Athens Day One

          After some much needed relaxing in Marmaris, Turkey and Rhodes, Greece, it seemed like a long travel day to Athens, even though it was probably our shortest one. Although I have been getting accustomed to the smaller, remote cities of Turkey like Assos and Pamukkale, I do enjoy the metropolitan area of Athens. Although it is more modernized today and has lost some of it's historical buildings and neoclassical styles, it is still steeped in rich ancient culture and history.  

           We visited Mars Hill that looked honestly just like a huge rock, but it's history of justice makes it fascinating. In classical times, Mars hill was known as the Areopagus and functioned as the chief homicide court of Athens. The name Areopagus is derived from the myth that Ares or Mars, the god of War, was tried here by the gods for the murder of Alirrothios, Poseidon's mortal son. This is an interesting case because it demonstrates that even the god's are subjected to the justice system and do not have free will to do whatever they want. 

           Another legend claims that the trial of Orestes for killing his mother and lover, Clytaemenstra and Aegisthus, took place on Mar's Hill. In our readings of Aeschylus, Orestes flees Mycenae to take refuge in Athena's temple. There she administers justice by demonstrating the athenian trial system with twelve jurors. Her tie-breaking vote for Orestes' sets him free and she appeals to the Furies by giving them a place of glory in Athens. Considering that Mar's Hill just below the acropolis where Athena's glorious temple was built, it would be logical that the trial took place on this location. 

           It is also said that Paul, one of the twelve Apostles, delivered his speech about "the Unknown God," on the Areopagus. Paul noted that the Athenians were very religious and had many objects of worship and alters. One in particular that he noticed had an inscription "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD," he was there to proclaim the unknown God to them. The Athenians were interested and brought him to Mar's Hill to learn about the strange ideas that Paul was teaching. Although some rebuked his claims, others believed in the resurrection of Jesus and became believers and followers. 

           We then walked around the ancient agora, although back in antiquity women were not permitted in this area. Public meetings such as those to discuss ostracism were held in the agora. The jury ballot was an intriguing system where people would put their name in a slot and there would be coordinating red and white balls on each row. Then whichever row had the white ball drop were the jury for that particular case. The process of picking the assembly (i think it's called) was also systematic. There were 10 provinces and each would pick 50 men to go to the agora and vote and give their opinions about the state of affairs for 36 days. Boys went to the agora to learn how to be good Athenian men. They learned the qualities of leadership, rhetoric, and heroism. 

Free Day in Marmaris

          Aeschylus in the Oresteia, an ancient Greek trilogy, about the murder of Agamemnon by his wife, Clytaemnestra, Orestes' avenging his father, and then the trial Orestes faces after the murder of his mother. Aeschylus uses the play to explore the concept of justice and how it should be served. 

          The Furies, ancient deities, are goddesses of revenge and Clytaemnestra urges them to vindicate her by punishing her son that killed her. She states, "I go stripped of honor, thanks to you, alone among the dead. And for those I killed and the charged of the dead will never cease, never- I wander in disgrace, I feel the guilt, I tell you withering fueled from all the outraged dead (Line 100, Eumenides)." Without justice for her death, Clytaemnestra may never rest peacefully in Hades, which is why revenge has no end.

          "It is the law: when the blood of slaughter wets the ground it wants more blood (Line 393 Agamemnon)," said the chorus of old men who Aeschylus uses to elaborate more on the central themes of the play. The house of Argos has been plagued with vengeance. Aegisthus holds a grudge against Atreus, Agamemnon's father, for dishonoring his father, Thyestes, who is also Atreus' brother. Long ago, Thyestes was exiled from Argos for challenging Atreus for the crown but then was fooled into coming back home and feasting on his children's flesh. Clytamenestra was angry with Agamemnon for sacrificing their daughter, Iphigeneia, for favorable winds to Troy. Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra both wanted Agamemnon's blood spilled for different reasons but needed each other to accomplish it. Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytamenestra, is outraged at his mother's actions because his father died dishonorably, his birthright was taken away, he was driven to exile, and his sister was treated as a slave. To be an avenger is to tip to scales of justice back and forth, but to be a judge is to administer proper justice and level the scales. 

          Athena, the goddess of wisdom, aids the situation by demonstrating a legal system that judges fairly with an impartial jury, which is very similar to today's trial by jury. The prosecutor, the Furies, and the defense, Orestes and Apollo, the god of prophets, both get to present their case to the jury and hope that they find them in the right. 

