The Director’s Canadian Lecture Tour

The lecture at Brock University

I have just returned on Thursday afternoon from my lecture tour in Ontario and Quebec. I drove over 2,000 km in 10 days going from Waterloo to Montreal, from St. Catharines to Peterborough, and many places in between. The purpose of this trip was to share with Canadian audiences the important and varied archaeological accomplishments of the Institute’s permit holders since 1980. My lecture was entitled, “Canadians Take the Field Throughout Greece. Over Three Decades of Archaeological Discoveries by the Canadian Institute in Greece.” I gave an overview of the Institute’s history, mission, membership and varied activities. The focus was on the characteristics and the purposes of fieldwork executed under the aegis of the Institute. To illustrate these trends and innovative research, I highlighted the goals and the results of our four current projects, in Naxos, Boeotia, Thessaly and Macedonia. I concluded with the many ways that Canadians can learn about us and what we are doing on a regular basis through the Internet and social media.

This lecture tour was the inspired idea of the Canadian Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic, Robert W. Peck, to conclude the yearlong celebration of the 70th anniversary of the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between Canada and Greece. Zografia Welch of The Board of Directors of CIG organized the tour in an exemplary fashion.

Trent University: Drs Ian Begg, Thomas Symons and David Rupp

I started in Toronto on the 24th where the Archaeology Centre of the University of Toronto was my host. On the 25th the Department of Classics at McMaster University sponsored my lecture. In Ottawa on the 26th the local society of the AIA and the Parnassos Hellenic Cultural Society welcomed me warmly. In Montreal on the 27th the McNaughton Chair of Classics in the Department of History and Classical Studies and the Papachristides Chair in Modern Greek Studies at McGill University organized the event. On the 29th at Brock University in St. Catharines my old Department of Classics and the local society of the AIA were my hosts. On the 30th in Peterborough the Trent University Archaeological Society invited me to give the lecture. Finally, in Waterloo on October 1st the Department of Classical Studies of the University of Waterloo and the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University sponsored the lecture.

Ottawa lecture: David Rupp, Laura Gagne, Heather Loube and Eleftherios Angelopoulos

The audiences were enthusiastic about what we have achieved in such a short period of time and what we offer both to Canada and to Greece. There were undergraduate and graduate students, professors, CIG members and interested lay people in attendance at each lecture. It was a treat to see the members of the Board of Directors, old colleagues and researchers, former CIG Fellows and interns as well as to meet new individuals. I was honored that the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to Canada, the Honorable Mr. Eleftherios Angelopoulos, came to my lecture in Ottawa. At Trent University the founding President of the University, Dr. Thomas H.B. Symons, introduced me.

Waterloo lecture: David Rupp with former CIG intern Alisha Adams

Although the experience was exhausting I believe that I was able to heighten the level of awareness of CIG and its field projects at these venues and that this will translate into more active support of our work in the coming years. New individual and institutional members were invited to join the Institute and members to renew their membership. Such lecture tours which include as well the Maritimes, the Prairies and British Columbia should be done by the Director on a regular, rotating schedule.

Jonathan and I look forward to seeing in Athens at the Institute, sooner rather than later, the people I met along the way!

Cordially,
David Rupp
Director