Katie's thoughts

May 13, 2008

After much anticipation and worry about this trip, packing, and repacking over 4 times and still knowing that I am taking too much, I am ready, it is the day, and we are on our way! One long bus ride and we will officially be on the way, in the air, and started on our journey.

So, I though the bus ride from Orono to Portland was long, but I had no idea what nine hours in a plain would fell like. I have only slept for about an hour of it, and there is only about 30 min left by the screen in front of me. This whole trip I have been sitting here thinking and wondering about whether or not I will be able to filly appreciate all that I will see in Greece. Although I am a history major, I know very little about this time period and place in history, and I am worried that some, if not most, of the information that will be given in lectures and other places will go over my head. Hopefully I know more than I think I do, we will see.

Now I will try to sleep and when we land it will be tomorrow.

May 14, 2008

Today has been a good day for napping and taking in my surroundings. I am so tired, and I just can’t wait for bed. When we were all up on the roof for our lecture this afternoon all I could think about was the Acropolis and how beautiful it looked in the distance on top of our hotel. I am so excited to go and see it tomorrow. I was a little disappointed to see the scaffolding all around the Parthenon, I was not expecting that, and it kind of detracts from the feeling for me.

The lecture today seemed more like overview of Greece’s history, and I have to admit that I was too tired to really focus on much of it. I know that is what we are here for, but my brain was on overload, and I don’t think there was much more that I could absorb up there. I went back to my room and took a nap that lasted until dinner.

Dinner, now there is another subject! I think I could live in Greece forever just based upon their food. I loved the Tzatziki (I really love garlic!) and I loved the lamb. When the schedule said that we were going to be going for a family style meal I expected there to be many dishes of food that would be passed around, but instead we were given plates, just as in a restaurant, which I was a little sad about, but all in all I was pleasantly surprised by the food, the people, and the atmosphere. I really enjoyed dinner and it allowed be to see the culture of Greece from the most personal level. I was able to see that normal people would eat in

Greece, which was very valuable to me. In general I was glad to be presented first with this opportunity so that I will be able to know what Greek food is like, and how to order in the future days on this trip.

We didn’t do much else today, after dinner I was so tired. I think I will be going to bed here very shortly. Goodnight!

May 15, 2008

First may I just say that I was a little disappointed in breakfast. I was expecting breakfast foods and juice, and what was served were break, bread, more bread, weird tasting juices, cold cuts, cheese, and flavorless yogurt. Oh well, I guess I can’t be thrilled with every part of Greek cuisine.

Our day started with Dionysia taking us to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. I was shocked to hear from here from her that the Christians had dismantled so much of the history of Greece and used it as building material throughout the city. I can’t imagine where these peaces of stone that once held such a huge peace of significance have ended up. I want to know what peaces of concrete and stone I have walked on, looked at, touched that hold these tiny bits of history and significance and I didn’t know it, I don’t know it, and I probably never will know it. That conversation just impacted me in a way that really, truly, made me think. Where is our history, what we perceived as lost could merely be hidden by generations, time, or foolish destruction. I felt a pain down into my soul when I realized what this piece of information could mean. How could anyone believe that it was okay to simply dismantle and ruin buildings that hold such great significance? I realize that at the time they did not hold the same significance and appeal that they do today to historians, classicists, and others alike, but I cannot imagine ever believing that this type of destruction is okay. But then I though about the destruction of the World Trade Towers, and how someone might look upon that 2500 years from now with the same misunderstanding, loss, and reverence. I suppose it was not meant to be, but I am still saddened by the loss.

Otherwise, the Temple was great. I was mostly enthralled by the archaeological dig taking place behind the Temple. I spent most of the little time we had looking over the embankment at what they were unearthing below. I wish I could have been down there in the dirt with them finding new discoveries and cataloging their place and significance. Piecing together another piece of the puzzle, and wondering what will be next.

