Program Description

The “Daily Life in Ancient Athens” is a faculty-led summer program which offers participants the chance to examine the politics, society, and culture of ancient Athens while at the same time witnessing Athens as the cultural, industrial and political center of modern Greece.

Ancient Athens is considered by many to be the fountainhead of Western civilization. By the fifth century B.C., Athens was one of the most popular destinations in Greece with its magnificent temples and monuments, spectacular festivals, theatrical performances, and its crowded ports and streets. Today, Athens is the political capital of modern Greece and offers visitors the opportunity to explore its immense heritage that has had impact on all modern disciplines from art and drama to philosophy and history. Athens houses some of the most famous ancient Greek sculpture and pottery in the National Archaeological Museum and some of the most remarkable ancient Greek architecture, such as the Parthenon and Erectheion on the Acropolis, the Theater of Dionysus, and the Temple of Hephaestus in the Agora.

Academics

Students will earn three credits in Classics 371: Topics in Greek Culture. Studying the archaeological remains closely together with relevant literary texts (such as Aristophanes, Herodotus, Thucydides) as well as the viewpoints of modern scholars, the class will consider the defining characteristics of the Athenian city-state (polis) and will reconstruct the daily life of the citizen men and women, resident aliens, and slaves who inhabited ancient Athens. Discussion may include topics such as the public and private use of space, and the impact of democracy, war, and imperialism on Athenian culture and art. Although priority will be given to the study of material evidence so that students can benefit fully from travel to Greece, the class will focus its attention on historical questions such as the relationship between Pericles’ building projects and his political program, and the rise of private displays of wealth in the public cemetery of Athens.

Students of all undergraduate majors and levels are encouraged to apply to the program. However, preference will be given to students who have previous coursework in ancient Greece, especially Athenian culture and society.

Housing

Housing will be arranged by the program. Students will live in the center of Athens with shared rooms and private bath. Grocery stores and restaurants are conveniently located nearby.

Excursions and Activities

The course presents a mixture of lectures and discussions in conjunction with field trips to archaeological sites and museums in modern Athens, its suburbs and nearby cities. Some of the fieldtrips in Athens may include the Acropolis, the Agora, the Kerameikos cemetery, the Pnyx, and the National Museum of Antiquities. Fieldtrips in the immediate suburbs of Athens may include the battlefield of Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion. Possible trips to nearby islands and cities may include Aegina, Delphi Epidaurus, Mycenae, and Knossos.