May 13, 2008
Visiting the Argolid
Denver Wade ’10 – Today presented another new and amazing experience for our class. After waking up at 7:00, we caught a bus and headed from Athens past the Isthmus of Corinth into the region known as the Argolid. It was here where we saw firsthand the palaces of the Mycenaeans, who were the early predecessors to Classical Greek civilization. When we arrived at the Palace of Mycenae, we met John Fischer, the well-known and respected Professor Emeritus of Classics at Wabash for over forty years. He guided our group around the palaces, providing a wealth of knowledge about all the intricacies of the complexes. We really respected his wisdom and the passion he had for the Mycenaean Civilization.
Going around the Palace of Mycenae, what really struck us was the immense size and might of the fortified structure. We had all seen pictures of the legendary city in our class, but nothing could prepare us for the magnitude of this. We were taught that the stones composing the outer palace walls were called
Cyclopean, because later popular legends reported that the mythical Cyclopes cut and placed the gigantic stones. They definitely lived up to their reputation. It’s baffling how the Mycenaeans were able to utilize such massive stones.
Not only did the Mycenaeans construct such large fortification walls, but they also showed their noble citizens great signs of respect by constructing enormous tholos tombs. The basic structure for a tholos tomb is a domed interior led up to by a path called a dromos. We had seen tholos tombs earlier on our trip, but nothing could prepare us for the magnificent Mycenaean tholos tombs. One tomb stood out in particular – the “Treasury of Atreus.” The “Treasury” (wrongly titled so the traveler Pausanias) had a dromos that was the length of over half a football field. Its dome, as Mitch Brown, who gave a great presentation on the tomb pointed out, was the largest dome in the 
world for centuries!
To finish the day, Dr. Fischer took us to the town of his summer residence. The town, Nauplion, was a beautiful joining of Greek and Venetian architecture. We went to a delightful restaurant that served numerous dishes of unique Aegean cuisine. After lunch, we walked through the old town square, where the children of the town were involved in a game of soccer. In the square, we ate delicious gelato. As our trip winds down to an end, I can only think how great it has been. Not only have we seen all the archaeological sites which we studied, but we also have immersed ourselves in a beautiful foreign culture.
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A Biologist's View of Greece
Dr. Ingram- This trip has provided us a wonderful opportunity to explore the Mediterranean flora. The olives, which were obviously incredibly important to the Minoans we’re studying, are flowering now, and tiny olive fruits are beginning to set on some of the trees. Grapes are another crucial crop that are still grown all over these islands. It’s wonderful to see these plants alongside the implements the Minoans used to process them—it’s a reminder of how many things stay the same despite the centuries that have passed.
I think my favorite plant site so far was Kavousi—the late afternoon air was filled 
with the scent of the abundant sage, which was growing alongside thyme and chamomile. It’s a reminder of the fact that this region was the original source of so many of our common culinary herbs.
Probably the most unusual botanizing so far was today when we took a boat to the volcano. It’s amazing how quickly plants can find a little bit of soil in this harsh environment—the rocky slopes that looked barren from the views atop the caldera are actually covered in odd little plants and beautiful orange lichens…until the next eruption covers them all in fresh lava!
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A Day on Thera
Sunday May 11
John Henry- Today we traveled from Crete to Santorini via a catamaran named the Flyingcat 4. It only took about an hour and a half to get from Heraklion to Santorini and the boat ride was pretty enjoyable. Once we arrived on the island we took a bus from the port up the side of the cliff to the city of Fira one of the major cities on the island. Santorini is very beautiful and according to Dr. Day a majority 
of the pictures take of Greece are taken on Santorini. The landscape of the island is incredible and consists of a crescent shaped island around the volcanic island in the middle with a deep bay where the caldera is. The side of the island facing the bay is sheer cliffs and the layers of previous eruptions, including the Minoan eruption, can be seen in the cliff face. One of the most beautiful aspects of the island is the stark contrast of colors and textures as the craggy and earthy rocks play off of the deep blue Mediterranean.
We went to two museums, which contained some prime examples of the very 
distinct Theran variety of Minoan art. Unfortunately the site of Akrotiri was closed because of structural problems with the roof so we were not able to go there. Akrotiri is a Minoan settlement with a wealth of antiquities that was buried in an eruption of the volcano in the Bronze Age. The site itself has a number of impressive frescoes that were a major part of the class and luckily we were able to go to the Nomikos Center, which contains lifesize pictures of the frescoes placed on a textured surface. Seeing the frescoes was one of the highlights of the trip for me. The frescoes are intricate and beautiful and depict natural scenes, decorations, and incredible images of men and women in the Minoan style.