Next we went to the acropolis where we saw all the major things that one comes to Athens to see. However, what impressed me the most about that trip was Dionysia’s explanation of how Athena became the patron Goddess of Athens. I really enjoyed thinking about what impact that story, true or not, would have had on the population of Athens at that time in history. Dionysia stated that both Athena and Poseidon wished to be the patrons of the city, and that each offered a gift to the city and its people. Poseidon offered safe passage at sea, and far trade winds, while Athena offered the olive tree. Of course all the men wished of Poseidon’s gift, while all the women saw the choice of Athena’s as the wisest. Well, they put it to a vote, and at that time women were allowed to vote, so as it happens there was one more woman in the city than men at that time and so the vote was for Athena by one. The men of the city were outraged at the women’s choice, and although they could not change the vote, decided women were too incompetent to vote ever again. So women lost the vote. This all really impressed me as we were sitting at the bottom of the hill where the population of Athens voted, where no woman ever sat.

After that we climbed to the top of the Acropolis, which I found not to be as bad a climb as I had anticipated. I was not as impressed with the Parthenon as I though I would be, I think it was because of the scaffolding, but in general it was a good experience. I think I would have been able to learn more if the museum had been opened. I was very upset to learn that I would not be able to see much of the artifacts they had collected from the Acropolis. It was funny to learn from Dionysia that the Greeks though of themselves as such perfectionists that they would purposely place imperfections in their work to show the gods they were humble. Also, I though it interesting that although all the columns in the Parthenon look equal, they are built differently so that they look equal, but are not, and that it looks flat, but is built on an arc, so that it looks perfectly flat. Amazing engineers the ancients!

Finally we went to the Ancient Agora, which I was impressed by and plan to visit again, but Dionysia flew through it so fast that I was unable to process much of the information she gave me. I will have to go back again on an off day. One thing I do remember is the Church of St. George, and that it was an ancient temple, which was only preserved from the destruction of the Christians by itself becoming a Church. I did not climb up to see it, but I know I will later.

This has been such a long day! After the Agora many of us went to see Professor Bregman’s friend at Trinity College’s campus in Athens, but I was so tired and hungry that I opted to go with the group, including Professor Passman, that went to get lunch. After that a bunch of us continued walking around the Acropolis and found cave and spring that were used for worship in Ancient times, which was very interesting and an unexpected find. After that we went to the room and I fell asleep for quite a while. Dinner was not very eventful. Time for bed again.

May 16, 2008

Today was another early start just for a three-hour bus ride to Delphi. On the way Dionysia gave us a great tour of the countryside and explained to us that in ancient times, once a year all those able would make the journey to Delphi to see the oracle, and that for those coming from Athens, as we did, the journey would have taken three days on foot, not just three hours in a bus. On the way we passed Thebes, which I found interesting only from its interpretation in the Disney movie Hercules. As we passed Thebes, and Dionysia was telling us about how it used to be a much larger city, all I could think about what Hercules and how he went to Thebes to become a hero, as the people of Thebes were in constant trouble, peril, and many other situations only a hero could help. I found it funny to be driving through that same city; I hope it had only a fragment of the character described in Hercules. I know I should not be comparing and associating anything with Disney, as they are so often horribly inaccurate, but sometimes I can’t help but draw connections from movies I watched so often as a child.

Finally we arrived in Delphi, and I have to say that this is what I pictured all of Greece to look like. I was disappointed when we arrived in Athens, I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting of such a big city, but I found it in Delphi. I can understand why this was such a sacred place, a place to find answers, and a place believed to hold special powers. I was blown away by the beauty and the presence of this place, even in ruins, I can only begin to imagine what it would have been like fully standing, frescos painted in vibrant reds, blues, and greens, towering up this hillside. What would it have been like packed with people waiting to be answered by the oracle; tents pitched in any spare place, the smell of bodies, and the sound of life all around. What a picture, what a place.

