Concordia CMLL Study Tour

By Alec McCreight

As the trip draws to a close, I find myself lingering on the beauty of the sites more, and what a way to highlight that today with the natural beauty of Aptera. Although the heat was sweltering, the flora and fauna made for an incredibly peaceful environment. I have found that the sights that I am the most awestruck by are those where the natural surroundings feel essential to the site’s magnificence, and any construction works in tandem with the world around it to imbue a sense of wonder. The Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, with its crashing waves and smell of the sea, and Mystras with its colorful overgrowth, both epitomized this for me. So too Aptera, with the jangling of sheep’s bells and bleating of goats heard wafting over the top rows of of the theatre, just barely out of view. There is a great deal of appreciation in order for the sights we have been privileged enough to behold this summer, and I must say I envy the shepherd, and think a crook would quite suit me.

-Shade seeking sheep beneath an olive tree.

-Dr. Francis pleased with the discovery of a dracunculus vulgaris.

-I got locked in the dog cage and they didn’t even give me any water!

Next stop was the Archaeological Museum of Chania, where I bore witness to a truly wide spectrum of sculpture. At the higher end was an incredibly intricate figurine from Alexandria, crowned in a wreath, adorned in jewelry and a folding mirror or perhaps pair of cymbals in her grasp. As far as artifacts I have seen so far throughout the trip, this one provided me the best understanding of just how brightly colored things would have been.

-Figurine imported from Alexandria (Archaeological Museum, Chania)

At the other end of the spectrum, was by far the worst Hercules sculpture I have ever laid eyes on. A magnificent testament to the all-to-common horrors of Roman statuary in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. With a right forearm at least twice as long as the bicep, feet nearly the size of his torso, and a generally pear-esque figure, even the placard could not resist questioning wether the pictured hero was resting from his labors, or leaning drunkenly against the table leg he would have served as.

-Hobbitkles table leg (Archaeological Museum, Chania)

The lecture on the human sacrifice at Kydonia was fascinating. Particularly intriguing to me were the differences in practice compared to sacrificial practice between Chthonic cults and those surrounding the Olympian gods. We were told that nothing is consumed by the observers of the sacrifice. Allowing blood from the body of the innocent to soak into the ground where the earth has been rended by earthquakes. I think this raises some fascinating questions about the interpretation of morality in ancient religion and what groups of deities we assign things to. Instead of feeding ‘better’ deities who we think to live in the sky with smoke, allowing the cruel deities responsible for misfortune and destruction feast on the misfortune of another. And the most innocent person imaginable at that. Was there thought that the chthonic gods longed to be appeased with the murder of something considered so pure at the time?

Being taken down to look closely into the Kydonian excavation was truly incredible. And to hear its intricacies explained by a professional at that level really gave me a sense of what it would feel like to be excavating, to see artifacts as they come out of the ground, to put in the leg work oneself. The excitement and the satisfaction of that kind of work, what I want from this program, and what I want to pursue with my future career endeavors; it all seems so much more feasible when presented so close in front of me.

There is a fire of motivation and a drive to continue my studies which has been stoked throughout the last three weeks, but today had fuel poured atop it. The largest part of my decision to make commitment to Concordia’s Summer in Greece was with the hope of enthralling myself with the subject and course content. I want to fall in love with my field of study, and being so close to the potential results of hard work in the program truly contributed to that today. I will miss being here, and although it was overwhelming and difficult for me to coordinate my resources and facilitate my attendance this summer, I don’t regret it in the slightest, and could not be more pleased to say that I have reinforced my own will to continue striving towards success that surrounds my own interests. I thank the coordinators, and the students, the bus drivers, guest lecturers, and everyone else involved at any level with creating this experience and allowing me to participate and come away with so much from it.