l’École d’été en Grèce de l’ICG (#2)

Malgré la première semaine de l’École d’été tire déjà à sa fin, l’excitation des étudiants est toujours bien présente!

With the first week of the Summer School come and gone, the students' excitement surrounding the trip has not died down.

Au cours de la dernière semaine, les étudiants ont eu la chance de découvrir tout ce qu’a à offrir Athènes, que ce soit boutiques, quartiers ou restaurants modernes, ou vestiges antiques! Présentant notamment les différents sites archéologiques, les cours à l’Institut canadien ont brillamment su complémenter ces visites. Évidemment, les étudiants ont été époustouflés par la visite de la célèbre Acropole et de son musée. Cela n’enlève cependant rien à l’Agora, et au musée national d’archéologie qui ont également été très apprécié des participants.

The second week has seen the students travelling all over Athens, discovering the heart of both the modern and ancient city. The many different archeological sites and museums have been explored and complemented by lectures given in the classrooms of the Canadian Institute. The magnificent Acropolis and its museum was the first site visited, and it evidently blew the students away. This, of course, did not take away from the other visits, such as the Athenian Agora or the National Archeological Museum, where the students looked at the buildings and artifacts equally wide-eyed.

À la fin de la première semaine, groupes 1 et 2 se sont réunis pour se rendre à l’île d’Égine, où ils ont eu la chance de visiter le magnifique temple d’Aphaïa. Malgré le temps venteux, personne ne s’est envolé et tous ont pu se rendre à la taverne « Tsias » où ils ont pu déguster un lunch avec vue sur le port. Avant le retour vers Athènes, certains en ont profité pour visiter le temple d’Apollon, alors que d’autres ont préféré goûter à la fameuse crème glacée à la pistache, ou encore se détendre au soleil sur la plage.

Toward the end of the week, a ferry ride brought both groups of students to the Island of Aegina, where they had the chance to visit the magnificent temple of Aphaia. To complement the experience, both francophone groups ate together at 'Tsias' taverna before leaving to discover the port town. Some students discovered their love of pistachio ice cream. In contrast, others explored and found the temple of Apollo and its surrounding settlement and fortification walls, or the beach where they relaxed in the sun.

Cette réunion des groupes fût de courte durée puisque le groupe 2 quitte déjà pour le Péloponnèse! L’horaire est chargé, mais très prometteur! Dès le premier jour, les participants ont eu la chance de visiter de l’isthme et le site archéologique de Corinthe, ainsi que le sanctuaire d’Asklépios à Épidaure. La dernière visite de la journée, Nafplio, a été l’occasion pour certains de gravir les quelques 900 marches vers la forteresse de Palamidi et d’apprécier la vue imprenable qu’on y a du golfe Argolique. Après cette ascension, la gelato fut bien méritée! Dans les prochains jours, les étudiants auront le plaisir de continuer leur découverte des paysages montagneux et verdoyants du Péloponnèse, ainsi que de ses riches vestiges, antiques et médiévaux.

This week also saw the split of the Francophone groups, with the second group leaving for the Peloponnese early in the morning. Their first day on the road was a busy one but very fruitful! First, the participants visited the Corinth Canal, followed by the site of ancient Corinth. Then, after a short lunch, they sat in the Theatre of Epidaurus set inside the sanctuary of Asclepius, where they explored the extraordinary acoustics. Afterwards, the last visit of the day saw the brave participants climbing the 900 steps to the fortress of Palamidi in the romantic town of Nafplion with an impeccable view of the Argolid Gulf. The famous gelato of Nafplion then rewarded their success. Within the next few days, the group will witness various mountain and seaside views across the Peloponnese and its rich ancient, medieval, and modern sights.

Bien que le groupe 1 amorce son voyage dans le Péloponnèse quelques jours plus tard, leur programme n’en est pas moins intéressant! Les cours portant sur les sanctuaires et sur les temples se sont révélés plus que pertinents, avec la visite du sanctuaire d’Artémis à Brauron. Après une pause-dîner, le groupe s’est rendu au temple de Poséidon au Cap Sounion pour notamment y apprécier l’incroyable vue.

Although the first group left later in the week, it did not mean they have been less busy. The courses given to the students on sanctuaries and temples have come in handy with their visit to the sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron and its fantastic museum. After a fabulous lunch, the students were in awe at the temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion and its incredible view.

L’École d’été est loin d’être terminée! Les étudiants ayant grandement profité des visites, des cours et des payages grecs, leur engouement pour la suite du programme est palpable!

The trip is far from over, and the students are eagerly absorbing the courses, cities and culture of both modern and ancient Greece with the beautiful scenery accompanying them wherever they go.

l’École d’été en Grèce de l’ICG (#1)

La seconde édition de l’École d’été en Grèce de l’ICG est officiellement lancée et encore plus prometteur que l’année dernière!

The second edition of the CIG’s Summer School has officially launched and is even more promising than last year!

Du 30 avril au 10 juin 2023, un total 115 étudiants issus d’universités à travers le Canada, et divisés en deux groupes francophones et un groupe anglophone, viendront séjourner pendant trois semaines à Athènes , en Attique et dans le Péloponnèse, afin d’y découvrir l’histoire et l’archéologie la Grèce antique.

From the 30^th of April to the 10^th of June, a total of 115 students from universities across Canada, divided into three groups, two francophone and one anglophone, will travel around Athens and elsewhere to discover the history and archeology of Ancient Greece!