I was taken in by the surroundings in Delphi so much that I got left behind from the group a few times, but one of the stories I did catch from Dionysia was that the oracle was, obviously, not actually possessed with powers, instead they would take different drugs, which would be given to them by the priests who interpreted their ranting, and this would allow them to rant, and seem possessed by the gods, when in reality they were simply doped up. Also, they would be given the presence of supernatural beings by the natural hot springs in Delphi. What would happen is that their place on the Rock of Sibyl was be built upon a hot spring, and steam would collect underneath them, and when extra effect was needed they would release some of the steam from below, and it would seem very powerful to the ancient people. Although I would compare these people to snake oil salesmen, I can still see how this business, for it was a business, was ingeniously put together. Apparently, according to Dionysia, allowing the elite, or anyone with enough money, to pay to get a place closer to the front in line, ran this business. They would not charge everyone to get their answer from the oracle, they would just allow payment to come first and not have to wait in line. I find that an interesting concept. They didn’t put doubt on their business by charging everyone for something, they just simply allowed for people to pay them for privileges. Interesting idea. After we had made it half way Dionysia gave us 15 minutes to get all the way to the top to see the Stadium, and back down, which I did, although half way up I got an asthma attack, which hasn’t happened to me in 5 years, so I was slowed down and only had enough time to snap a few pictures before heading back to the bottom to see the museum.

I really enjoyed the museum, and I think that it was really interesting the information I gleaned from answering Dionysia’s question right. Imagine it, the first women to win the Olympics were women who owned and trained the horses to win the chariot races. And after all that work they could not actually compete in the Olympic games themselves. For all their progressive ways the ancient world was lacking in this one major advancement.

We stopped at the spring, gymnasium, and the Temple of Athena. Of these sights I found it interesting that the spring was not discovered until road construction ran into it. Also, I found the gymnasium very interesting. I have always thought of gymnasiums as being inside, but here there was only a roof to keep rain off on part of the field, the rest of the place was open to the air. I was also very intrigued by the baths at the gymnasium. I have always thought of baths as Roman, as I’m sure many people do, but to hear that this gymnasium had baths was interesting. That they were filled by the spring made sense, but I would have expected that they were heated; I learned from Dionysia that only Roman baths, and baths taken over by the Romans would have been heated. I would have liked to see these Greek baths; how they were filled by the spring, and spilled over down the mountainside as drainage. I would have loved to see everything in Delphi while is was still a thriving oracle.

The ride home was uneventful, and I was sorry to learn that, after taking Dramamine to get through my carsickness, I had once again slept through some of Dionysia’s wonderful commentary of the land we were driving through.

May 17, 2008

Today we were given much of the day to explore for ourselves. Lenna and I decided to visit the Kerameikos and the Agora (again). Firstly, I could have spent all day looking through he Kerameikos, but I was very sore from the climb in Delphi, and very sleep deprived as I had gone out to the clubs with a group of my new friends, and only returned at 5:30am, but I am a trouper, and I was up at 10:30am ready for adventure!

The Kerameikos, or cemetery, was wonderful. All the artifacts found throughout it were wonderful sights, mostly pottery and statues, but all wonderful. According to my self-taught understanding this is a site that has gone through much transformations throughout its history. Directly in the center of the site is a road called the Sacred Way, which was the road, used by the procession of the Eleusinian mysteries to get to Eleusis, where we will visit tomorrow, and I am very excited to hear about it too. Then in the later times of the Classical period the Sacred Way evolved into a cemetery, and the Dipylon road, which related to the Dipylon Gate, became the road of the processions of the funerals of those who died in war. From the Dipylon Gate into the center of the city of Athens was called the Panathenaic Way, and was famous as the grand way into the city of Athens.

The city walls divided the Kerameikos into two parts, and eventually the inner part became a residential area where many potters were known to live, and the outer part became the cemetery. In this way it makes sense that the Sacred Way, with the Sacred Gate, and the Dipylon Gate, became the ways into the cemetery, as it was not approachable any other way from within the city walls. This cemetery gives us a lot of information about who and what were important to the people of Ancient Athens. The funerary monuments depict who and what were important to the dead people. I only wish I were better at interpreting what they mean. I will always remember how impressive they are though.

