Clamans “Euhoe!”

Sensationalism and hyperbole are the coin of the realm in describing my summer program at the American School for Classical Studies in Athens.  This mind and soul altering experience was made possible by the generosity of the CANE Endowment Scholarship awarded to me in absentia last spring whilst I was collating lesson plans thinking that the awards were to be presented at dinner.  I could never repay the organization, but I look forward to trying!  Vobis mille gratias ago et agam.

I only wish that I had applied and participated sooner.  I was older by decades than the oldest of the younger set of young teachers and grads and undergrads.  I had learned of this program in Italy in the summer of 2003 when some grad students were complaining about the physical rigors of the program.  My first thought was, “Nix that one!”  But, it slowly dawned on me that I wanted the knowledge that the program offered and was willing to undergo whatever was necessary.  I AM SO GLAD THAT I DID!

The professors and staff at the school and Loring Hall (the dorm) were brilliant and compassionate and so helpful.  We were warned about difficult days and encouraged to wear sturdier footwear.  Comfort stops were frequent and well-timed.  Food was plentiful and healthful in the dorm and there were always gyro shops and reasonable restaurants within a short walk.  Our hotels away in Crete, the Peloponnese, and up north were delightful.  But, I digress….

What happened to change my mind and my soul?  I am now acquainted with so many sites of temples, homes, a silver mine and processing pools, museums filled with artifacts of exquisite pottery, statues, wall hangings, jewelry, bathtubs, public and private, Greek law tablets, theatres, rectangular and rounded, Greek medicine, and funereal monuments before and after the decree requiring their minimization.  I can show you where the architects of the Parthenon changed their minds and corrected the entrance.

The tumulus tomb of Philip II (Alexander the Great’s father) was the most dramatic experience for me.  It has been made into a wonderful museum displaying the façade of his tomb, but also the grave finds of weaponry and furniture and jewelry.  It is so powerfully beautiful above anything I have ever seen in Italy or the Smithsonian or the Met or Boston Museum of Fine Arts or even the Walters Art Gallery. (I am leaving out the Galleria Borghese.) When I came back up into the air outside the tumulus, I was determined to find as many replicas as I could.

I have developed such a respect for the ancient Minoan, Mycenean, and Greek cultures. The very first day, I saw so much that the Romans had “borrowed”  that I was nearly bowled over. (Did you know that the etymology for that bowl is bulla?)  Probably the most profound occurrence to me was realizing the extent of the temples and the power of mythology everywhere in those ancient worlds.  I finally realize how closely the theatres were involved with the Dionysian cults.  I saw the home theatre of Thespis!  I recognized Taliesin in the architecture of Knossos.  I so wish I could talk with Frank Lloyd Wright.

I have learned to think analytically like an archeologist about the evidence at hand.  I love how Dr. Hans Goette and Prof. Judy Barringer grilled us and kept us thinking until we saw the truth of the ruins around us. 

I love how the schedule took us through so many sites and built up to the amazing sites at Delphi and Vergina.  It occurred to me early on that I could give hour talks on every half day of the program without much effort.  I have over four thousand photos that I hope to cross reference and make available on my website.  It is glorious to be exhausted from fascination!

I encourage anyone with a classical bent and appreciation for history and gorgeous art to consider participating in this program. You will enjoy what you glean for the rest of your life.  I have it on the best authority from those who participated decades ago.  Id faciatis!