on the auction market

An interesting tidbit in yesterday's news:

Roman Imperial Marble Bust Sells for a Staggering $23.8 Million at Sotheby's

The title of the article really says it all. What it doesn't say is how astounding it is that the art market still holds so much sway, despite what we know about the problems of private collections for the understanding of archaeological context. Where did this sculpture come from, exactly, beyond the private collection of Clarence Day?

In other news, we're preparing for a week ahead of a massive number of strikes in Greece, the worst being the closing of the airports on Wednesday. I leave next Sunday, and hopefully by then they'll be all finished striking. So much is on strike - public transportation, lawyers, journalists, newspapers, banks, museums, airlines, etc., that it's hard to keep track of. This page is really excellent for continuous updates on the situation(s).

Celebrating Hanukkah

We had a Hanukkah celebration here in Loring Hall tonight, as three of our lovely members are Jewish. It was my first time trying latkes, the traditional potato pancakes, made by Nitzan. And they were delicious! In many ways, they reminded me of one of my favorite Greek dishes, kolokithokeftes - say that three times fast! - which are fried spinach balls, only latkes are made from potatoes.

In any case, great fun was had by all, about 25 of us, including Director Jack Davis and his wife, Shari! One striking absence tonight, however, was my camera: I had thought it would be a small celebration, and I would just drop by. Yet it turned out to be a great dinner, with good friends, songs, and the lighting of the menorah. It never fails, whenever I forget/fail to bring my camera along, I miss all kinds of picture opportunities.

But I digress. In lieu of photos, I leave you with this Hanukkah Song for Classicists, marvelously written and performed by some of last year's ASCSA members:

tempis fugit

The very fact that I hadn't even realized that I have not updated in 12 days is testament to the fact that the time is moving all too quickly. The weather's turning, gray skies predominate today in Athens, and we depart for Trip III on Monday. My presentation is "in the works" but not quite there yet, and there are plans for an epic party tonight. In the meantime, more later...just hopefully not 12 days later!

On Trip II

Well, I haven't been the best at blogging these days. We're on Trip II, after a mere 4 days inbetween coming home from Trip I and leaving for Trip II. But I can honestly say that the highlight of this trip so far (besides the archaeology, of course) has been the lovely little Hotel Dimitsana. Though without internet for the fourth night a row, this morning we awoke to warm bougatsa (an absolute favorite), croissants, and REAL, honest-to-goodness orange juice, next to a cozy fire. I thought I was in heaven.

Arkadia was heaven. It seems to be a pretty poor region of Greece, with many old, abandoned homes and small villages. The topography is amazing, though: steep, rocky cliffs, enshrouded in early morning fog. The landscape is lush, but large parts of Arkadia bear the effects of the Greek fires three summers ago. The landscape here is charred, barren, but with signs of life peaking through. It's stunning, really.

I hope to post some more pictures soon. Until then, tonight (and for the next two nights), we're in Pylos, in my first "repeat" hotel (ie., I stayed here for the summer session). It's right on the Bay of Navarino, and tomorrow, we'll cover Pylos, the Chora Museum, and Sphakteria. So much to do, so little time. The Autumn term is just flying by!

Trip I Schedule

We're about to kick off on our first trip to Western and Northern Greece. It's a trip that will last 12 days and cover a lot of ground. This is our schedule:

Tuesday, 9/21: Nafpaktos, Kalydon, Oiniadai, Garden of Heroes
Wednesday, 9/22: Thermon, Agrinion, Stratos
Thursday, 9/23: Nikopolis, Ephyra, Kassope
Friday, 9/24: Arta, Horraon, Dodona
Saturday, 9/25: Ioannina, Aiani, Vergina
Sunday, 9/26: Mieza, Leufkadia, Pella, Thessaloniki (Archaeological Museum)
Monday, 9/27: Thessaloniki: Agora, Churches, Rotunda & Arch of Galerius; Byzantine Museum
Tuesday, 9/28: (Potidaea), Temple of Ammon Zeus, Olynthos, Poligyros Museum, Stageira
Wednesday, 9/29: Thasos, Aliki quarries
Thursday, 9/30: Thasos (Akropolis, Walls & Gates)
Friday, 10/1: Philippi, Amphipolis
Saturday, 10/2: Dion, Dion Museum, Thermopylae

Needless to say, I'm pretty excited. There are a few places on this list that I've been to, such as Vergina, Pella, and Thessaloniki, but even more that I have never seen, and even a few of which I've not heard. Right now, I'm busily preparing my first report topic, which is on the Derveni Krater - a great opportunity, I think, to talk about not only iconography but also the burial context.

Lykavittos Walk

Part of the tradition of the American School is to take a walk up Lykavittos, the hill that looms above the School, at the start of the program. I did it for the Summer Session back in 2007, and again last night as a newly inaugurated Regular Member. It was a fairly hazy evening, though cool, and I brought along my nifty 55-200 lens to give it a test run. Here's a picture of the Acropolis, run through the wonders of PSE:


Mount Lykavittos sits far outside the ancient city limits, but you'd hardly notice today as Athens radiates out from it, its white-washed buildings spilling up into the surrounding hillsides. The name Lykavittos may perhaps be etymologically linked to that of a place of wolves - λύκοι - though this is not certain. And, it's a great climb to look at the topography of both the ancient and modern city, as well as watch a lovely sunset, even if on a cloudy day.



I am, of course, wearing the t-shirt of my friend Lael's funny and cute comic, The Book of Lael. Check it out!

