My Personal Tour with the Archaeologists of the New Acropolis Museum

Being granted this internship in Athens, Greece has been a big blessing. Currently completing my MA in Art History, I am required to write a MRP (Major Research Paper) on the topic of my choice. Being that my interests varied greatly (from Ancient Civilizations to Early Modern Europe) it was hard for me to narrow down what my topic would be. When I was notified in April that I was going to Greece, I decided to take advantage of this. I decided then that I would write my MRP on a topic regarding Ancient Greece and Museology.

In my preliminary research, I came across the topic of Ambience and Museum Stewardship. The question I ask is, What is more important? Preserving the original intent and purpose of onsite works (such as the Parthenon Marbles) and thus maintaining its ambience, or the preservation and conservation of these ancient sculptures via Museum Stewardship? My goal was to do a fair amount of research whilst I was here by observing the original site, making frequent visits to the New Museum Acropolis, getting a personal tour of the Old Museum to compare the space, and getting interviews with the key figures from the New Museum.

Since July 6, I have tried getting interviews with the appropriate archaeologists at the museum and after mailing Letters of Introduction, faxing, calling, and emailing, I finally spoke with two archaeologists yesterday who agreed to answer my questions. Also, arrangments were made for me to visit the Old Museum today. So this afternoon, with my sister in tow (as my secretary), we were given a personal tour of the Old Museum by two archaeologists and one exacavator. This was an amazing opportunity because I was able to get in and compare the space with the New Museum. Although, nothing remains in the Old Museum, I was able to make out from the outlines on the wall where certain artefacts and sculptures were once affixed.

My time here in Athens was truly amazing and I am proud to say that I didn't just party and sunbathe on the beach after work. For a whole month, before my family arrived, I made daily trips to the New Museum and/or the library. There, I stayed for hours on end researching and writing my paper ( I now have 30 out of the 50 pages done!) My unlimited access to the prestigious library at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens (the best facility in Ancient Greek Studies) was also a bonus.

Now I am ready for my mini 2 days vacation on Santorini Island......aaaaahhhh

Last Day At Work with my Boss

Today, was my last day at work with my boss, Jonathan, as my internship days here at the Canadian Institute in Greece draws to a close. It was a sad feeling when we said goodbye this afternoon and I felt even more teary-eyed when he leaned over to give me a hug!

Officially, my last day at CIG is on Aug. 6th (the day before I fly home to Toronto), however, because Jonathan doesn't work on Wednesdays and I leave for a mini vacation with my family on Thursday to Santorini, I won't see Jonathan before Aug. 1 when he goes for his own vacation back home to England. Here, August is when everyone in Athens goes to the islands to their nice vacation homes. There, they enjoy the rest of their summer on the best beaches in Greece. I have heard that Athens becomes a ghost town and lots of businesses, universities, and libraries are closed.

So while I continue on with my duties as the CIG intern, it will be quiet days here at the office without Jonathan.

Filipinese?

On the way home from the library yesterday afternoon, I was crossing a major road by my house. A Greek lady crossing towards me called out, "Excuse me, are you Filipinese?" To which I replied, "Yes". She then proceeded to pull out her business card and introduce herself. I looked at the text on her pretty green and white card, and read ATHENS HOME SERVICES. She said she was a hiring manager and asked if I was looking for a job. Being polite I asked, "Oh, so do you sell houses?" and that is when she started to ramble off about at home nannies, maids, and tutors and how she recruits and hires them. I explained that I was actually a student from Canada and that I was only here for the summer. She said "Oh sorry" and walked away. And then she came running back and said "Well anyway, if you have friends, you can tell them. Here is my email address. Ok bye!" As she walked off I can hear her calling out "And sorry again for the misunderstanding!"

And here I was thinking I thought I looked cute and fashionable, but instead I was mistaken for a maid/nanny looking for a job. I guess the ponytail hairstyle will have to go! Back to voluptious curls and volume. There is one good thing I can take from this though, here in Greece us 'filipinese' are the most sought after for these kinds of positions. I guess we are seen as nurturers, teachers, caregivers, and most importantly, trustworthy and hard-working. And with that, I will smile at my fellow filipinese here making a hard-earned living for their young families.

Cape Sounion - Temple of Poseidon

A nudist on the secluded rocky beach.

Fortress wall built to protect Sounion from the invading Spartans during the Peloponnesian Wars.

