Erin Brannick
Final Reflection
February 10, 2013
“My Very Own Greek Odyssey”
Throughout a 17-day journey around the European country of Greece, I had the
opportunity to experience an ancient culture through museums, archaeological sites, and even
through modern day connections. This ancient culture dates up to 10,000 B.C., long before facts
and stories were written on paper. In order to pass their history and legends on from generation
to generation, the ancient Greek people used word of mouth to tell stories and historical accounts
as well as leaving behind archaeological remains. Eventually, written histories were added to
their repertoire. All of these contributed to my understanding of the ancient Greek world by
painting an accurate picture of ancient Greek life.
First, stories were passed down through families in order to continue cultural traditions
and ensure that important histories were continued. In many instances, there were legends
connected to the cities and temples we visited during our trip. Listening to the legends directly at
the sites painted a better picture of why people visited that area or why it was important in
ancient Greek life. For example, the sacred way at Delphi would have just been a rocky path
without knowing that people gave offerings to various gods and goddesses on their journey.
Epidaurus would have just been an ancient theatre, not a well-known village where the ancient
people came to visit the god Asclepius in the hopes of getting well or finding a cure for an
ailment. Without many of these legends being told to generation after generation, we would be
missing pieces of the Greek history. These legends either inspired the designs for a building or a
sculpture, or in some cases were considered historical facts. Most of the legends were about
actions of the gods or historical and political events such as war. In history, the Greeks believed
the actions of the gods to be relevant to daily life and used legends to teach children the proper
way to live and act.
Next, the ancient Greek civilization left behind many archaeological remains, including:
pots, sculptures, mosaics, frescos, homes, and even the remains of the people themselves. This
led to clues about the way people lived during various time periods in Greek history. The size
and shape of the pots as well as fragments inside indicated what the various pottery pieces were
used for, such as storing grain, grapes, olives, ashes, etc. The sculptures and other decorations
gave clues about the social status of the people who lived in that particular home or area. The
remains of people that have been found gave archaeologists information about the size and health
standards of people through different points in history. Without these remains, it would be more
difficult to distinguish one region from another. In addition, designs on pottery and sculpture
often indicated what was occurring in Greek culture during a particular time period – pictures of
battles, funerals, or happier geometric and floral designs, for example.
Eventually, actual written histories were added to the legends passed down by word of
mouth and the archaeological evidence. These histories were important for the economic,
political, religious, and educational aspects of Greek life. Once history was written down, it was
easier to record laws, war tactics, battle strategies that worked or did not work, notes about trade,
etc. Because these aspects of Greek history were now in a more preserved state, they could easily
be taught in schools and spread throughout the country more accurately than by word of mouth.
This helped on my journey through Greece because it added a more concrete history to the
legends of any given area. It was interesting to learn the historical facts and how much they
matched or did not match elements of legends. For example, some historical evidence calls
Homer’s characters and dates into question.
I believe that the combination of word of mouth legends, archaeological remains, and
written histories paint as accurate a picture as possible of the ancient world. It is impossible for
everything from tens of thousands of years ago to remain intact – natural disasters, war, disease,
and other factors out of our control simply prevent it. I think the Greeks do an excellent job of
using their resources to put together the puzzle that is their own history. As Roula often said, if
archaeologists wanted to uncover everything there is to find, all Greeks (and probably
surrounding countries too!) would have to leave. All of these sources provide clues to how they
lived and interacted in ancient times, and the increasing archaeological technology of modern
times is certainly helping this effort.
My own odyssey through modern Greece combined all of these aspects, as well as adding
in influences of the modern Greek world. This combination was one of the most interesting
aspects of the trip. In one day alone, we were visiting a three-year-old museum with modern
furniture and décor, and half a day later we are standing at an ancient Olympic stadium that is
just a few blocks away, right in the middle of Athens. In another example, we are standing at the
ancient Arcadian gate, and then a modern car just drives right through it as part of that person’s
ordinary routine. I found myself walking in a more residential part of a smaller town, only to
look to my right and see an archaeological site they found while starting to build a house. The
ancient culture is literally still present in the Greek’s modern life. Some of the city buildings
mimic ancient columns and architecture, and pottery and jewelry are still considered part of
decorations and daily life. The modern world helped my understanding of the ancient Greek
world because of the respect that modern Greek people have for their own culture and history. It
is clear to see that some of the cultural customs, the Greek language, food, and more, stem
directly from their own past. Many of the modern people we interacted with had their own
opinions or versions of stories to share based on their individual family history or experiences.
My odyssey through ancient (and modern) Greece gave a whole new meaning to
‘experiential learning’. I was presented stories passed from generation to generation,
archaeological artifacts, published historical facts, and modern culture in order to form my own
conclusions about ancient Greek life. The ancient Greek people appear to have been intelligent,
technologically-advanced, spiritual, and exceptionally creative people. Despite their current
economic situation, the modern Greek people seem to be some of the happiest, most free-spirited
people I have ever met, in addition to being incredibly familiar with their own past. It was not
hard to find a native Greek who was quick to give credit to history for the reason that Greece is
on the map today.