In Athens

It's been awhile, but I finally made it to Athens in one piece - and my luggage did, too. The first day was spent in our hostel, where I slept with my head on a table, as our dorm room wasn't ready until 2 p.m.

The following morning, Reema and I ventured out to the Acropolis. What a magnificent morning, and what a perfect opportunity to test out my new camera! And as usual, I had my picture taken in front of the east side of the Parthenon, this time directly in front of the remains of the Temple of Rome and Augustus:


Also of note here on the Acropolis: the reconstruction work on the Temple of Athena Nike appears to finally be complete. It was wonderful to see this small but still imposing temple perched on the edge of the Acropolis' western edge:


All in all, an excellent way to begin our time in Athens. Later in the day, I got settled into the American School, but that's for another post.

The Final Countdown

Part of the process of going to live in Greece include obtaining a visa from the Greek government. This long, convoluted process began back in April, when I went through multiple hoops to obtain fingerprints that were sent to the FBI for criminal clearance. 16 weeks later, I finally have the proof that I need to show that I don't have a criminal record (surprise!). In addition, I've assembled a noteworthy collection of papers proving my income, health insurance, freedom from communicable diseases, etc.

I'm down here in Tampa now, which is where the closest Greek consulate to Tallahassee is located. In the morning, I have an appointment at the embassy - fingers crossed that all goes well! We're down to less than three and half weeks before my grand departure.


The view here is from my hotel balcony, where I am currently watching the beautiful sunset. $20 more got me a view of Tampa Bay as well as a king-size bed - quite possibly the nicest bed I'll sleep in for the whole next year!

The Charles Bridge (Karlov Most)

While in Prague, I took a couple of walks across the Charles Bridge (Karlov Most):

The bridge dates to the 14th century, and during the day is occupied with tourists who cross it as a link between Prague Castle and the Old Town, with great views of the city and the Vltava River. Vendors selling paintings and jewelry, statues, and oddities permeated all parts of the bridge, making it not so much a pleasant stroll but one filled with lots to see. One of the more interesting monuments on the Charles Bridge is this one, which many tourists were reaching out to touch:

The base is clearly rubbed often, given its shininess, and I wondered why. Consulting my guidebook, I found that rubbing the base will bring you back to Prague. Another search, through google, found this statue and others that would variously either guarantee a return to Prague or bring good luck or some other fortune.

In any case, this got me thinking a lot about the nature of ritual. How do people know to touch this statue, in this spot? How do they know what will happen when the do it? Is it because of a guide book, or because they see others doing it?

How much of what we know is based on our observations, our traditions, our "ways of doing things" that are influenced and shaped by what others have done before us? How much are our actions not so much about the result as the process of the ritual itself?

And how is any of this that different from rituals that took place in antiquity?

gelato heaven

I have a slight obsession with gelato, and there are many places in Freiburg that have it, glistening at the front of the store in a myriad of colors. I found one place on the tram line to the Institute that has single scoops for just 1 euro, and have decided that a cone a day will get me through almost all of the flavors in my time here. So, without further ado, my list:

21/5: Schokolade (a deep, rich chocolate)
22/5: Hönigmelon (actually cantaloupe, my very favorite in Italy)
23/5: Joghurt Erdbeere (strawberry yogurt)
24/5: Kokos (coconut)
25/5: Bacio (from Incontra, another gelato place)
26/5: Vanille (back at Portofino's)
27/5: Karamel
28/5: Hönigmelon (again!) AND later, Walnuss (walnut)
29/5: Schokolade, Cappucino, and Kokonuss (coconut)
30/5: Kirsche (cherry, from a new place on the third tram stop)
(forgot some days, oops)
3/6: Vanilla and Coconut (in Paris)
5/6: Pear, and Blood Orange/Peach (in Paris)
7/6: Hönigmelon/Wassermelon (Watermelon); Zuppa Inglese
8/6: Nero (a dark, dark chocolate)
9/6: Black Forest Cherry (or something to that effect, in Titisee)

So what will tomorrow be?

Hands

I really loved this fragment from a statue of Nefertiti and Akhenaten in the Neues Museum (AM 20494):

Neues Museum, Berlin

Jetlag knocked me out last night and this morning, and the day on the whole has been pretty rough. I did, however, manage to get myself over to Museuminsel by mid-day, and got my 3-day ticket for the museums on the island. My first (and only) stop of the day was the Neues Museum, which is just to the north of (you guessed it) the Altes Museum. And it was truly "new" to me, having just re-opened in 2009 after decades of decay after being ruined during WWII. Literally, it sat there for years on end before an attempt at restoration was made in the 80s, abandoned, and picked up again in 1997 under the direction of architect David Chipperfield.

I'd seen parts of the Egyptian collection before - Nefertiti's bust, the Berlin Green Head - elsewhere, such as a display in the Altes Museum in 2006. What truly impressed me on this trip was the sense of preservation in the 19th century building, and how much of the original damaged structure has been preserved, rather than covered up or made new. In this sense, the museum's damage becomes an integral part of its own history, brilliantly displayed alongside the newer, more secure structure. Fascinating!

Intro

I intend for this blog to be a anthology of my impressions as a Regular Member of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens during 2010-11. I will be in Greece from September 2010 to June 2011. In the meantime, I will post a little about my Great German Adventure of May-June 2010, during which time I will be a visiting student at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. Before this, I am journeying through Berlin, Prague, and Munich for a week.