          The arguments for both sides were very interesting because it unraveled the societal importance of males and females. Which act of murder was more impious? The Furies argued that Orestes had killed his mother who shares the same blood and nursed him as a child. Conversely, Apollo states that the relationship between husband and wife is more sacred and is blessed by the highest goddess herself, Hera. Apollo, in addition, does not believe that a woman is a parent but a field the seed is planted and grown in and the father is the source of life. Athena is a prime example of how the mother is unnecessary in the conception of a child because she was sprung from the mind of Zeus. The Furies found hypocrisy in Apollo's argument on how patriarchy was more important because Zeus himself overthrew his father, Cronus, in order to rule. However, Apollo counteracted the statement by explaining that Zeus did not spill his own father's blood but merely suppressed his authority by caging him with the other titans. The Furies are enraged with the double standards Apollo is claiming; Orestes can avenge his father, but Clytaemnestra cannot avenge her daughter. Clytaemnestra states after she had murdered Agamemnon, "but he sacrificed his own child, our daughter, the agony I labored into love to charm away the savage winds of Thrace. Didn't the law demand you banish him? - hunt him from the land for all his guilt? But now you witness what I've done and you are ruthless judges (Lines 1441 Agamemnon)." 

          The jury found both arguments equally compelling and it was an even six votes for each. Athena's vote for Orestes' breaks it and he is released from his guilt and punishment. The Furies threaten Athens with torment and darkness for their injustice. Mainly, they are upset with the Athena and Apollo, the new Olympian gods that have ridden their ancient powers. The newest generations of gods are turning the old world order upside down and the Furies' pride is injured. 

          Athena finds a solution to the Furies' anger by offering them a equal rule in Athens. She wants to them to have an important role in the Athenian lives and be glorified for their good deeds. Their names would be changed to Eumenides, the Benevolent Ones, and they would be worshipped as goddesses of light instead of feared goddesses of the night. This pleases the ancient deities because their role in the world is not lost with the new generation, but incorporated to make it better. 

          Aeschylus through a captivating plot line and eloquent language glorifies the Athenian legal system of administering justice. Instead of the violent act of revenge that is ceaseless, the trial presented a fair and effective way of appeasing everyone. Orestes' restored the house of Argos and his proper place on the throne and the Furies found their new role in the world.  

Miletus

          Miletus was captivating, not only because of the adorable puppies running around, but because it really made me reflect on the revolution of ancient philosophy and education. Miletus is considered the origin of Greek philosophy because in the 6th century Thales, followed by Anaximander and Anaximines began to speculate about the world in a scientific way versus the traditional or supernatural explanations at the time. 

         My philosophical studies have only dated back to Socrates so it was really eye-opening to hear about the pre-socratic studies. In the early centuries, studying was more interdisciplinary like the BIC program! Thales is not only considered as the first philosopher in Greek tradition, but a business man, politician, sage, and mathematician. 

         Stories are told that Thales bought all the olive presses in Miletus after predicting the weather and good harvest for that particular year. He became very wealthy, but stated later that he wanted to demonstrate how intelligence can enrich your life. 

         Thales is considered the first true mathematician. He was the first to use deductive reasoning applied to geometry, by deriving Thales Theorem. In addition, he used geometry to solve common problems such as calculating the height of pyramids and the distance of the ships to the shore. 

         The idea of intelligence being all-encompassing has faded in time. Especially today we see more specialists like podiatrist (foot doctor), cardiologist (heart doctor), or a oncologist (cancer doctor). Those are only a few of the several types of medical specialists. There are even beauty specialists today like facialists, manicurists, and hair stylists when not so long ago one person was able to do all of these things. 

         Specialization could be attributed to the advances in research and technology hat has occurred recently. It might not be possible for one person to obtain all the knowledge about several different subjects. However, I do think it's important that we study other fields to enhance our intellectual capacity and overall well-being. 

         Thales was able to improve his business skills by using his scientific inquiries and his mathematical comprehension helped him solve everyday problems. Different kinds of reason and wisdom aids in all aspects of life. I think that's why I enjoy BIC so much because you can see the big picture of why we study various subjects. Some people may complain that religion, math, or biology is not in their major, but the skills you acquire in these classes help those in my major. For example, the reasoning and logic behind calculus help me in rhetoric and memorization in biology help me in religion. Also, I enjoy seeing the connection in all these subjects. I always joke about how I have come full circle when I find the relationship between two completely different studies, but it really is an inspiring revelation. 

         Even social skills and physical abilities complement a well rounded life. A common Greek saying is "Mens sana in corpore sano," which means a sound mind in a healthy body. The Greeks not only celebrated intellect, but honored the gods with olympic games featuring their athletic prowess. For example, in The Sea, The Sea when they finally reached the ocean, they celebrated with some games on top of the mountain like javelin throwing, chariot racing, and running. 

