A WALK IN THE FIELD

Sixteen students make the journey from textbook to field school in Greece

In May 2007, 16 eager undergraduate Greek and Roman Studies students finished with the last exams of the spring semester, packed their suitcases and took off to Athens on what some would later call a trip of a lifetime. The ensuing four weeks were a jam-packed learning adventure—a survey of ancient Greek structures, sanctuaries, and architecture. Led by their professor and “exclusive tour guide,” Dr. Brendan Burke (also the program’s initiator), the group visited a total of 62 ancient Greek sites, averaging two to three sites per day. They covered a large portion of Greece, not only geographically, but also historically: the students saw early Paleolithic sites through to the Bronze Age, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic sites, the Roman and Byzantine eras, as well as Ottoman and modern Greek sites. Starting in Athens, the group toured the famous Acropolis and nearby sites before boarding a boat to Crete. There they saw many examples from the Mycenaean and Minoan periods of the Bronze Age. After exploring the Mediterranean island, the group continued to the Peloponnese peninsula, before traveling north to the cities of Ioannina and Thessaloniki to look at sites from Roman and early Byzantine Greece.

Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens

When asked what students gain from an experience such as this, Dr. Burke doesn’t hesitate to answer. “It sounds like a cliché, but it brings Greece to life, to see the Parthenon firsthand, there’s nothing like it. They actually see the stuff they’ve learned in class, in person and experience it in reality and that helps. I think they’ll learn [the material] better.”

And academic learning was obviously one of the main priorities for the field school—it wasn’t just fun and games, spanakopitas and saganakis (fried cheese with lemon). Students had to work hard for the three upper-level course credits which they received for GRS 495. They diligently took notes and studied for three examinations. At select sites, one student, having done research beforehand, would give a 10–20 minute talk on the history and significance of the site, then walk the others through, providing additional information and essentially acting as guide. Upon returning to Canada, each student submitted a paper relating to their field reports.

Temple of Hera, Olympia

Seeing such a diversity of ancient structures and artifacts in person, amidst the backdrop of some of the country’s most stunning landscapes, excited many of the students to increase their knowledge of the subject. The experience enhanced previous classroom-acquired knowledge. Everyone was ecstatic to see the ancient artifacts for the first time. Fourth-year student Ryan Day says, “That’s the main thing I loved about it—[the artifacts] were all so old. In Canada, [an artifact] a hundred years old is really, really old.” Rob Boyer was impressed by Franchthi Cave, a Paleolithic site that was important to religious ritual around 30,000 B.C. Third-year student Lela McMurray found that her visions of ancient Greek culture changed in size: “The pictures of statues or sites either seem smaller or bigger in print than they do in person,” she comments. McMurray was particularly thrilled with the array of tools used by ancient Greeks, including Minoan grape presses and Classical strigils (a curved blade used for exfoliating).

Not only did the students challenge their minds on this trip, they also challenged their bodies. Many of the chosen sites were obscure and at remote locations; to access them, the budding archaeologists endured long bus rides and substantial hikes through often treacherous terrain. Temperatures reached the high 30s and shade was scarce. Rob Boyer weighed himself after the four weeks to find he had lost four kilos. In regards to the physical aspect of the trip, Stephanie Baker notes, “Greece has a surprising number of stairs.”

For some students, including Baker, the field school was a first-time experience abroad. Baker loved seeing the places she had been reading about for years, but found the most difficult aspect of the trip was adapting to life on the road and living out of a suitcase. Dr. Burke admits that a field school poses particular challenges and is not suited for everyone. “You have to deal with group living and kind of strenuous group living in a foreign country in hot weather,” he says. Luckily, everyone in this group got along well and was very positive “even though we were tired. Everyone was in great spirits.” Only after it was pointed out to him did Rob Boyer realize that he had sat in classes with several students in the group prior to the trip. “In a field school you get closer to students than in a classroom,” he says.

Theater at Epidauros

In many ways, the group seemed to do it all: they surveyed a large range of archaeological sites from famous to seldom-visited, they covered much of the country, were exposed to another culture and they did it all on a limited budget. “I wanted to keep the costs down for the students,” says Dr. Burke. Whereas some field school groups have several professors and support staff accompanying the group, only two teacher’s assistants helped Dr. Burke. The group stayed in moderate accommodations, packed lunches each day, and took public transport when available. “We took the Athenian metro (subway) and lugged our bags across the harbour town to get on the boat [to Crete]. Some [groups] would probably have a little shuttle bus to scurry them across [the city].” The cost of the trip was approximately $3,000, and most of the participants felt that this was fair. Travelling this way added to the trip’s authenticity and forced the students to work as a team, says Dr. Burke.

Group listens as professor Burke lectures at ancient Nemea

For some, the trip helped solidify graduate school decisions. For others, such as Lela McMurray, it made them realize they don’t prefer group travel. The next time McMurray ventures away from home, she would like to be free to move at her own pace with a more flexible schedule, but recommends the field school to anyone who wants a safe way to travel and learn. Ryan Day appreciated the highly-organized style of the trip. On his own it would have been far more difficult. “I just wouldn’t know where to go. There are so many sites, I wouldn’t know which ones to choose,” he says.

And while Dr. Burke is a self-described planner, no plan is ever foolproof. The group arrived at several sites only to find them closed for the season, sometimes indefinitely. At Prinias on Crete, the students took the site closure into their own hands: in order to access the remains of the ancient settlement, they participated in some harmless fence-hopping. Dr. Burke admits to hopping his fair share of fences as a student at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens and says that fence-hopping is a part of archaeology for the more obscure sites in Greece.

Students climb over a fence at the site of Prinias, Crete

Apart from the planned site-visits, for many of the students the highlight of the trip was an unexpected excursion to their bus driver’s (Christos) village home in the small town of Boeotia. There the students were offered homemade wine and fruit juice in the company of Christos’s extended family. “If I brought 16 twenty-year-olds to my parents’ place, my mother would get mad at me for not letting her know a week ahead of time,” comments Jill Dearden. But hospitality is a known Greek trait—they even have a word for it. “Xenia is the Greek word for hospitality to foreigners,” explains Dr. Burke. “It’s a big part of Greek culture, more so than we imagine.”

Dr. Burke thinks a field school is a great opportunity to expose students to other cultures. “[Students] have an experience beyond Canada, beyond their daily existence in Canada.” He encouraged students to learn some of the language and to immerse themselves in the culture as much as possible in their spare time.

While knowing the language, or being a Department of Greek and Roman Studies student was not a requirement for the program, most students were on their way to bachelor’s degrees with majors or minors in the discipline. Rob Boyer recommends students postpone participation in a field school until their senior years, when they have more applicable knowledge and will be able to better appreciate the sites. Jill Dearden thinks that choosing a time to participate in a field school depends on the individual’s interests and priorities. “If they want to learn a lot, then do it early. If they want to do it to get a good grade in a course and to see everything they’ve learned about, then I would say do it later.” No matter at what point in a student’s academic career, a field school offers learning experiences for everyone.

Dr. Burke is proud of the success of the Greek expedition—the first of its kind for the department—and hopes to be able to offer the opportunity to students again next year.