An Archaeological Study Tour

Classical Greece
May 4 – 18, 2009
Led by Professor Gerald Schaus

Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada

Classical Greece, the cradle of Western democracy, philosophy and science, was itself an heir to the great achievements of Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. This study tour intends to explore the spectacular and varied cultural treasures of Hellas, as manifested by her fabulous sites and museums.

This tour begins in Athens at the Acropolis, the symbol of Classical Athens and the Age of Pericles. Leaving Athens, it explores the splendors of ancient Greece from the panhellenic sanctuaries of Olympia and Delphi to the great healing center at Epidauros. We also visit the Bronze Age sites of Mycenae and Tiryns, exploring the wonders of the great “heroic age” of Greece. The extraordinary churches at Mistra and Meteora provide a glimpse into Byzantine and post-Byzantine religious life. During our four days in the area of Thessaloniki we will study the impact of Alexander the Great on the whole of the eastern Mediterranean by exploring Pella, Vergina, and Aigai. We will spend a wonderful morning at the new Archaeological Museum at Vergina examining the extraordinary collection of artifacts from the royal tombs of the Macedonians. Lastly, the visit to Thessaloniki will afford us the opportunity to examine the transition from the pagan, late Roman world to the Byzantine world.
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Monday, May 4: ATHENS: The tour begins with Professor Schaus's orientation lecturer and dinner at our hotel, the centrally located Divani Palace Hotel.
Meals: Dinner   

Tuesday, May 5: ATHENS: The Acropolis is the lasting symbol of classical Athens and the Age of Pericles. Our all-day exploration of this famous site will include the Theatre of Dionysus on the south slope, the Acropolis proper with its Propylaia, Temple of the Wingless Victory, the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Acropolis Museum. After a break for a typical Greek lunch, we will continue touring to the Areopagus and conclude with the Agora, containing the Theseion and Stoa of Attalos.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, May 6: ATHENS: Our art history lessons continue with a full morning in the National Archaeological Museum, with its unsurpassed collection of marbles and its unrivaled Mycenaean collection, including the “Gold of Mycenae” discovered by Schliemann. After lunch, we will tour the Kerameikos Cemetery. Of particular interest here is the Street of Tombs, begun in 394 BCE and evidencing the various styles of funerary monuments used in the 4th century Lastly, we will complete our city tour with the Arch of Hadrian and the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Thursday, May 7: NAUPLIA: Today we begin our tour of the Peloponnese, stopping first at Corinth, an important Roman mercantile center. This nearly impregnable acropolis is strategically situated at the crossroads that linked the ancient sea and land routes. The afternoon will be spent at Epidauros, one of ancient Greece’s most renowned medical centers. Its Theater, which seats 14,000 spectators, is considered the best preserved in the Greek world. Our next two nights are at the Hotel Grand Bretagne in the seaside town of Nauplia, selected as the first capital of modern Greece.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Friday, May 8: NAUPLIA:Today’s visits begin at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns, in order to explore its interesting system of fortification walls. We continue to fabled Mycenae, home of Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks against Troy, and his treacherous wife Clytemnestra. It was in the royal tombs near its famous Lion Gate that Schliemann found the treasure-trove that we saw in Athens. This afternoon we will have leisure time to explore Nauplia’s lovely squares and relax at a seaside cafe.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Saturday, May 9: SPARTA: We continue to ancient Lerna, the scene for one of the “Labors of Hercules.” Our visit will be to the “House of Tiles,” which dates from about 2200 BCE. We continue to Mistra, a medieval city rising up along the slopes of Mt. Taygetos. We will begin our visit from the top of the mountain, stopping at the remains of Frankish castles and lavishly decorated Byzantine churches. As we stroll slowly along a lovely wooded path we will discover wonderful views at every turn. Our overnight in Sparta is at the simple but charming Hotel Menelaion, a short walk from the town square which is ringed with small cafes, popular gathering places for coffee and ices.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, May 10: OLYMPIA: Homer writes of King Nestor’s wisdom in commanding his fleet of ships at the siege of Troy. Today we visit his Palace, where the preserved hearth and bath complex are evocative of Homer’s descriptions. It was here that the late Professor Blegen found the cache of Linear B tablets, the earliest written evidence that we have for the Greek language. We continue to Olympia and the Amalia Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, May 11: DELPHI:Today’s touring is devoted to the Pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Olympia, where every four years from 776 BCE to AD 393 Greeks from the world over came to participate in the Olympic Games. We will visit the entire site including the workshop of Pheidias in which he created the Zeus, numbered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We conclude with a visit to the newly installed museum. Among its wonderful treasures is the famous Hermes by Praxiteles and the magnificent sculptures from the Temple of Zeus. Late in the day we will depart for Delphi. Amalia Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, May 12: DELPHI: This wonderful day will be spent exploring Delphi, the “center” of the Greek world. The ancient sanctuary is divided into three sections-Marmaria, at the lowest level and dominated by the round temple, the oracular sanctuary of Apollo proper on the slopes of Mt. Parnassos, and the stadium on the heights above. We will visit each in turn before studying the rich collection of art from the site in the museum. The collection includes the renowned bronze Charioteer of Delphi and a life-sized silver image of a bull.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, May 13: KALAMBAKA: A lovely mountain drive brings us to Kalambaka, from which we will visit Meteora. Its spectacular monasteries are perched precariously atop huge columns of gray rock. Although hermits have occupied the caves of Meteora since the 11th century, it wasn’t until Serbs invaded in the 14th century that the first monastery was built by St. Athanasius. Of the twenty-four known monasteries, only four are in use today and alternate their access to tourists. Our overnight will be at the Divani Hotel in Kalambaka.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, May 14: THESSALONIKI: We continue our drive north, stopping en route at the foot of Mount Olympus to visit the ancient city of Dion and its fine museum. Here Philip II celebrated his triumph after the capture of Olynthos, and here Alexander made a sacrifice at the great temple before invading Persia. We continue to Thessaloniki where we will spend the next four nights at the centrally located Hotel Mediterranean Palace.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, May 15: THESSALONIKI: Today is devoted to Alexander the Great and his father Philip. We begin by visiting the museum and site of Pella, where pebble mosaics were introduced. We will see floor mosaics that once embellished the spacious Hellenistic house a short distance from the royal residence of Philip of Macedon. It was here in the still unexcavated palace where Alexander was born and the conquest of Asia was conceived. We then continue to Vergina and Levkadhia to visit the royal tombs of the Macedonians and their magnificent treasures displayed at the museum, before concluding with a visit to the palace at Aigai, where Philip is said to have been assassinated.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Saturday, May 16:THESSALONIKI: Today we will drive east to visit the ancient city of Amphipolis at the mouth of the Styrmon River. We then continue to Kavalla to visit the Archaeological Museum. We return to Thessaloniki stopping to visit the Canadian excavations at Argolis.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sunday, May 17: THESSALONIKI: Our touring begins with a leisurely visit to the Archaeological Museum, which numbers among its treasures an array of luxury vessels in precious metals, including the unparalleled Dherveni Krater, and finds from the royal burial of Philip the Great or his son, Philip III. After visiting the Churches of Saint Demetrius and the Holy Apostles, each a landmark in Byzantine art, the remainder of the day will be at leisure. This evening we will gather for our farewell dinner at a small taverna.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Monday, May 18: We transfer to the airport for of flights home.

Meals: Breakfast