BSA Course Day 14 - Road trip! Eleusis, Corinth & Epidauros

Weather: 33 degrees & sunny

Step count: 22108

All too soon our two-week stay at the BSA hostel had come to an end. Torn between sadness at leaving and excitement for the week ahead, we trundled our suitcases to the coach ready for another busy day.

We started out at Eleusis, site of perhaps the most famous mystery cult in ancient Greece. Although there is much reference to the mysteries, which centre around the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone, in ancient textual sources, very little is known about the secret initiation rites which took place there.

Instead of a lecture, tutors Anastasia and Michael took a novel approach to help us to understand the challenges of investigating and reconstructing an ancient mystery. Anastasia became Myth, sharing the mythological and textual evidence about the sanctuary, and Michael became Stone, focusing on the archaeological remains and what they can tell us. As we moved around the site, each gave their own perspective on what we saw and it was up to us to consider whether they agreed or differed, and what conclusions we could draw.

The Plutonian Cave - entrance to the underworld?

Anastasia recounted the origin myth of the site, which is found in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Grieving for her daughter Persephone who had been kidnapped by Hades, god of the underworld, Demeter transformed herself into an old woman and became nurse to the sickly son of the royal family of Eleusis. Bereft of her own child, Demeter gave the boy ambrosia and held him into the fire in a bid to make him immortal. One night, the terrified queen saw her son in the fire which prevented Demeter from carrying out her plans. The goddess revealed her true identity and decreed that a temple should be built for her worship.

Michael encouraged us to observe the archaeological remains, and the plans of the building phases discovered in the excavations at the site, and think about what they tell us about what may have taken place there.

The rites of initiation were held at the highest point of the sanctuary site, in a building known as the Telesterion, which ties in with the textual evidence of a procession of initiates through the sanctuary. Although we have no details of the initiation ceremony, the design of the room which was filled with columns suggests that it may have been used to hide and reveal, perhaps making use of light, darkness, fire and smoke as a reflection of the origin myth.

One thing is certain - the sanctuary attracted initiates and worshippers for a period of over a thousand years, from its establishment in the 7th century BC to its destruction - like that of the Nemesis sanctuary at Rhamnous - in the 4th Century AD. Visitors are still drawn to the site to wonder at what took place there, and scholars and archaeologists continue to try to fill in the gaps. But perhaps that is the draw - would we still be as interested if the mystery was a mystery no longer?

With much to think about we headed west to Corinth. Positioned on a narrow strip of land with the Saronic Gulf on one side and the Corinthian Gulf on the other, there is evidence that the site has been a thriving centre controlling trade long before the creation of the Corinth Canal. The site is currently being excavated by the American School of Classical Studies, and we were treated to another 'behind the scenes' visit to the research centre and a fascinating talk and impromptu handling session with Ioulia Tzonou, Associate Director of Corinth Excavations.

Having worked on the excavations for many years, tutor Rossana was our expert guide at this deceptively large site where we saw multi-temporality at its layered best. With the walls of the Byzantine fortress of Acro-Corinth perched high above us, we had a sneak peek at the Frankish (c. 500 AD) commercial complex ahead of its opening to the public, before moving lower down to the Roman forum, then lower still to the agora which dates to the classical period.

We had time for a brief visit to the museum with displays covering finds from the Neolithic period onwards, as well as many Roman statues and mosaics.

I was particularly interested to see the variety of votives in the shape of body parts from the sanctuary of Asclepius at nearby Epidauros, our last visit of the day. The offerings were dedicated either as a plea, or in thanks, for healing the part which they depicted, and they ranged from the small and simple to the larger and more anatomically correct. All body parts were represented!

Reaching Epidauros, tutor Michael told us of the many myths surrounding Asclepius, son of the god Apollo and mortal Coronis. His skills as a healer were renowned, and one version tells us that after his death he was immortalised by Zeus and became recognised as the god of medicine.

The first of the student presentations set the bar high for the rest of us, with a thoughtful consideration of what we can learn from the sanctuary site about life in ancient Greece. Its collection of buildings including a gymnasium, baths, stadium, theatre and temples appear to be an early version of a health spa, holistically treating body, mind and spirit in one space.

Perhaps ironically for a place with a long association with wellbeing, a wasp had found its way into my shoe and stung me in an attempt to escape. So I don't have as many photographs as I'd like, although a sore foot didn't prevent me from exploring. I was tempted to lie down in the abaton, where those seeking healing would sleep in the hope of being visited by sacred snakes or a dream from the god, but made do with an antiseptic wipe and a plaster then a walk to the iconic theatre of Epidauros.

The first sight of the theatre is breathtaking, with its 34 rows of stone seating for 13,000-14,000 spectators soaring high above the tiny orchestra (stage) and making us feel tiny in comparison.

It is quite a climb to the top, but the backdrop of the mountains and the view of the stone semicircle spread out below are more than worth the effort.

We tested the famous acoustics, and clearly heard a normal speaking voice and a clapping sound from the furthest point above the orchestra. The theatre is still in use today for a yearly festival, and I would love to return one day to experience a performance.

Nafplion was to be our home for the next two nights, and we made it just in time to find our rooms and venture out to see the most beautiful sunset. A truly spectacular start to our Peloponnesian adventure.