Perpetual Palimpsests: Greek Sites and the Flow of Identities.
Greece is an ancient land, with many cultural layers. When we visit its sites, we will consider not only the remains that we can see from a single period, but we will also try to envisage the different outlooks and identities of the people who used these places over the centuries.
For example, Athenians began building the Parthenon during the early democracy. After the Persian invasion destroyed the unfinished building, it was begun anew in Athens’ ‘Golden Age’, and made into a showpiece of Athenian imperial power, with a gold and ivory statue of Athena, and a sculptural depiction of its citizens taking part in a religious precession. To glorify their own accomplishments, both Alexander the Great and the Roman Emperor Nero left their marks on the building. In Byzantine times, it became an Orthodox cathedral. To suit their own religious requirements, the Christians modified the building. When the Crusaders took the city, it became a Catholic cathedral, with the addition of a bell tower. When the Muslim Turks controlled the acropolis, they made the building into a mosque, and converted the bell tower into a minaret for the call to prayer. They also used the building to store their gunpowder, which would have catastrophic consequences. After Greece’s War of Independence in the early 19th century, the new Greek state purged the building of everything that they thought detracted from the 5th century classical original. The Parthenon is still being restored, and has become both a construction site and a tourist destination, as well a national symbol. There is still debate about its future: What are the best ways to preserve the structure in the face of the challenges of air pollution, earthquakes, and the press of millions of eager visitors from all lands?
We will attempt to apply the same kind of diachronic interpretation to whatever sites we visit, whenever we can. Student reports will incorporate the idea of the ‘perpetual palimpsest and the flow of identities’ whenever possible. In this way, we will see the evolution of every site, and appreciate the uninterrupted flow of history.
Here are some questions to consider when thinking about Identity. Maybe you can think of more.
Who were they? [What do we call them?]
What did they call themselves?
Where were they from?
What language did they speak?
What script did they use?
What religion did they practice?
How did they govern themselves?