Fall Trip to the Peloponnese: Academic Program Notes for 2011
Director Jack Davis with School members Jessica Lamont and Leigh Lieberman at Mantinea October 2011.
Trip 2 enjoyed remarkably good weather this year—only a single downpour in Olympia sent us scampering for cover momentarily. In stark contrast to 2010, we basked in sunshine at Ancient Aigeira on our first day out, while listening to a brilliant presentation by Georg Ladstätter, director of the Austrian Institute in Athens; Walter Gauss, assistant director of the Austrian Institute, then explained his important new Archaic and prehistoric discoveries found on the acropolis.  After a brief stop at the Aigion Museum, we made our usual sprint to Patras, arriving just in time to visit the museum’s newly opened exhibition hall “Public Life.”  It includes many important monuments and inscriptions from Roman Patras, significant 12th century B.C. finds from cemeteries, and exhibits devoted to to Teichos Dymaion and its contacts with Italy. Trip 2 explores the “Deep Peloponnese,” those provinces most distant from Athens: Achaea; Elis; Messenia (and Mani); Arcadia; and Laconia. Even those who think they already know the Peloponnese find the diversity and historical range of the places we visit to be a surprise. The participation of Whitehead Professor Joe Day was especially welcome this year, not only for his academic contributions to the group, but for his company most evenings.  My wife, Shari Stocker, lectured at Pylos again, but could not accompany us for the entire trip as in past years, since for most of the fall she has been assisting the Greek Archaeological Service in excavating for the foundations of new buildings soon to be built in the parking lot at the Palace of Nestor. The group at Mystras Others made their own special contributions to Trip 2, which has, in fact, become a group effort. Nancy Bookidis at Olympia and Guy Sanders at Sparta generously contributed their time and expertise to provide mini-seminars for the group. Trip 2 thus rewards its participants with a rich introduction to the prehistory and history of the areas visited.  Foremost in our minds is comprehending how various past political unities in the Peloponnese rose to power, expanded, contracted, then sometimes remade themselves over time. These range from the Mycenaean kingdom of Pylos to the Spartan empire to the Hellenistic leagues to the Roman and Byzantine Empires to the Latin principalities of the Morea and the Venetian colonies at Monemvasia and Koroni.  This year again we were able to visit to the Frankish Museum in the Castle of Chlemoutsi, the entirety of which was opened for us through the kindness of the Greek Archaeological Service. Scheduling our visits was, however, a somewhat greater challenge this year!  In our final week we confronted no fewer than four days of wildcat strikes by museum guards, all of which demanded impromptu adjustments to our schedules. Members hike in Tainaro From the near wintery heights of Dimitsana to the southern extremity of Europe at Cape Tainaron - our group stayed on the move: a night in Patras; three in Olympia; one in highland Arcadia; three in Pylos; one in Areopolis; three in Sparta. A final sprint home on October 17 brought us first to Tegea, then to Mantineia, where we witnessed the first snowfall of winter blanketing peaks of central Arcadia. Finally I am delighted to mention the extraordinary hospitality offered to us by Eugene Ladopoulos and Professor Olga Palagia, who again hosted our entire group for dinner at their summer home in Mistras.