Regular Members and Associates at the Phocian Wall at Thermopylae.
The 2014-2015 school year welcomed Kevin Daly as new Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Classical Studies and 16 new Regular Members. Kevin Daly reports from Athens: Filling the shoes of my predecessor, Margie Miles, is a very tall order, and I'm very grateful for all the help she gave me in my transition into this new position. As expected, I found the students to be extraordinarily gifted and the staff at Athens most accommodating. I led the first two trips of the year, the first to Northern Greece and the second to Central Greece. Luckily for us, spectacular weather greeted us at every stop, and we were able to extend the days to squeeze in a few extra and unusual stops along the way (e.g., the bread museum at Amphikleia and the Arkitsa fault). A real highlight of the first trip was an overview of the new finds at Kasta Hill in Amphipolis delivered by lead architect Michalis Lefantzis. During the second trip of the year Ephor Alexandra Charami very kindly opened the doors of the Thebes Museum for a quick peek at its new installation. We are fortunate indeed that our Greek colleagues are so generous in their support for our educational programs! Guy Sanders took the students to the Deep Peloponnese in trip three, while Jim Wright led the students through the Argolid and the Corinthiad for trip four. Nick Blackwell contributed significantly to every trip, while new Wiener Lab Director Takis Karkanis met the group at Corinth for an on-site demonstration of the methods and uses of micro-topographical investigation. As fall turned to winter the focus turned to the Whitehead seminars and to visits to the sites and monuments of Athens and Attica. Aileen Ajootian is teaching a seminar on ancient sculpture and (thanks to John Camp and Guy Sanders) will bring the students for hands-on study to the Agora and Corinth. Stratis Papaioannou's class will use the resources of the Gennadeion as the class focuses on book culture during the Roman/early Byzantine period. We were all very lucky to have Liz Langridge-Noti and NEH fellow Martha Risser lead us on two trips to the vase collection at the National Museum. The program continues to be rich, varied, and unmatched in its depth and breadth. In all, then, the School and its academic programs are going strong. We can't wait for more to come.
