen at earlier Mycenaean palaces such as megaron structures and extensive wall and gate networks in their relatively intact state. This site was not immediately resettled after the destruction of its palace during the fall of the Mycenaean palaces around the 12th century BCE because the plain where it sits was originally a lake. Though the lake was drained in an impressive feat of hydrologic engineering by the Mycenaeans, it re-flooded after the palace was destroyed and was not re-drained until the late 19th century. Therefore Gla was an island for much of its history, and although it was occupied there was no large-scale renovations or destructions of the architecture.
After Gla we visited our last stop of the day for Friday, Orchomenus, where we saw a tholos tomb and other remnants of the Mycenaean, archaic, and classical settlements in the area. Aside from the tomb, remains of a fortification wall, and a theater, there were not many visible remaining structures. Part of the reason for this was because a Byzantine church to the Virgin Mary built in Orchomenus was built using “spolia” or remains of ancient items and structures. This reuse of items created a very unique structure, but at the same time has a darker side as it represents the medieval destruction of ancient buildings.
Friday night we arrived in Delphi where we stayed the night. Watching the sunset over the mountains was a trip highlight as the area around Delphi was gorgeous. Though I knew that Delphi was an importance site of religious and spiritual activity in the ancient world, the sheer natural beauty of the area made the area make even more sense as a place of worship. The next morning we visited the site itself where we visited the main area of the sanctuary as well as the museum. The site was just as beautiful as the surrounding area, and it was amazing to be able to visit such an iconic location. Three hours did not seem like enough time to fully soak up the site and the museum, and I felt as if I could have spent quite a bit more time there.
Aside from the natural beauty there were numerous different remains of buildings and monuments which I feel like I only was able to fully see a few of. Dr. Edward Harris, an ancient historian from Durham University who came with us, explained that it was an important Panhellenic site where various Greek city states would build monuments and treasuries to celebrate victories and show thanks to the gods. He also pointed out some of the ironies of this, as though it was a Panhellenic site, some of the monuments represent victory of one Greek state over the other. The tension at Panhellenic sites between conflict and shared identity makes for an interesting situation wherein the of the complexities of the dynamics between city states in the ancient Greek world can be seen in the construction of a site.
After Delphi we continued on to the monastery of Hosios Loukas (Saint Luke). Although it was built in the tenth and eleventh centuries, the site still functions as a monastery. Much like Delphi, this site was surrounded by beautiful natural areas conducive to contemplation, and it was interesting to think about the role of serene natural beauty in various types of worship. This site also featured some amazing examples of Byzantine frescos and mosaics. Although I had read about this type of Byzantine art, I had never seen it in person so it was amazing to be able to see such well-preserved examples. The mosaics in the main church (the Katholikon) were amazingly intact and featured ornate scenes from the bible. They represent an sizable shift in style from much of the classical and earlier art that we have seen a lot of in this trip, and it is interesting to think about all of the shifts in culture and artistic styles that occurred in the intervening period of time.
From Hosios Loukas we went to Chalcis where we stayed the night. This is Stella’s hometown and she gave us tour of the historical parts of the city with some fun personal notes, such as the church where she and Alex got married last summer. This was a really cool perspective to get on the city, and I appreciated that she took the time to do this with us.
After staying the night we visited the new Chalcis Archeological museum before continuing on to Eretria and Amarynthos. At Eretria we saw the remains of various parts of the ancient city including Hellenistic-era homes, fortification walls, a theater that was originally built in the fourth century and later renovated by the Romans, a gymnasium, and a temple of Dionysus from the fourth century. If we had more time I think it would have been interesting to spend more time here as there was so much to see. Because there are so many remaining and excavated buildings from different time periods it is a good look into the ways that a site was populated throughout various phases in the ancient world, as well as how these types of buildings can exist simultaneously in a single site.
At Amarynthos we saw the remnants of a sanctuary to Artemis. Although much of the site is still being excavated and is currently covered to protect it from the elements, we were able to get a sense of how this sanctuary would have represented the outer bounds of Eretria in ancient times. It also was another great example of the amazing experiences that I am able to have on this trip that I would not be able to have otherwise as when else would I be able to look into an active archaeological site.
Sunday evening we returned to Athens, a bit tired from our weekend adventures. Moving into the last few weeks of the program I am attempting to appreciate just how unique of an experience this is and appreciate all of the amazing things I have gotten to see.