An excellent part of the trip thus far was the food and I must say that eating here has been an eye opening culinary experience. We have eaten anything from Gyros to small baitfish battered and fried whole and eaten whole as well, bones and all. One of the most popular dishes for the group has been calimarachia, which is squid, sometimes whole and sometimes cut, battered and fried in olive oil. All of the fried food is done in olive oil and not only tastes better but is better for you. The soda is also much better here, as it not only has real sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup but a lot of it has actual fruit juice in it. Another of my favorite dishes is the Gyros. The Greek yogurt and tsatsiki are far better as well. There are also numerous cheeses from Goat, Sheep, and Cow that have all been wonderful. All of the food is less processed and every restaurant takes great pride in taking care of the customers.
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May 12, 2008
Dr. Day Takes Students to Her Site
5/10/08. Leslie Day
When I first thought of a course that would allow me to bring students to my favorite parts of Greece (Crete and the Islands), I decided to focus on the most important and cataclysmic event of the Bronze Age: the eruption of the volcano at Thera that in ways we are only beginning to understand completely changed the course of history in Greece in the second millennium. I had thought that the high point would be the visit to the site buried like Pompeii by this volcanic eruption, and that may well be so for the students accompanying me. For me, however, the high point occurred today, when I took the group to eastern Crete, where I have been working for the past 30 years. We first visited the East Cretan Study Center, directed by Tom Brogan, Wabash class of 1988. Then Tom took us to the site of 
Mochlos, a small island off the coast of Crete, where he has been serving as assistant director for the past 20 years. Tom is an amazingly knowledgable man, whether you want to know what happened in 1450 BCE or where to eat in Heraklion in 2008, and he shared his knowledge and enthusiasm with us. He showed us the Center he directs and some of the artifacts that are being studied there, and told us about all of the exciting new scientific and technological advances that he and his staff are applying to the study of the past. He provided a wonderful meal at Mochlos and took us over to the island for a tour of the town that he has been instrumental in uncovering, discoursing equally on the intricacies of dating the Thera eruption and the various layers at Mochlos and the importance of C&T at Wabash. After the tour, two guys swam the straits from the island across to the mainland of Crete, while the rest of us were ferried across in a small boat with an outboard motor that could only hold four people or sink. After finishing at Mochlos, we again boarded our bus and went to Kavousi, where Tom and one of the local men ferried us up to my site of Vronda at Kavousi. Vronda was inhabited far too late to have played any role in the subject of the course, but it seemed a 
shame to come to Crete and not show off my site to the students. So, carried in the beds of two pickup trucks, we drove up to the site in the late afternoon, and I gave them a guided tour of the houses and tombs on the site. The site was still covered in spring greenery and was redolent of sage plants, and I showed how one can wrest meaning out of the most apparently insignificant details of architecture and pottery. We had all been exhausted when we arrived at the site after our long day, but as we rode down again and got back on our bus, everyone was energized by our visit to what is still one of the most beautiful and least visited sites on Crete. We had begun our Cretan journey with the most important, lavish, and heavily visited site on Crete at Knossos, and we ended with one of the simplest, most beautiful and least visited sites on the island. In the end, we all felt like real archaeologists instead of merely tourists.
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2nd Day on Crete
Kevin Andrews- Today, after the spectacular (and free) breakfast from our hotel, we departed for several different sites to view some of the “palaces” of the ancient Bronze Age. Although the trip on the bus was early in the morning, the ride to Phaistos provided us with truly beautiful views of the Cretan landscape. We drove through green, but yet rocky mountains, which provided extensive views of the valleys. This part of the trip was not only aesthetically pleasing, as it helped to show us the land that the Bronze Age people must have endured, as the fields would have been used for growing olives and grapes just as they are today.
We then arrived at the palace of Phaistos, one of the Bronze Age’s “court-centered elite buildings.” Phaistos was well-preserved and had much restoration. The large central court and the west court were both paved, and the monumental entranceway gave a stunning portrayal of the power that this settlement must have held. Here, I gave a brief presentation about bull-leaping, which was an ancient Bronze Age, Cretan practice where an acrobat of sorts would jump over a bull and somersault over its back. My presentation, besides being exhilarating, uplifting, and amazing, helped to explain whether or not this event would have taken place inside the central courts of the palaces.