Secluded rocky beach off the cliff.

Me by the column drums.

A profession of their love by a couple, dated 1907.

Although we couldn't find Lord Byron's signature, we captured some as old as the 1800s......

The square column is apparently where the inscription of Lord Byron's name is, according to a blogger.

Me with view of the islets and islands behind me.

My sis, Sarah.

Sare-Bear.

Our yummy lunch - fried kalamari, greek salad, and bread.

Last Friday, my sister and I took an hour and a half bus ride to Sounion, located on the southernmost tip of Attica, Greece. The site we visited was the famous Temple of Poseidon, strategically built on the edge of a high cliff overlooking Cape Sounion and the vast Aegean Sea. From this jutting headland, there is a panoramic view of the surrounding Aegean islands.

Myths and Legends

• According to legend, Cape Sounion is the spot where Aegeus, King of Athens, leapt to his death off the cliff, thus giving his name to the Aegean Sea. The story goes that Aegeus, was anxiously looking out from Sounion, waiting for his son, Theseus, to return home from Crete. Theseus had gone to kill the Minotaur, half man and half bull, that was kept locked up by King Minos of Crete. Every year, the Athenians had to send 14 youths to Minos as tribute and Theseus had gone to slay the Minotaur to end this terror. He was instructed by his dad to put a white sail on the ship if he was alive or a black sail if he had been slain; the crew forgot to change the sail to white on their return home and King Aegeus threw himself off the cliff.
• The earliest literary reference to Sounion is in Homer's Odyssey, composed in the 8th century B.C. This recounts the mythical tribulations suffered by Greek hero, Odysseus, in a gruelling 10-year sea-voyage to return to his native island, Ithaca, after the sack of Troy. This ordeal was supposedly inflicted upon him by Poseidon, to whom the temple at Sounion was dedicated.

History

• Originally there stood an Archaic temple in its place, which was destroyed probably during the Persian Wars. Today, what stands is the columns from the later temple that was built in ca. 440 BC, and contemporaneous to the Parthenon on the Acropolis and the Temple of Hephaistos in the Athenian Agora. In 413 B.C., during the Peloponnesian War against the Spartans, the Athenians fortified the site with a wall and towers, to prevent it from falling into Spartan hands.
• In a maritime country like Greece, Poseidon, the god of the sea, was considered second only to Zeus, his brother. His implacable wrath, manifested in the form of storms, was greatly feared by all mariners. In an age without mechanical power, storms very frequently resulted in shipwrecks and drownings. The temple at Sounion, therefore, was where mariners, and also entire cities or states, could propitiate Poseidon, by making animal sacrifice or leaving him gifts.
• As with all Greek temples, the Poseidon building was rectangular, with a colonnade on all four sides. The total number of original columns was 42: 18 columns still stand today. The columns are of the Doric Order and are made of white marble. They were 20 ft high, with a diameter of 3.1 ft at the base and 31 inches at the top. Inside the temple was a colossal bronze statue of Poseidon.
• The site was excavated in 1906 and the artefacts are now housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

The Temple of Poseidon in popular culture

• The famous English Romanticism poet, Lord Byron, was said to have carved his name onto the base of one of the columns at this temple. The date of this was possibly from his first visit to Greece, on his grand tour of Europe, before he acquired fame. Byron spent several months in 1810-11 in Athens, including two documented visits to Sounion. There is, however, no direct evidence that the inscription was made by Byron himself.
• Byron mentions Sounion in his poem Don Juan:
  Place me on Sunium's marbled steep,
  Where nothing, save the waves and I,
  May hear our mutual murmurs sweep...
• The temple was featured in the 1981 (Gosh-the year I was born!) movie, Clash of the Titans.

Our Outing

• We began by boarding a comfy and fancy Mercedes Benz tour bus that took us to the site for 5.60 euros. We started off by eating a lovely meal of kalamari, Greek salad, and bread at the restaurant that sits just at the entrance of the site. This is a family owned restaurant that has been there for 70 years and I imagine makes tons of money for it is the only one there.
• The site was incredible, much less to see than the Acropolis of course, since there is only one temple but nonetheless still a pleasure. My sis and I took countless pictures of the temple and the great backdrop scenery of the Aegean Sea. As my sister encircled the temple twice, determined to find Lord Byron's insription, I sat and stared out at the sea. It was a beautiful sunny day, as always, and the breeze was delightful.
• After that, we headed down to the rocky, secluded beach which was visited only by the daring and the locals. It was a great place to sunbathe - indeed, we saw an old man sunbathing naked (yes everything hanging and freshly shaved) for us to see. Picture a super tanned Billy Bob Thornton. My sister laughed as I snapped away (Enjoy the pic). This guy and three other ladies were the only ones there, and I soon realized why. The water, although crystal clear, was rocky. Scared that I would slip and scrape my legs or hurt my head, I insisted my daredevil sister to make it to the other side, the sandy tourist beach beside the hotel. There, we swam just as the afternoon sun was ready to set. It was a beautiful day trip that I would definitely do again.

