Leave Porto Rafti in the a.m.

First Stop:  Brauron

a)  Visit the ruins of the Temple of Artemis at Brauron (open 8:30 - 15:30, except Tuesdays)

b)  Visit the Archaeological Museum at Brauron

Fourth Stop: Temple of Artemis at Aulis

a)  Discuss Euripides, Iphigenia In Aulis by the ruins of the Temple of Artemis at Aulis

Brauron is a wonderful site in and of itself and has a very interesting museum as well.  I have also chosen it because, by tradition, it is connected to myths associated with Iphigenia and indeed the reputed "Tomb of Iphigenia" is located here.  This would provide the opportunity to talk about the stories connecting Iphigenia to Tauris, including that presented by Euripides, and of her escape with the idol of Artemis back to Brauron.

The Sanctuary of Dionysus Ikarios at Rapentosa is frequently highlighted as the birthplace of theatre.  It is not an archaeologically impressive site but is still resonant with history.  We could set aside time for students to read Iphigenia In Aulis here, though I think it's probably preferable for that to have been completed before our day begins.  We may need to walk in for several minutes since the bus may not have easy access to this site.

Marathon is only tangentially connected to our Greek Tragedy theme, though Aeschylus did choose to highlight that he was a Marathon man as his epitaph and it is so close by to the Sanctuary of Dionysus Ikarios that it makes for a very logical extra stop.

The ruins of the Temple of Artemis at Aulis is one of those lesser-visited sites that I love.  It's just off the national highway and almost literally in the shadow of a large cement factory.  A wonderful place for our first seminar.  The site is gated and locked and needs an attendant for entry.

Day 3:  Settle into Thebes

a)  Night-time or Next-Day Preparation Reading of Sophocles, Antigone (c. 442-440 BCE)

Day 4:  Thebes

a)  Morning and afternoon Mythic Tour of Thebes and Tour of Thebes Archaeological Museum

b) After-Dinner Discussion of Sophocles, Antigone by one of the chamber tombs or by the main gate of Thebes

However, there is probably no single other city in all of Greece that is so connected to the mythic tradition or to the surviving dramatic literature from the fifth century.

It does offer an immediate introduction to the challenges of entering the Greece of the imagination.  But I see that as a challenge rather than as a problem.  I myself am not familiar with the mythic landscape of Thebes.  But I would love for us to learn from a knowledgeable local guide who told of the myths and connected those stories to particular contemporary sites both within and just outside of the municipality (egs.  "Here is where the cow that Cadmus was following lay down"; "Here, by tradition, is the lair of the Sphinx"; "Here is where Polyneices' body was left exposed by Creon").  Our walk could either be preceded by or end up with a tour of the Archaeological Museum.  Note that the Latsis Foundation link below includes a very thorough inventory of the museum.

I've decided to keep us for an extra day in Thebes.  The 2-or-3-kilometere morning walk to a more secluded natural area outside Thebes should provide a powerful experiential component to our discussion of the Bacchae.

One strong possibility for the Bacchae discussion would be modern Takhi, the site of ancient Potniae.  The ancient writer Pausanias placed Potniae across the Asopus and about 2 kilometers from Thebes on the road toward Plataea and thus also toward Mount Cithaeron.  Although the ancient ruins are gone and Takhi is essentially part of today's Thebes, ancient Potniae has at least three features that resonate with Euripides' play.  It was the site of the Temple of Dionysus Aigobolos ("Goat-Slayer"), with an origin myth that told of how drunken devotees had torn apart a priest of Dionysus there and then, during the resultant plague and on the command of the Oracle of Delphi, had prepared a youth for a human sacrifice (later commuted by Dionysus to a goat) as atonement.  Potniae was also associated with the separate myth of Glaucus of Potniae, who was said to have been dismembered by his own mares after they went mad from the local water or pasture.  Finally, Potniae was the site of a grove sacred to Demeter and Kore on the riverbank, which featured an annual ritual in which piglets were released into underground chambers.  With local guidance it should be possible to design a route largely featuring dirt roads and/or paths that could take us from the centre of Thebes across the Asopus to an appropriate stopping place.  The Ephorate of Antiquities of Boeotia or the Thebes hiking club may be useful contacts here.

The Mycenaean Acropolis at Glas is not a mandatory stop.  However, it is approximately 20 kilometers outside of Thebes and involves only a minor detour.  It may well be worth a short stop.

The Sanctuary of the Oracle of Trophonius at Livadhia does not fit in perfectly with our Field School theme and the precise location of the cave of the oracle is not known.  However, the walk along the Erkina River to the springs of Kyra is a wonderful one and the carved niches at the springs is a place where a connection to a deeper past can be felt.  And Livadhia seems to be a very logical stop that does not represent a significant detour on the way from Thebes to Portaria.

Mount Pelion is very much folded into the Greek mythic landscape through such characters as Jason, Achilles, and Chiron, but does not figure prominently within the fifth-century tragedies.  I have not visited Mount Pelion yet myself, but it seems like such a magical place with many interesting walking trails.

