Mission of the exhibition
This project stems from the wonderful wooden scale model of the Temple of Aphaia made by Jeanne E. Quinn (OC '88). Professor Christopher Trinacty and his team of students and staff wanted to contextualize the model within the larger world of Greek history, mythology, art and architecture, and the environment of the island of Aegina. This website accompanies the exhibition at the Oberlin College Terrell Main Library (Sept. 1 - Oct. 15, 2022).
Upcoming Events
Sept. 1st: Exhibition opens! Come on by and learn more about the island of Aegina and the Temple of Aphaia.
Sept. 21 (2:30-3:30 p.m.): Workshop by Jeanne Quinn (University of Colorado) about the model: open to the public!
Sept. 21 (5:00 - 7:00 p.m.): Opening reception with Greek food, drinks, and music. Opa!
Dec. 5 (4:30 p.m.): Lecture by Zoe Kontes, "Plundering Antiquity: How Aegina Lost Her Marbles" (Kenyon College) about cultural property, archaeological ethics, and looting.
Aegina has a rich history and was a major player in the ancient Aegean from the Mycenaean to the Classical period.
The people of Aegina traced its foundation to Zeus and the nymph Aegina. Their son, Aiakos, founded a line of heroes including Ajax and Achilles and he himself is the subject of a number of interesting myths.
The sculpture of the temple has both Archaic and Classical sympathies. The temple itself is an incredible example of Doric architecture and its rediscovery was a revelation.
If you are interested in seeing what the site looks like today, we have made a video that provides a tour of the site and explains aspects of the cult of Aphaia, the sanctuary buildings, and the remains of the temple.
A discussion with the artist, Jeanne Quinn, about the model, its creation as part of a Winter Term project, and the importance of learning by doing.
The island itself is arid, but pistachio trees abound and other sites of interest help us to understand the people of ancient Aegina, the temple of Aphaia, and life on a Greek island. Here one can see Mt. Oros in the background, an importance site for worshipping Zeus in the Classical period.
View of the Temple of Aphaia by Shuran Zhu (OC '24).
Questions?
Contact Christopher Trinacty (ctrinact@oberlin.edu).
Credits
This exhibition would have been impossible without the support of the Cooper Fund for Faculty Research, the Digital Imaging Lab at the Terrell Main Library (Heath Patten), and the Cooper Language Lab (Abe Reshad). Funding was provided by the the Classics Department, the Maxmin Classics Department Faculty Support Fund, and the Cooper Classics Faculty Support Fund. Speakers are being funded by the Martin Classical Lectures Fund.