Sisterly Shenanigans -Site Seeing in and around Athens

ME AT THE TEMPLE OF OLYMPIAN ZEUS.

SHOPPING ON ERMOU STREET, THE SHOPPING DISTRICT.

POSING AT THE ERECHTHEUM TEMPLE.

MY SISTER, SARAH

ME AT HADRIAN'S LIBRARY

ME AT THE THEATRE OF DIONYSUS

SARE BEAR AND I AT THE PARTHENON

ME STANDING AT THE ODEON OF HERODES ATTICUS, WITH VIEW OF THE PARTHENON.

Since my sister has arrived to Athens this past weekend, I have upped the ante on my site-seeing and living the Med life. On Monday, we visited the Acropolis, Hadrian's Arch, Theatre of Dionysus, and Temple of Zeus. On Tuesday, we visited the Temple of Hephaistos, the Ancient Agora, the Agora Museum, and Hadrian's Library. On Wednesday, we visited the National Archaeological Museum and saw an orchestra concert at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (2nd c. AD theatre). It has been so much fun taking in the history and culture of Greece as grown ups and we laugh when we think back to the photos of us as kids with the bored looks on our face. Now, we actually appreciate what we are seeing and we can actually understand the vivid stories that are associated with these ancient ruins.

I also can't deny that I love my sister's enthusiasm for taking photos, sometimes dramatic (like when she pretended to be in a drama play at the Theatre of Dionysus before being yelled at by the strict guards who said 'No posing!') or her directions to me about posing beautifully with the columns and ruins 'Lou! Think water nymph..show me your glory...bask in the sunlight!" LOL...Yes, we have this joke that we are at a photoshoot amidst these ancient ruins. It's quite fun being with my older sis, being silly, and enjoying all of the sites all over again. Since she has been here for four days, we have also eaten out a lot at traditional Greek tavernas.

Tomorrow, we are going to Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon, which sits on the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea. On Saturday, we are visiting Sparta and Mystras. But for now, I will leave you with some pics from the Athens site-seeing.

Blog Assignment #3- To Change or Not to Change

The first week I was here, I was cautious. I would bite my tongue before I yelled at a rude gawking male smiling and calling out sleazeball comments to me and I would be passive to that obnoxious lady who pushed me on the Metro. Seven and a half weeks later, I have become just as rude, oblivious, pushy, and fast-paced. I dress quite casual at work, yet dressy when I am out. Let me explain....

-I don't know about you but I can feel it if I step on someone's feet, elbow them, or hit them with my bag by accident. I know it's crowded in Athens and people have to get to places, but I have really become bothered at the fact that people here do not say sorry when they do these things to you! At first I would constantly say "Signomi" (sorry or excuse me in Greek) but now I wait to see if they say it first. If not, then I play the same game they do - the 'I-am-oblivious-to-the-fact-that-I just-elbowed-you-in-the-gut-game.'

-I was fearful and weary of jaywalking especially when the cars are coming at you at a fast speed, but I feel rather stupid whem I am the only one left standing on that sidewalk waiting for the light to change. It's as if I was the one doing the wrong thing....So now, I am at the front of the crowd leading the jaywalk.

-Now that I am used to the Metro system, I have become part of the hustle and bustle. I walk really fast with the crowd when I get off and on trains, otherwise I will get trampled like all the newbies.

-In terms of the sleazy looks and comments I get from the guys here I have departed from my passive and cautious self. I am tired of them associating me with either "the filipino nanny maid who is on her day off" or with their sick asian fetish fantasies. I get catcalls and looks all the time. The mailman from three weeks ago was following me during his work delivery - zig zagging on the pavement with his scooter and smiling and yelling things at me. I turned around angrily and said "What the (beep) are you looking at?" He drove off scared. When I get this kind of behaviour from perverted men, I give them the finger and the look. (Sorry Larissa and Natasha but this is the nitty gritty truth!)