We then stopped at Ayia Triada and then Kommos. Ayia Triada, while not considered a palace, was a wealthy villa that my fellow classmate Christian Lawrence guided us around. The highlight of this stop was locating and then sitting 
in the room with benches, which was probably a religious and political meeting room where ritual and important topics were discussed. Next, we stopped at Kommos, which was a site that Professor Leslie Day got us “the hook up” (as the younger generations would say). We were let into this site, not only free, but specially as no other tourists are allowed to enter…as a man traveled with us to open the gates of the site specifically for us. This experience was significant as it gave me the feeling of being an actual archaeologist of sorts, as the remains of pottery gave us the notion that we were discovering the ancient site firsthand.
On a lesser academic note, we then ate lunch by the Mediterranean Sea. As a group, we all had the chance to eat a wide variety of Greek cuisine, and I even tried sardine, calamari, and...even a salad (This is a pretty daring feat for myself, and I 
admit, all items were very good). After lunch, the majority of the students went swimming in the Mediterranean, which was a good release into the bluest sea I have ever seen.
On a much lighter note, I have to quickly write about Greece, as I have noticed a compelling facet of their culture. One quickly notices while here that this is a sunglass culture that revolves around everyone wearing sunglasses no matter the particular weather. Because of this, several students have invested in the large “stunner” sunglasses that are so stylish here…and have been even furthermore invested in being immersed in Greek culture.
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May 08, 2008
First Day on Crete
Seth Tichenor ‘10
We arrived in Crete at 6 this morning after a night crossing the Aegean. Upon arrival in Heraklion, we were both hungry and wet. Unfortunately, nothing is open at 6. If I’ve learned anything in the three days that I’ve spent following Dr. L. Day, it’s to follow her when you want a fantastic meal. After weaving in and out of alleyways and small streets for ten minutes, we arrived at a little courtyard shop. The dish we ate for breakfast, which unfortunately I cannot spell, was a type of cream of wheat covered in a light breading loaded with cinnamon and sugar. It was phenomenal. Soon afterwards, we proceeded to Knossos and then 
Mallia. While we visited both the “palaces” of both in the morning, my greatest impressions are not of them but of something else.
If I had to pick the one thing that most impresses me it would be the people. The people of both Crete and Greece, not the tourists, are some of the most genuine hearted people I have ever come in contact with. Interestingly, they do not treat everyone like this. From my experience, though very limited, I have found that if you sincerely try to immerse yourself into their culture, they are very accepting. I find this intriguing. There is a street market down the road from our hotel. After our morning visits to the “Palace” of Knossos and Mallia, most of our exhausted group went to take naps. I have never been the napping sort. I found myself walking around a street market just a short walk from our hotel. I will be the first to tell you that my Modern Greek language skills are lacking. However, this has not deterred me from trying my best with the language. The Modern Greek word for “Good Morning” is “kalemera” and “Thank You” is “Apheristo” pronounced “F. Harry Stowe.” Even using simple words like these when interacting with the Greek people shows goodwill towards them. In doing so I have found only goodwill returned to me.
When I bought a small pot this afternoon the shopkeeper lowered the price by half because I spoke as much Greek as I could. He said he was even impressed. He said foreigners usually don’t do this. This intrigues me. The Greek people are a great people if you take the time to get to know them. Tomorrow we journey across the island southwards to the “Palace” of Phaistos near the south coast. The views on the coast in Heraklion are fantastic even breathtaking at times. As we travel through the hinterlands, I can only
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A Day in Athens
Shawn Crane-Today started early as we all woke up early to make our way to the National Archeological Museum in downtown Athens. After a short walk that was made interesting by dodging sub-compacts, scooters, and stray dogs we arrived at the beautiful columns of the National Archeological Museum. The Museum was an amazing experience in that most of the artifacts observed therein were the very pieces of interest we discussed in class. Just as the skyline of Athens is indescribable, the artifacts in the museum truly must be seen to fully appreciate. 
Following our tour of the museum, where we learned that flash photography and posing with statues is frowned upon in Greek museums, we all found our way to lunch.
Lunch, while not as delicious as last night’s dinner, was extremely enjoyable and relaxing. After lunch we all met up with Dr. Floyd McCoy to learn about the relationship of geology and archeology as it pertains to Thera. Dr. McCoy’s lecture was quite intriguing and enjoyable as it touched on an area that we had stayed away from in anticipation for this day.
We left the American School of Classics and once again were on the metro and on our way to our next destination of the port city Piraeus where we boarded our cruise ship. It is from the top deck of the majestic Phaistos Palace cruise ship that I write this blog, and given that we have to get out of bed before six a.m. I should probably end my voyage with this and bid farewell.
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