First Come, First Served, Limit 12! Letter of Invitation    Application

Magna Graecia: Greeks Bearing Gifts . . . into Greek and Roman Italy is a pilot seminar and study tour designed for ExL Leadership Corps Fellows ’99 - ’08.

Seminar and Study Tour of Italy
The five session seminar -- Magna Graecia: Greeks Bearing Gifts . . . into Greek and Roman Italy -- is designed for Greek Study Fellows who have completed the course titled The Examined Life: Greek Studies in the Schools. Organized by Professor Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, the seminar culminates in a summer study tour of southern Italy and is designed to meet the growing need of our Leadership Corps to continue their interest and study of Greece and its enduring contribution to Roman literary and artistic traditions. On the study tour, Greek Fellows will stay at the Villa Vergiliana, Cumae, Italy.

Featured Video
Part 2 of A Virtual Tour of Ancient Greece by Ted Wells, with segments on Mycenae, Greek Food and Dance, Southern Peloponnesus, Olympia, and Delphi.

In 2004, Greek Study Fellow Ted Wells grabbed his camcorder and joined ExL for the program’s two week study tour of Greece. What resulted is A Virtual Tour of Ancient Greece, a remarkable 2-part, 2-hour first-hand account, told in Ted’s own words. In a style that is warm, personal, engaging, humorous, and insightful, Ted provides an overview of the marvels of ancient Greece as well as a unique glimpse of modern Greece and the flavor of the study tour itself.

Part 1, hosted here during the month of April, included segments on Athens, Cape Sounion, Corinth, and Epidaurus.

We would welcome teacher and student responses to the film and its potential for use with colleagues or with students. Send us your comments.

Imagine Socrates as a child, precocious and loaded with curiosity.  He roams the streets of Athens, listens in on conversations in the agora, and visits the workshops of his friends, the carpenter and the cobbler. All the while, his head is buzzing with questions about the meaning of wisdom, the nature of ideas and how ideas are different from tables and chairs. More >> -- review by Barbara Scotto.

The Sound of The Iliad
Listen to the rhythm of the Greek language as Prof. Leonard Muellner recites the opening lines of The Iliad, as it was spoken by storytellers of old. Do you recognize any of the words? You can check against these versions of The Iliad Scroll 1.1-7: Greek and English.

Plastic reconstruction of Shield of Achilles, courtesy W. E. Major.

The Hero's Shield — Heroes and What Makes Them Heroic
By Al Garnache, Kennedy Middle School, Waltham, MA, Year 5 Greek Study Fellow, The Examined Life: Greek Studies in the Schools.

For a complete list of Study Guides, click here >>.

In The News

NYC hosts fascinating exhibit! Don’t miss “From the Land of the Labyrinth: Minoan Crete, 3000-1100 BC”, an exhibition at the Onassis Cultural Center in New York City (645 5th Avenue). The show highlights artifacts from ancient Crete, including a miniature double-axe votive and a beautiful bull’s head from an ancient drinking vessel. The exhibit is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., March 13 to September 13, 2008. Free admission and free tours on Thursdays at 1 p.m. Review >>

Great article on restoration of the Parthenon in Smithsonian magazine (February 2008). In “Unlocking Mysteries of the Parthenon”, Evan Hadingham highlights the exacting work of restoration, and reveals some surprising details and postulations, i.e. that ancient tools were far sharper and more durable than those of today. Hadingham is senior science editor of PBS’s NOVA series (NOVA’s program “Secrets of the Parthenon” aired January 29, 2008). The article and photographs are also available online. And see our photo gallery for related images.

“Greek Myths,” paintings by Ellen Cavanagh O’Sullivan were shown at The Gallery of The Greek Institute, 1038 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. More >>

An exhibit worth seeing! Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity, an exhibit at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum in Cambridge, MA, corrected the popular misconception that marble sculptures were stark white. The exhibit revealed what the ancient world really looked like. Sculptures, friezes, and other art work were painted in dazzling colors, including reds, yellows, blues, and greens. Several items in this traveling show will be highlighted at The Getty Villa in Malibu from March 6-June 23, 2008, in an exhibition titled The Color of Life.

A website worth visiting! The American Archaeological Association website at www.archaeological.org/education contains free downloadable lesson plans for Greek Vase Painting and A Greco-Roman Feast, among others, and several ideas for using archaeology in the classroom.

Now in its ninth year, the program is impacting 45 schools, 12 school districts, 180 teachers, and thousands of students in the greater Boston area.

National Council For Social Studies published an article by Lana Holman, 2005 Greek Fellow, and John Sucich about fourth grade students in Belmont, Massachusetts travelling to Greece.

Useful Words and Phrases
Going to Greece on an ExL Study Tour? Just want to be more friendly with folks at your favorite Greek eatery? Here are some useful words and phrases:

• YIA-sou — Hello, goodbye (general greeting)
• Ef-ha-ri-STO — Thank you
• Ka-li-MER-a — Good morning
• Ne-RO, pa-ra-ka-LO — Water, please
• En-DA-xi — Everything’s okay
• Ti KA-nis? — How are you?
• Ka-LA, ef-ha-ri-STO, — Fine, thank you
• Kai-e-SIS? — And you?

The words Gnothi Sauton mean "Know Thyself" and were inscribed on the sacred Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece. Striking in simplicity, they call forth from each of us the courage to think reflectively about ourselves and our times.

The Examined Life program brings teachers from all disciplines and grade levels together with faculty members from colleges and universities for the common purpose of strengthening Greek studies in the schools. The program encompasses opportunities for professional development, including graduate course/s, a study tour of Greece, workshops, the creation of resources for teaching about Greek civilization, books and bibliographies, and ongoing discussions about how to integrate knowledge of the Greek world into the curricula.

Now in its ninth year, the program is impacting 45 schools, 12 school districts, 180 teachers, and thousands of students in the greater Boston area. We welcome you to the website, and invite you to join us in our mission to strengthen knowledge and consciousness of ancient Greece — and modern Greece as well — in classrooms and school communities across the nation.

—Barbara Harrison, Director
The Examined Life