-In terms of clothing, I usually start work 10 minutes after I get up. Since my apartment is attached to my office, I can literally wake up, wash my face, brush my teeth, use the washroom, and be at work. I have to admit I have adopted my boss' casual dress of shorts and t-shirts so I have put away my dressier work tops and business skirts (back in Toronto, my work has an office dresscode, where I wear heels, pencil skirts, silk tops, and pantyhose for the winter) Here, I wear flip flops, tank tops, and shorts. However, to keep up with all the fashionable Greek ladies, I have been wearing dresses more often when I go out, even if I am just going shopping or to the grocery store. I also find the flowy dresses are much better for the heat.

So I think, that I have changed in order to survive. I love Greece but I miss the orderly line ups, the politeness, and the space that I am used to in Canada. I just remembered that the other day I was pleased to see that there was an actual lineup at a store; I was the next one in line but when the cashier said NEXT PLEASE! for some reason, some guy behind me just went ahead of me! They also don't know what it means to have space here. In another situation, one lady looked at me angrily and told me to move as she put her stuff on the counter to pay...the cashier had not even finished ringing in my purchase. And at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (a 2nd c. AD theatre that still has performances to this day), a lady was pushing me as we were walking to our seats, to the point that I almost tripped. They love to inch up on you here and at times I feel like I have a Siamese twin-not cool! These are the things that really bother me about Greeks' behaviour and I think that I have to just conform to them and not let it bother me! Let's just hope that I can conform back once I return to Toronto in 3 weeks!

38 degrees and sunny

It is so hot here!!! Today, at 7pm when I left the museum, it was still a scorcher. Despite the heat, I decided to take a walk on Ermou Street (shopping district) right off of Syntagma Square(center of Athens)....and what did I see? Two cute dogs taking a fun splash in the fountain! The white dog was so happy splashing around and enjoying the oohs and aahs he was getting from the passers-by. He reminded me of Marley in the movie, Marley and Me. He was just so full of life. What a simple and happy life these homeless dogs live! Meanwhile, the younger black dog watched on the side, eager to join in the fun but a bit timid to jump in....Cute dogs!

Feverishly doing homework....

Me on the 3rd floor, the Parthenon Gallery.

So I realized that I have been M.I.A. for a couple weeks on here so I decided to update you guys on what I have been doing. Last week I went to 3 beaches (Yabanaki, Kalamaki, and Voulameni), all about 1 to 2 hrs away from Athens by bus. It was sooo worth the long bus ride and I had so much fun swimming. I was like a fish taking in the waves and then cooling off on my nice sunbed. The view of the mountains in the background was fantastic and the soft sand beneath my feet was so pleasing.

After a week of that, I came to the realization that my time here was drawing to an end!!!! I have only a month left before I head back home. The internship part is great, I have catalogued so many boxes and boxes of slides, but it's my research that I needed to really focus on. Part of me coming here to Greece, was to do research on the New Acropolis Museum, which opened on June 21, for my MRP (major research paper). Before I had left, I had promised my supervisor that this experience would be vital in my research, for I had unlimited access to the museum, the Acropolis itself, and the libraries here. I also told them that I would interview key figures on staff that were responsible for the construction of the museum. It was in fact a promising proposal that I submitted to my department and I suddenly panicked thinking I hadn't done much really.

So that's when I decided to feverishly start doing research. For the last couple of weeks, I have made it to the American School Library here in Athens which is said to have been the best resource centre worldwide for the study of Ancient Greece Antiquities. Indeed, it was tough to get in - I had to get a Letter of Introduction, passport pics, and proof of my grad student status, in order to gain a library card. In the last week, I have upped the ante by visiting the library more often and alternating days with visits to the museum. To compensate for me not doing interviews with the museum staff, I have drawn endless diagrams, made observations, and sat in the galleries at the museum. I am quite please to say that I have written 20 pages in the last 2 weeks. Today, I dropped off the Letters of Introduction at the front desk of the museum, each addressed to the curators, archaeologists, and president of the museum. I hope before I leave in a month's time, I would have had the chance to speak to one of them....My professors back on campus are rooting for me to get published so this is a big pressure on me to do well in my MRP.

Attached are a few pics, I didn't want to add too many pics as I will be using them for my paper.