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This program offers a three-week stay on the beautiful Aegean coast of Turkey, on the site of the world's best-preserved Roman ruins outside Rome itself. The two courses, on ancient religion, and sacred geography in antiquity, will make use of the rich resources of the ancient site of Ephesos, its museum, and field trips to nearby sites and working excavations. Students will lodge in single rooms in small hotels with private baths and air-conditioning.
The Ancient City of Ephesos
Ephesos was one of the great cities of antiquity. Though it was founded in the Neolithic period and was a prominent city from the archaic period (6 th c. BCE) onward, it reached its stunning appearance during the Roman Empire. Ephesos is a complete ancient city, with marble streets, meeting halls, magnificent temples, and ancient houses with wall paintings and mosaics, like those at Pompeii.
Ephesos is also one of the great archaeological projects in the world, having been excavated and restored for more than a century by the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Vienna. These excavations are continuing today, which means students will be able to see working excavations. The Institute's excavation house is just up the street from the Crisler Library, the headquarters of the program.
Selçuk in Turkey
The modern town of Selçuk is about 2 km from the ancient Roman ruins of Ephesos, and directly adjacent to the earlier archaic city of Ephesos. Because of this long history of foreign research and tourism, Selçuk is a comfortably cosmopolitan small town, with an excellent selection of restaurants and small hotels. Foreign visitors will receive a warm welcome, can get along in English, and can easily find anything they might need during an extended stay. Selçuk is located 9 km from a lovely beach, Pamucak, where tourists cool their feet in the blue Aegean and enjoy cool refreshments at the beach cafe after visiting the ruins.
Many Americans have little knowledge of Turkey, and consider it to be an Arab Islamic country. Both assumptions are incorrect. The Turks are not Arabic, and do not speak Arabic. Moreover, the modern Turkish state is a secular republic, in which religious freedom is tolerated, religious minorities are protected by law, and religious observance is considered a private matter of individual choice. The majority of people in Turkey are indeed Muslim, though the range of observance is very broad. Most American visitors to Turkey are impressed with the great food, much of which is vegetarian; the beautiful climate and landscape, which offers fine beaches and resorts; and the warm hospitality of the people.
Our Classroom
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A special feature of the program is the complex that houses our lecture hall and the research library used by the program, the Crisler Library in Ephesos. It is located across the street from the Temple of Artemis (Diana), one of the seven wonders of the world, around the corner from the museum and walking distance from the ancient site. The library has a large reading room with computer terminals with broadband internet connections, wireless internet for laptops, work tables, and lots of books. Upstairs is a pleasant air-conditioned lecture hall seating 40 with whiteboards, dataprojector, and a further terminal with internet. Additionally there is a cafe in the patio courtyard, which serves espressos, cafe lattes, and smoothies, and is also within range of the wireless internet. For more information, see http://www.crislerlibraryephesos.com/.
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Last Modified
May 12, 2008