Reflections:FieldStudyinGreeceApril1219,2014

Greeceisanabsolutelybeautifulandamazingcountry.Althoughwesampledjusta
portionofthecountry,whatwesawcertainlyexceededmyexpectationsasavisitorandstudent.
HavingseenpicturesofGreeceinmovies,online,andinguidebooks,Iknewthereweresome
breathtakingvistasbutitwasntuntilIsawthemfirsthandthatIappreciatedthemagnitudeofits
historyandbeauty.

Asafieldstudent,itwaslikelivingintwoworlds:amodernGreeceseriouslyaffectedby
aneconomicdownfallandtheancientGreecewhoseinfluenceonoursenseofdemocratic
principlesandtheartsissostriking.Ourguideswereverygenerouswiththeirhistoricaland
presentdayknowledgegivingusaflavorofbothtodayandancienttimes.TheGreekguides
expressedsomuchrespectandreverencefortheirpastwhichseemstobeastartlingcontrast
tohowmanyAmericansregardtheirhistory.Itwasasiftosay,thisiswhowearebecauseof
wherewehavebeen.Therewasnothingboastfulabouttheirpointsofviewbutapassionand
appreciationfortheirancestors.

AthenssitesincludedParliament,theAcropolisandtheParthenon,theTempleofZeus,
theRomanbath,MonastirakiMetroStation,theArchofHadrian,theTheaterofDionysus,and
thePlaka(theolderpartofthecity).ViewingthecityfromtheParthenonwasbreathtakingasthe
viewerlooksoverthecommunitiesbelow.ThesizeofthecolumnsontheParthenonmademe
thinkoftheTitansinmythologyandtheothergiantbeingslikeCronusandRhea.Itjustdidnt
seempossiblethatmeremortalscouldconstructsuchasite.Itwasamazingtohearabouthow
thecolumnswereconstructed,weatherproofed(withawoodencore),andraisedthese
enormouspillars.ImarveledattheknowledgeoftheseancientpeopleandthemodernGreeks
whosoughttoreconstructthesiteduetodamagefromweather,earthquakes,andothernatural
phenomena.AswevisitedtheTheaterofDionysusandHadriansArch,Icontinuedtolookup
attheAcropolisthinking,Iwasreallythere!

TheTheaterofDionysuswasoneofmanytheatersthatwewouldseeamongGreek
ruins.IlearnedthatDionysuswasmorethanjustthegodofwineandhomagewaspaidtohim
throughthistheaterinthecity.Itsincrediblethatthesetheaterslastedoverthecenturiesand
thattheywereacousticallybuilttoserveanaudiencewithoutspeakersormicrophones.These
theatersremindedmeoftheShakespeareantheatersofthe1500sinEngland.Perhapstheidea
ofthetheaterintheroundwasborrowedfromtheGreeksandnotaninventionofthecreatorsof
TheGlobeinLondon.

ThetriptoDelphigaveusanopportunitytoseetheterrainbeyondthecitywhichwas
muchmoremountainousandgreen.MyexpectationpriortoarrivinginGreecewastoconsider
usingsomethingfromDelphiformymiddleschoolGreekMythologyunit.Ithoughtthatstudents
wouldfindtheideaoftheOracleofinterest,andIhadneverreallyexploredthiswiththem.WhatI
didnotexpect,wasthatthissitecouldinspirefarmorethanjusttheOraclebutanideaforan
interdisciplinaryunitwiththissiteasthefocus.Inmath,studentscouldmakescaledrawingsof
someofthecolumnsfromtheTempleofApollo,theTreasury,oranarrangementofseatsfor
thetheater.Insocialstudies,studentscouldarguethepoliticsoftheday.ForEnglish,wecould
usethetheatertoperformscenesfrommythsorpoems.Politicalandpersonalquestionscould
beposedtotheOracle.PerhapswecouldalsohaveourownPythiangamesaspartofa
festivalinhonorofApollo.

TwootherpointsofinterestinDelphiincludedtheancientwritingonthestoneworkand
theremnantsoftheRomanagora.Theancientwritinghelpedtotellthestoryofthesitewhich
pointsouttheimportanceofwrittenlanguagetoourmoderninterpretersofthisancientculture.
TheRomanagoraaddedanotherlayertothesitesuseasamarketplacewhichwouldadd
anothermathematical/economicopportunityforaninterdisciplinaryunit.

Afterwecheckedinatourlodging,Iwentbacktothemuseumtolookatthe
archaeologicalfindingswhichincludedstatues,lintels,pottery...