Virgin Mary's House

           We first toured what was considered to be the last home of the Virgin Mary, that is nestled in the mountains outside of Ephesus. A couple students in our group voiced that they did not truly believe that this was in fact the house of the Virgin Mary because the discovery of it seemed questionable. Supposedly in the 19th Century a nun from Germany named Anna Catherine Emmerich had visions that described with amazing accuracy the hills of Ephesus and the house where she saw the Virgin Mary spending her last years. Accordingly, two scientific expeditions were organized, and they found this house to match her visions accordingly. 

           Historically two pieces of evidence can support this theory. Firstly, in the "Acts of the Apostles," they assigned to each apostle a different sect of the world to preach the Gospel, and St. John was given Asia Minor. In his Gospel, he tells us that Jesus, before dying on the Cross, entrusted to him the care of His Mother when He said, "Here is your Mother." St. John's tomb was later discovered in Ephesus and with the ongoing persecutions and his assignment to Asia Minor, it would make sense that St. John would bring Mary to Ephesus with him. 

           The second supporting argument that this indeed was the Virgin Mary's house is that the first Basilica of the world that was dedicated to her was found in Ephesus. In the early days of the Church, places of worship were only dedicated to people who had lived or died in that location. In addition, the Ecumenical Council of 431 was held in Ephesus in this Basilica in order to define the dogma of the Divine Motherhood of Mary. Another confirmation is the oral tradition of the Villagers of Kirkindje, who are the descendants of the christians of Ephesus. They full-heartedly believe that the death of Mary occurred in that house, which they call Panaghia Kapulu. On August 15th, the Villagers of Kirkindje make an annual pilgrimage to this site.

           Skeptics may agree that these historical accounts are not sufficient evidence of that the Virgin Mary indeed lived her last years in that house, but to many Christians it is and in fact to Muslims also. At the end of the very brief tour of the house, there were several translations of passages in the Quran about the virtue of Mary. The juxtaposition of the Quran passages and the traditional Catholic candle lighting was inspiring to me. Seeing the two religions worship side by side in peace was heartwarming. Whereas in the churches converted to a mosque like the Hagia Sophia and the Chora, the religions are almost battling each other inside the walls fighting for space. 

           Also, the Quran was translated into several languages, probably 6-8 which I thought also showed how people from all over the world come together at this location.   The wall full of wishes and prayers was a beautiful, unconventional mosaic of paper, tissues, and cloth that displayed the diversity of the believers; some were christian prayers, others Islamic, some were in english, others were in Japanese, or German. 

          Along with my classmates, I may not fully believe this is the house of Mary but I do believe that it is a special place that brings together all different types of people which makes it sacred to me. The homeric epic poems may not have been true, but it did give Greeks a sense of unity and pride. At this time Greece was not yet a nation, but several city states ruled by kings; Achilles king of the Myrmidons, Odysseus king of Ithaca, and Menalaus king of Sparta. Although the stories of the Trojan War and Odysseus' wild sea adventures may not have been completely true, they were passed on for centuries because they depict the virtues and values of the Greeks that bring them together. Another example is the Aeneid, an epic Latin poem written by Virgil about Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy to found Rome. The fall of Troy in the Iliad was tragic for the Trojans, but the Aeneid tale redeems their glory by having them found one of the largest, most powerful empires in the world. 

Aphrodisias

         The ancient city Aphrodisias was a place of myth for so long until the 1950s, Ara Guler, a turkish photographer, took shelter from a severe storm in a village called Geyre in Turkey. The next morning he woke up and walked outside to find two ordinary villagers smoking cigarettes on an extraordinary bench made of marble and had carvings of dolphins, a symbol of fortune tellers during the classical era. With the rain not clouding his vision, Guler found pieces of roman ruins scattered throughout the village, halfway buried into the ground, recycled parts into the new houses, or used as grape mashers. 

         Guler snapped iconic photos that are exhibited at Aphrodisias today and submitted them to his archaeologist friend, Kenan Erim. Erim, students from NYU, and other turkish archaeologists uncovered the entire city; it's stadium, theater, agora, and pool. It's truly amazing how much time and effort the archaeologists commit to these sites. Cenk, our tour guide, explained how the archaeologists must slowly dig and swift through all the dirt looking for smaller ruin pieces. This takes a lot of patience and certain weather conditions, which limits the amount of time they can accomplish this task. The dirt must be completely dry, which means they can only work in the summer, so uncovering sites can take decades, or even longer to uncover. Not only do the seasons limit the archaeologists, but also their area of speciality. Each archaeologist may specialize in a certain era of that particular location, and when they discover a different era outside of their specialty then they must call upon their colleagues that do. 