Au programme: une série de cours donnés dans les locaux de l’Institut Canadien en Grèce, et visite des riches sites et musées archéologiques d’Athènes et de la région de l’Attique, tels que le Musée national d’archéologie d’Athènes, le sanctuaire de Delphes, l’Acropole d’Athènes et le fabuleux site du sanctuaire de Poséidon au Cap Sounion. Les étudiants auront également la chance de voyager une semaine dans le Péloponnèse afin d’aller y visiter les vestiges de plusieurs célèbres sites archéologiques de la région. Parmi ceux-ci: le sanctuaire d’Asclépios à Épidaure, Olympie, Corinthe et Mycènes, pour n’en nommer que quelques-uns.

The program consists of a series of courses given in the classrooms of the Canadian Institute in Greece and visits to sites and museums in Athens and elsewhere in Attica, such as the National Archeological Museum, the Sanctuary of Delphi, the Acropolis of Athens, and the fabulous Sanctuary of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. The students also have the chance to travel for a little over a week to the Peloponnese, where they will visit other famous sites. These sites include the Sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus, Olympia, Corinth, and Mycenae, to name a few. 

Le premier lundi, nous avons eu la chance de lancer le programme avec les deux groupes francophones à l’occasion d’un souper de mezzés à la taverne Κληματαριά. Cette rencontre avec les étudiants, tous impatients de s’immerger dans la culture et l’histoire grecques, laisse déjà la promesse d’un été qui dépassera les hautes attentes qu’a laissé le succès de l’année dernière!

The first Monday was the official launching of both francophone summer school programs. We celebrated with a fantastic supper at the Taverna Κληματαριά. Both groups seem very enthusiastic to be immersed in Greek culture and history, giving us the confidence to say that this year will surpass the success of last year!

Nous vous invitons à suivre cette aventure avec nous, grâce aux nouvelles que nous vous en donnerons!

Updates will be posted, so feel free to follow our journey!

À bientôt! - Until next time!

Reflections on My Year at the Canadian Institute in Greece

View from Stelida, Naxos, during my visit in February

As I reflect on my year as the Homer and Dorothy Thompson Fellow at the Canadian Institute in Greece, I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities and experiences I’ve had.

To begin, this year has been invaluable for my dissertation research. Spending time in the various libraries of Athens and accessing books and documents that are not available to me at home has been excellent and has allowed me to make fantastic progress with my research. As a bit of a recap, my PhD research examines narrative approaches to writing prehistory, and I am using three main themes (raw material extraction, visibility and communication, and marginality) to explore the 200,000 years of history at Stelida, Naxos. While most of my primary research has focused on the Palaeolithic, Bronze Age, and modern periods of Stelida, my findings in the Gennadius library this year have led me to Byzantine Naxos and the potential use of a communication tower on Stelida during that period.

 

Presenting my talk at the CIG’s lecture series

In March, I had the opportunity to present my work as part of the CIG’s spring lecture program. This was also my first in-person talk since before the pandemic, so to say I was nervous was a bit of an understatement! However, the support from the community of classicists and archaeologists that I met during my year at the Canadian Institute who came to watch my talk made the nerves worth it. I will be forever appreciative of the connections I made this year.

 

Franchthi Cave

I also tried to make the most of my time in Greece by doing a little bit of travelling. I managed a quick trip to Rome (my first time there) and lots of travelling within Greece. By far, one of my favourite trips was my stay in Nafplio – a coastal city in the Peloponnese and the first capital of Greece. In addition to wandering the beautiful streets and seafront promenade, I used Nafplio as my base to drive down to the archaeological site of Franchthi Cave. This site has been on my bucket list since I began working in Greece. After a hike of 500m from the car park and lots of scrambling over boulders, you come to the cave's entrance. What makes the site so interesting is its essentially unbroken series of deposits from the Upper Palaeolithic (c. 20,000 BC) to about 3000 BC, making it the longest continuous occupation sequence at a site in Greece.

Shannon with the Institute's fall interns Aaron and Sarah

In addition to my research, I also enjoyed participating in all of the events hosted by the Canadian Institute this year. From art shows to movie nights and lectures, I really enjoyed being part of the community at the CIG. I will miss the weekly Tuesday meetups at the Red Lion Pub. While in my last blog post, I said I was “perfecting” my dart throwing, I think it’s safe to say I still need some practice before that’s achieved – and I’m looking forward to my next Tuesday in Athens. But until then, I am heading to Naxos for another summer of research with the Stelida Naxos Archaeological Project.

Shannon Crewson
Homer and Dorothy Thompson Fellow 2022-2023

Welcome, Alyana!

Earlier this month we welcomed Alyana Borras to the Institute for a three-month internship. Alyana is the eighteenth student intern that the Institute has hosted from York University; she is a third-year undergraduate majoring in Communications and Media Studies.

Through her program, Alyana has gained valuable information on how social media has become an important tool in connecting with various organizations and diversifying audiences. Thus, she will practice her skills in media by managing the institute’s social platforms to reach new audiences and spread awareness in order for the Canadian Institute in Greece to gain a strong online presence, while also learning about Greek culture and history.

 

With this opportunity, Alyana aspires to gain insightful knowledge and information that will further help her academics and career through this internship. After graduating, she is interested in continuing her studies in Communications and Media at graduate level.

 

Jonathan Tomlinson
Assistant Director