Next Lenna and I went to the Agora again, as neither of us felt like we were given enough time there earlier. We decided to make the climb up to the Church of St. George, of the most well preserved Temple in all of Athens, or Greece. On the way it was interesting to see how large the city of Athens around the Acropolis was. I loved to read the signs that said things like Civic Offices, Great Drain, and “I Am the Boundary of the Agora.” It gave me a sense of the town and where things would have been located in accordance with other things. The view of the Agora from St. George’s was beautiful! After that we decided to explore our way down. Lenna and I found a few areas behind the Agora and the Temple. We found a crop of burial statues and monuments here like they were simply waiting for us to stumble upon them. I know that someone put them there, and that it was a place the public was allowed to visit, but I found it really fun to be able to search through the woods for these artifacts. It was really intriguing.

After that adventure it was time for Lenna and I to make it back to the Hotel for a Lecture. On the way back I was really interested in what this new Professor from Britain, the US, and Greece was going to say, but when she started talking about Plutinus it went completely over my head, and I have to confess that I began to fall asleep, although I really wish I would have been able to understand her. I am sure that at another time, given the right background, I would really have enjoyed her discussions. All I really remember her saying is that Plutinus was not Greek, but wrote in Greek, and I had always thought that he was a Greek. I was not really sure what he had to do with our time in Greece, and I didn’t find him particularly relevant to myself, or my understanding of the Greek Ancient World.

May 18, 2008

Firstly, today we went to Elusis, which is where I was most interested in seeing since I had visited Kerameikos yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised that we received a lesson from both Professor Bregman and Passman while in Elusis. I found the explanation of the Cults of Mysteries most interesting. I had known before, but never understood the significance of Demeter, but after having listened to Professor Bregman’s explanation of the Cults, and especially Professor Passman’s overview of the myth of Demeter, I can understand these people and their need to worship this Mystery of Demeter. After Demeter neglected her duties of the crops for so long while she searched for her daughter, and became a wet nurse, the people starved, so they begged her to come back to her duties, and when she did they worshiped her for her gift of food. Probably what actually happened was a drought, or a blight, which caused the people to starve. They blamed it on the goddess for they did not know what to do, or what was actually causing the famine. They asked that goddess to give them food and when the crops again began to grow they thanked the goddess they had asked, and created this Mystery Cult to worship her. Like the rest of the sites we have been to so far Elusis had a long history beginning around 2000BC and changing throughout. According the Dionysia, in the 600s BC Elusis was incorporated into the Athenian state and the Eleusinian Mysteries became a festival for the Athenians. The Sanctuary was fortified in the 500s, overtaken by the Persian’s in the 400s, rebuilt, and taken over by the Romans until the decline of the Mysteries in the 4^th Century AD.

Next we went to Corinth, which has now tied on my favorite places in Greece with Delphi. Not only was it a beautiful day with a nice breeze off the water, but also Corinth itself was beautiful. It was enlightening to see a peace of an ancient city and not only how it was laid out, but also how expansive it must have been. It was yet another glimpse into the lives of the ancient Greeks. I was so fascinated by the museum that I got left behind on Dionysia’s tour and did not hear a lot of her explanation.

Finally, we went to Epidaurus, and I have to admit that by this point in the day I have come to my wits end. I am thoroughly saturated by information and completely too tired to think about any more, absorb any more information, or do any more. After looking through the Museum, and the Temple we went to the Stadium, where listening to the wonderful performance made by Professor Ogle revived me. I was amazed at the acoustics this Stadium possessed. I know that Ancient Greek engineers were good, but I had no idea how good. I would like to research how, and why this stadium had, and still has, such wonderful acoustics.

The rest of the day was more travel on busses. I am so bushed from all the driving, medication, and knowledge I have tried to absorb that I could sleep for days! Goodnight!