         Simply finding the location and then digging carefully through meters of earth itself is very difficult, but then the archaeologists must resurrect the ruins. It's like having a life-size puzzle with enormous stone or marble pieces and maybe half of them missing. Dr. Moore, one of our accompanying professors, had visiting the site just five years prior and said that amount of progress that he had witnessed was amazing. From being just a small pieces here and there in a small village, to being piles of stones scattered about, then to having the grand entry way of the city restored to life is quite astonishing. 

         Many considered Aphrodisias to have the best sculpting school in the world and this was demonstrated throughout the city. The friezes that cover the walls of the ancient buildings had sculptures of various faces, which exhibited all the work of the students of the city. Every face was unique as was each student making it. 

         As an athlete, what impacted me that most was the stadium. My heart found joy in knowing that even in the earlier centuries sports brought people together from near and far to witness truly amazing god-given talent. Even Odysseus and the Phaeacians enjoyed some olympic games amongst themselves and Odysseus bests all of them. Sports not only give you a sense of pride, but it brings people together: whether your an athlete, a fan, or a coach. The stadium at Aphrodisias was immense and comparable to some large high school stadiums in the U.S today. Although the city itself was not very large, the stadium was built to support the surrounding cities coming to watch the events taking place. It was 198m long or one stadia, which was the standard measuring unit back then. Not only was the stadium steeped with athletic history, but of gladiator and chariot racing. 

Pergamon

          Another long travel day in Turkey from Assos to Bergama, site of the ancient city of Pergamon, but full of exciting sites and reflections. Again we stopped at a small rest stop after two hours of bus travel and it reminded me of the ancient traditions of war to stop for lunch at noon and when the sun goes down to break for dinner and rest for the night. In the Odyssey, Menelaus insists on feasting and enjoying each other's company before discussing important matters. It's a loose connection, but both have the theme of tradition and fellowship.

          When we arrived in the city of Bergama, we first visited the Asclepieion or the Sanctuary of Asclepius, the god of healing. The people of the ancient Pergamon would go there to receive a holistic healing process. The natural spring would flow into the Asclepieion and the doctors used these natural resources to cure their patients. The hot and cold water would flow separately into two areas and were utilized for hydrotherapy, where the patient switches between the two temperatures of water for pain relief. This technique is still used today in advanced treatment rooms for athletes. After long workouts and weight lifting sessions, you can see the Baylor Track and Field team alternate between the hot and cold jet tubs every two minutes to flush out the lactic acid. How this works is the hot water relaxes your muscles and then when you switch to the cold water it constricts the muscles and releases the lactic acid into your blood vessels like squeezing a toothpaste tube. For this reason, it is so important to drink plenty of fluids before and after workouts to excrete the lactic acid waste. 

          This is just another great reminder of how people back then were not so different then people today. This idea makes learning history a better experience because you can relate to the figures you are studying versus them just being some random person in time. Soon we will be part of the history books and future space living, car flying, teleporting people will read about what we did during this century. Isn't that cool to think about how people might look at buildings we see on a daily basis and study them and try to uncover our culture. 

          For example, Odysseus' longing for home is the same sentiment shared today's society. I think everyone has that innate desire to eventually want to return to your home, where you belong and where your heart is. I don't think Penelope was just his loving wife that matched his wit and intellect, but she was his home, his haven. It's also not a matter of location, but the meaning and significance behind it. Ithaca was a rocky and non-fertile area, but to Odysseus it was the most beautiful site to see. It's like my run-down, old, torn up track in East Austin. It will always have a special place in my heart because it is where I first found my true passion for track. I realized I was great at it on my newly renovated middle school track in Westlake, but the East Austin track is where I found my love for it. I had to work twice as hard there because the competition was stiffer and the environment was tougher. I spent long evenings there trying to just keep up with the other girls at practice. It's odd to think that my fondest memories of track were of my most painful practices, but they really shaped me as a runner and as a person. Being the least experienced runner, minority in an all African-American team and an outsider in an established group of girls, I had to persevere through the first season. From it, I became a faster, stronger racer, made lifetime friends, and less racially conscious. I feel that because I emerged myself within a different race group, I'm more comfortable around any race. Society creates various stigma to all races, but I feel like I was almost desensitized to it. Now, I can honestly say sometimes I don't even notice race. I don't group my friends into race categories even though I easily could. My sorority sisters, who are mainly Caucasian, and my track friends, who are mainly African Americans, all seem to blend in together in my eyes. That was a long tangent, but basically the East Austin track will hold a special place in my heart because it made me who I am as did the whole city of Austin, my home or Ithaca. 

