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

Second Stop: Temple of Artemis at Aulis

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

Possible Third Stop: Archaeological Site at Rhamnous

Possible Substitute Stop: Ferry to Oropos and island of Evia to visit Archaeological Site of Eretria

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 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.

Rhamnous is tangentially connected to the theme of the Search For Tragic Meaning.  The Temple of Nemesis there is connected to the Trojan War and includes a representation of Clytemnestra, while the watchtower function of this fortress in the Classical Era reminds me of the opening scene of Aeschylus' Agamemnon.  But I have included it in the itinerary more because I consider it to be a wonderful off-the-beaten-track site that seems to fit in quite well with this day's travel schedule if either Brauron is closed or we decide not to visit the Archaeological Site of Eretria.  I think that we should have a maximum of three stops on the way to Thebes.

Eretria is not only an important archaeological site but is important in the transfer of ancient stories both from the east and then westwards and important also to the reestablishment of literacy in the ancient Greek world.  I recommend that we only visit Eretria if Brauron is not open.  I welcome advice from our tour coordinator.

Day 3:  Settle into Thebes

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

Day 4:  Thebes

a)  Morning Discussion of Sophocles, Antigone by one of the chamber tombs or by the main gate of Thebes

b)  Late Morning and afternoon Mythic Tour of Thebes and Tour of Thebes Archaeological Museum

c)  Night-time Preparation Reading of Euripides, The Bacchae (c. 407 BCE)

Thebes is quite a hard-scrabble central Greek town that is not a main stop on the tourist trail.  In that sense, it may not be the most impressive introduction to Greece.

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'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.

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 laid down"; "Here, by tradition, is the lair of the Sphinx"; "Here is where Polyneices' body was left exposed by Creon").

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.

The narrow-gauge Pelion Railway is scheduled to run on Saturdays and Sundays in May.  We should adjust our Day 7-8 schedule and perhaps even our Field School departure day to facilitate a Pelion Railway excursion if possible.  However, 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.

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.  If the Field School end up with an NIC/Elder College collaboration, there will be few retirees who will be prepared for this ascent.  It definitely should be an optional activity, and those who choose to remain in Delphi itself will have a free day.  A very-early-morning start (7:00 am?) is recommended for participants.

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.

I think a free day on Day 15 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.

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 13 and Day 15, and then had a long day on Day 16.  Despite the admission costs involved, I prefer this placement for the reading rather than asking students to read Medea on the night of Day 16, 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.

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 Day 22 day trip and 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 a seminar about Eumenides on the Pnyx rather than within the Theatre of Dionysus or at the Areopagus, the latter being an inappropriate place for any group assembly despite being the setting for the final play within the Oresteia trilogy.  This will get us away from the crowds but bring us to one of the most historic places in the world for engaged discussion.  We can do that with the Acropolis as our backdrop and then follow up our session with a visit to the Acropolis.

I do not think we need a guide for the Acropolis, but should help prepare students in advance for a meaningful tour, emphasizing the importance not only of a visit to the Acropolis and the other famous buildings on the summit, but of spending time in the Theatre of Dionysus and 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.