May 19, 2008

This is going to be one long day. Before we get on the Ferry to go to Crete we are going to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. At the museum Dionysia rushed us through every room to get us to the Santorini room, which I was excited to see, as I am not going to Santorini. Here we were able to see much of the artifacts found in Santorini, and some of the beautifully frescoed walls. But of all the things in the Archaeological Museum that I saw, my favorite by far was the Antikythera Mechanism. I have watched a couple of documentaries on this mechanism before, but for some reason I had forgotten it was in this museum, and then I turned a corner and here it was, and to my surprise Dionysia didn’t even stop to mention this wonderful machine. As you may or may not know the Mediterranean is unpredictable, with storms cropping up all the time without notice. This happened to a crew of sponge divers who decided to dive after the storm had thrown them off course. They did not find sponges, but instead found a shipwreck of artifacts, one of which was the Mechanism. This mechanism is so unique due to its complex nature. There 32 gear wheels within the mechanism that can still be seen with x-ray looks. It is though to be a very intricate astrolabe, which uses the sun and the moon as time markers. Professor Derek de Solla Price created a copy of what he believes to be a working Antikythera Mechanism. I was just so excited to actually see the Mechanism!

I really enjoyed the museum greatly. Every time I turned a corner I saw a statue, or an artifact that I have seen before in books, or heard about in class, but to be there and really see it was an experience of a lifetime. I am so glad I was given this opportunity. I can’t describe to you the feeling I got when I turned the corner and there right in front of me was the famous statue of Zeus. That was such a powerful feeling, like an “I have arrived” feeling. Simply wow. I also enjoyed Dionysia’s explanation of the grave stone relief. It was something I was wondering about from my visit to Kerameikos, and being able to tell who is alive, and who is dead in a relief is a great skill to have learned.

So, we have been on the ferry for about 2 hours now and I am just so excited to be under way. I can’t wait to see Crete, but for now I think I am going to call it an early night, we are going to be up very early. Goodnight.

May 20, 2008

5:30am. That’s all I have to say. We had to get up at 5:30am. I was seasick all night, and I am so tired. I think this is going to be a really short entry tonight. We got to Hersonissou early, got our rooms, were not allowed breakfast, and so I decided to get some sleep, which did not last very long. Then we decided to go down to the beach, where I spent most of my day. We had lecture, which I found rather unhelpful as I was very tired and not in the mood for a lecture. I suppose I was able to glean a little helpful information about what we will be seeing later this week. I went back up to the room and fell asleep until around 8:30pm, so I got some food to go around 10pm, ate in the room, and now its lights out again. Goodnight.

May 21, 2008

Today we went to Knossos and the Heraklion Museum. I have to say that Knossos was wonderful and probably my favorite place on Crete, and tied for that for Greece. I really loved George’s interpretation of the sites, and his inclusion that the first excavator, Minos Kalokerinos, was only experimenting with the idea of archaeology, and decided to recreate much of what he found and figured to be correct. These Palaces were placed in two periods, the pre-palatial, or old palace period, and the palatial, or new palace period. Unfortunately in Knossos the second palace was build right on top of the first palace after earthquakes destroyed it. This all took place in the Bronze Age, which I find fascinating in and of itself. I was thrown by the advanced technologies of the Minoans. Their complex water systems, drains, toilets, and even their architecture as it included beams in the walls to help protect it against earthquakes. The fact that the palace was structured around a central courtyard means that they probably used it for ceremonial purposes as well as entertainment. One of the frescoes we saw was of a man doing acrobatics on top of a bull, I wonder if that is the type of entertainment they enjoyed. I was really surprised at the size of this Palace and all the many rooms and functions within the rooms it had. There was the throne room, which looked incredibly dark to me, but I’m not sure if that is how it would have been, and the Queen’s quarters, the King’s quarters, official rooms, rooms for production, which were close to the river, which no longer flows. I was just as impressed with the theatrical area as I was with any other part of the Palace. If nothing else this was evidence that entertainment was important to the Minoans.