Portaria has been recommended by our Greek travel coordinator.

If we are not in Portaria on a weekend day, a logical alternative activity would be a Mount Pelion hike, with a hike to "Chiron's Cave" as one strong possibility here.

We will not discuss any plays while we are on Mount Pelion.  It is recommended that students read Sophocles' Oedipus Rex during our stay in Portaria or on the bus from Portaria to Delphi.

Leave Portaria in the a.m.

First Stop:  Archaeological Museum of Volos

Second Stop:  Archaeological Site of Dimini

The hike to the Corcyian Cave is both spectacular and extremely demanding.  It definitely should be an optional activity.  Delphi will be a wonderful spot for a free day for those who either are unsure that they are up to the physical demands of the hike or are just ready for a day absent of schedule.  A very-early-morning start (7:00 am?) is recommended for participants to avoid the worst of the Greek heat for our ascent for those who do take part in the hike.

I have chosen Nafplio as a base for exploring the Peloponnese because it's such a wonderful seaside city with both easy access to historic sites on the peninsula and because it has its own attractions available for students to explore on their own time.

Our guide has recommended visiting Mycenae in the late afternoon when the crowds have thinned.  Our Day 12 departure from Nafplio should be timed so that we have sufficient time to fully tour Mycenae.  I like the idea of an hour discussion down below in the "Tomb of Clytemnestra" before we begin the Mycenae tour.  It seems as if both the archaeological site and the museum are open into the evening.  Perhaps we should consider an early evening visit to Mycenae, with a return to Nafplio for a later dinner.

I think a free day on Day 13 will be welcomed by students.

The bus will likely want to drop us approximately a kilometer or more from Troezen since I do not think there is room for it to turn around at the site itself.  It is a nice rural walk past the stone of Theseus towards the site.

As with Mycenae, Epidaurus seems to be open into the evening and while we need not necessarily delay our visit until the early evening, I have placed our seminar discussion at Troezen first on the day's itinerary so that we can avoid the worst of the crowds at Epidaurus.  We can schedule our Day 14 departure from Nafplio with an optimum Epidaurus arrival time in mind.

I love the idea of getting an early-morning start and then providing students with at least two hours in Corinth for on-site reading of Medea.  Students will have read tragedies on Day 11 and Day 13, and then had a long day on Day 14.  Despite the admission costs involved, I prefer this placement for the reading rather than asking students to read Medea on the night of Day 14, when they likely will be exhausted.  Those students who prefer to spend their time exploring Corinth could read Medea in advance.

The Heraion of Perachora is not an easy place to access.  But it seems like such an appropriate place to discuss Medea and a very romantic place in its own right.  It seems as if both the reading and the visit to Perachora would fit well into a travel day here.

Archaeologists have been excavating at Kanakia since 2006.  Although I am sceptical about the historical existence of Ajax and question the temptation to identify the Mycenaean ruins on Salamis as the "Palace of Ajax" or those at Pylos as the "Palace of Nestor" , the palace at Kanakia seems to be a wonderfully resonant place at which to discuss Sophocles' play.

The Cave of Euripides is located between Peresteria and Kolones about 350 metres northwest of the north end of Euripides Street up a footpath.  It is described as entered through a 70 metre cramped serpentine passage and not for the faint-hearted.  The Roman antiquarian Aulus Gallius, who is one of those responsible for linking it to Euripides, described it as a "foul and horrible cave" in the second century CE.  If we visit the cave, we likely want to only enter a couple of people at a time.  Several artifacts from the Cave of Euripides are on display at the Archaeological Museum of Salamis.

Although I have listed the seminar discussion at Kanakia first and the cave visit second, these can be placed in either order.

Depending upon where we are staying, we may want to fit a a group visit to the Archaeological Museum of Salamis into this day.

I am unfamiliar with the island of Salamis and suggest that we stay wherever is recommended by our tour coordinator, though ideally somewhere with a local and historical feel to it.

Leave Salamis in the a.m

First Stop: Archaeological Site at Eleusis

Ideally, our hotel would be located within walking distance of either or both of the National Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis.

Then, we would only need a bus for the airport transport and could rely upon walking or a combination of walking and public transport for the rest of our time in Athens.

I am recommending an early evening visit to the Acropolis so that the crowds are not as intense as they would be earlier in the day.  My assumption is that the number of people visiting the Theatre of Dionysus in the late afternoon or early evening should be far less than those ascending to the top of the Acropolis.  We should be able to have a thoughtful seminar within the theatre, followed up by self-guided student exploration of the rest of the Acropolis.  We should also encourage students to visit the Areopagus after the Acropolis, given its immediate relevance to the Eumenides.

I do not think we need a guide for the Acropolis, but we should help prepare students in advance for a meaningful tour, emphasizing the importance not only of a visit to the top of the Acropolis, but of  exploring the overlooked sites on the side of the Acropolis as well.

I like the idea of setting out some type of scavenger hunt in which students are assigned particular tasks for either the museum visit or the Acropolis tour.