          Back to to the Asclepieion, the holistic nature of the healing process that it encompasses was the most fascinating to me. The idea of health as the mind, body, and soul was very prevalent during these times. In order to increase morale, the Asclepieion had a Roman theater, temple, and a library. There was an underground tunnel that the patient would slowly walk through and steam would rise within the dark walls with opium while the doctor would walk along the outside of the tunnel and speak encouraging words. Positive affirmation is so powerful that successful athletes go to sports psychologists to practice it. Every Monday, the Baylor track team has a devotion for the week and I firmly believe that it impacts not only our morale but our performance. 

          I hope that western medicine soon adopts a more holistic style, not only for our own personal health to improve, but our lifestyle. I feel that we rely to much on prescription drugs and for doctors to just cure us instantly. Often we worry to much about our physical health, but neglect our mental or spiritual health. I believe that all three are connected and if one is lacking, then all three will decline. When all three of these things are actively working together, then our lifestyles changes dramatically for the better and our overall health skyrockets. 

Troy and Assos

Morning breakfast over the terrace of our hotel in Istanbul at 6:30am was both beautiful and dreadful, but our four hour bus ride to the boat ferry across the Dardanelles was plentiful amount of time to catch up on some sleep and reading. Turkish people always take a tea/bathroom break every two to two and a half hours and it was a fun stop to participant in a local tradition. All the buses pulled into this cafe/diner/market place with several tables and chairs. There was not quite a waiter or a cashier. We just followed the locals to this window where all the waiters were making two and busily passing them out to those sitting at the tables. It was a little overwhelming because the waiters would turn to you and ask you what you wanted to order, so I stood there timidly there for a while till I got the nerve to ask for erma cay, or apple tea. Then the waiter/barista asked me for one turkish lira and place it on a pile of money casually on a dish. Shortly, a waiter came by with my apple tea to my table and I was able to enjoy the delicious turkish drink. Although it is so similar to apple cider, I have a tendency to call it that.

I have noticed in a lot of the store vendors or services are very casual about their business. When we were buying antique arabic calligraphy paintings the other day, the man made change for my large bill from his own wallet when the cash register was out of money. 

Also, I thought it was strange how all the products were just placed out in the open. For example, when walking up to the Athena temple the road was lined with street vendors with their products out in the open. My first initial thought is how we have always been warned about pick pocketing and theft in Turkey or anywhere outside the U.S, but why aren't these street vendors worried about their products. Someone could easily just grab it and run. Sometimes I would see the salesman sleeping in the back of their store hut or not even present at all. Then I thought, maybe it is because of the fellowship because the citizens of Turkey. I wouldn't want to rob anyone personally, but especially not my fellow Americans. Also, I would assume that all the shop keeps around are friends and would look out for each other. I noticed that even though they sell the same products sometimes, they don't seem competitive. In other countries I have visited the adjacent sales person would convince you to look at their products instead and jockey for your business. 

Perhaps it can be seen as the value of Xenia or guest-friendship, the greek value that was a reoccurring theme in the Odyssey. Odysseus did wander the very sea we are gazing upon in Assos, which is absolutely breathtaking. Looking at the land of Lesbos was surreal because I always read about it in greek mythology and actually seeing it made the stories come alive. As scaling the Athena Temple in Assos and climbing on the ruins to take silly pictures made the greek mythologies of the God's more understandable to me. Sometimes it's hard to grasp how people as intellectual as the Greeks were to believe in such overtop myths about the Greek Gods. However, standing on top of the hilltop seeing the temple ruins and imagining the majesty of what it was while overlooking the sea and surrounding islands makes the idea more tangible. The favor and mixed up emotions of the Gods were very real to the Greeks and were not to be played with. Could you imagine hulling all those rocks and stones up that hill in order to build a grand temple? I had trouble just walking up it with my backpack, but it was worth the view for me and for the ancient Greeks it was worth the protection of Athena, the goddess of wisdom in war.   

In addition, physically standing on top of the ruins of Troy created a whole new level of truth and excitement for the Iliad. I actually stood in the spot where Priam watched Hector was slain and looked out where his body would of been dishonored and dragged across the dirt. It's as if you actually discovered a genie lamp like from Aladdin the disney film and realize that this whole time you thought it was a legend, but it's real! Or if you discovered there were vampires like the Cullen family! Now reading the Iliad and the Odyssey is more interesting because it's more history than a crazy old guy making up stories. Of course the love story between Helen and Paris is very questionable, but at least we know the story is based on some truth.