Next we went to the Heraklion Museum, which like every other museum we have tried to go to was under construction, so we just went to a small building which was displaying only a small amount of the artifacts from Knossos and Phaistos. What I found to be the most interesting in the whole museum was the disk containing Minoan glyph writing, and the sarcophagus that is so well preserved that it tells the story of the man who had died and his funeral, if that is what to call it. All in all I was a little unimpressed by what was in this small museum, and I was ready to leave long before George had finished his tour.

The rest of the day I was able to go to the beach back in Hersonissou at night, which was a wonderful experience. Now it is again time for bed, it’s another early day tomorrow. Goodnight.

May 22, 2008

Today we went to Grotyna, Phaistos, and Matala, on the south side of the island. I was unimpressed by much of Grotyna, as it was mostly unexcavated, but I did find the writing on the walls to be fascinating, along with the later period Church, which was a good juxtaposition between two worlds. The most fascinating part about Grotyna for me is the tree, the evergreen maple tree that was the center of much myth in ancient times, which we now know why it is the way it is, but I still find it fascinating.

Next we went to Phaistos, which was another palace, and I really enjoyed it. I think that Phaistos is going to be more helpful to archaeologists for the pre-palatial period as one, the palatial palace was built a little off from the old, giving more of an insight to the pre-palatial palace, and two, because the hill upon which it stands is eroding, so eventually it will all fall to the ground revealing more of the pre-palatial palace than has even been seen before.

Now, back to the comment I made about the Bronze Age before, I want to go into how the Bronze Age fascinates me. How could people get the idea to mix medals together that don’t even occur close to each other, and in some cases have to be imported far distances. I really want to know what was going through their minds. The smelting pit that George showed us on Phaistos brought about this discussion. All in all I really enjoyed Phaistos, but not to the same extent I did Knossos.

Finally, as the last place I will visit on Crete, and in Greece, we went to Matala, which was beautiful. Not only is it where caves that served as both a Roman Cemetery and where hippies lived in the 1960s, but the beach was the most beautifully blue Mediterranean water I have ever seen. We all just enjoyed the 2 hours we were afforded here and really kicked back.

I slept the entire way back to Hersonissou as I had taken both Benedryl and Dramamine. The rest of this trip is going to be rather relaxing for me; I am not going to Santorini tomorrow. Goodnight.

May 23, 2008

Today is the day that most people are going to Santorini. It’s sad that I was not able to go, but it’s nice that I have the whole day to shop and go to the beach, which is exactly what I did. Not exactly as educational as what those in Santorini are doing, but very relaxing all in all. There is not much more to say about today, I slept in, slept on the beach, shopped, and went back to the beach. B-E-A-utiful!

May 24, 2008

The only thing on the schedule today is lecture and the farewell dinner, so that leaves most of today free for another beach day, which I will fully take for granted. I finished what little shopping I had to do, packed my bags, and went to the beach today. I went back to the room around 5:30pm and got ready for the lovely farewell dinner. It was a wonderful dinner, but it was remarkably like the dinner we had in Athens as our first dinner. After dinner a large group of us went out to say goodnight to the city, which we did, and I stayed up to see the sunrise on Crete, and get on the bus for the beginning of the ride home.

May 25, 2008

Today we are going home. I’m tired, but really excited.

Throughout this whole trip I have been really interested in the History and the Archaeology, but I have not really thought about what I have learned. I’m not sure what I was supposed to have learned. One thing I do know is that I was impressed in a way that I never could have been in the classroom. I have absorbed all I could to the point of saturation, and I am impressed. Impressed by the cultures, the architecture, what we know, what we don’t. I am impressed and truly thankful for this experience. I wish I had had more time to be able to absorb more information and depictions of this wonderful place and these wonderful people. I am glad to be going home, as anyone is at the end of a journey, but a part of me will never want to leave.