In addition to the Institute’s lectures and seminar discussions, the city of Athens itself–its institutions and environs–will serve as a laboratory for exploring what Alois Riegl (1982) called “intentional monuments,” objects and structures whose intended longevity functions as a defense against the finality of death. During the Institute, our local guest scholar Dr. Michael Wedde will lead participants in specialized guided tours of key sites in Athens. These sites will provide dynamic spaces for our exploration of the history of mortality in Ancient Greece. The Institute also includes a weekend trip to the Peloponnesus to visit sites that have direct relevance to the lectures and seminars with our visiting scholars.

Guided Tours: Sites in Athens

Kerameikos
The ancient Kerameikos, originally dedicated to pottery production, developed into an important burial site in Athens that remained in use over a long range of historical periods, with tombs and artifacts dating from the Early Bronze Age (2700-2000 BCE) through the Archaic and later Hellenistic periods. The Kerameikos Archaeological Museum holds an extensive collection of burial-related artifacts and funerary monuments.

Ancient Agora
The ancient Athenian agora began as a cemetery before becoming the marketplace and political center of the city in the 7th century BCE. The collections of the Museum of the Ancient Agora include architectural pieces of the Stoa of Attalos as well as pottery, sculptures, coins, and bronze and clay objects dating from the tenth century BCE and to the third century CE and beyond.

The Acropolis Museum
Completed in 2007, the new Acropolis Museum houses artifacts and inscriptions ranging from the Archaic period to the fifth century CE, including sculptures from the key monuments on the Acropolis, such as the Caryatids of the Erechtheion and statues from the temple of Athena Nike; finds from the sanctuaries that were located on the slopes of the Acropolis; and everyday objects from ancient Athenian households.

Excursion Sites: The Peloponnesus

Nafplio
During the weekend trip to the Peloponnesus in Week 2, participants will be housed in hotels in Nafplion, located within easy reach of the archaeological sites. Nafplion is also the home of the Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece. One of our visiting scholars and Professor in the Department of Greek Literature at the Democretian University of Thrace, Dr. Yiannis Petropoulos, is Director of the Center. The Center’s staff and facilities, including digital access to the Harvard libraries, will be made available to participants.

Epidaurus
As a follow-up to Professor Holmes’ lecture and seminar in the second week of the Institute, participants will visit the sanctuary and temple of the healing god Asclepius at Epidaurus (ca. early 4th century BCE). Dr. Wedde will provide specialized guided tours of the sanctuary and the museum, with a focus on the relationship between divine intercession and medical treatment as responses to the mortality of the body. Pending finalization, participants may also attend the performance of a Greek play at the ancient theater in Epidaurus as a complement to Professor Murnaghan’s Week 1 lecture and seminar on Greek tragedy.

Mycenae
A visit to the monumental gravesites at Mycenae (13th century BCE) will provide the historical and physical context for understanding the role of mortality in the Homeric poems, the subject of Professor Petropoulos’ lecture and seminar in the first week of the Institute.