Circling the Rim of the Aegean:
Greece and Turkey
June 13–29, 2008

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Faculty Leaders: Jim May, provost and dean of the college and professor of classics, and
Donna May, teacher

As we circle the Aegean with cobalt skies above and azure seas below, we study the history and archaeological sites from antiquity. We shall also take advantage of other cultural sites and folk attractions from all eras of Greek history.

Program leader Jim May and our beloved long-time local guide, Stella Galani, enlighten our days with seminars and on-site lectures. As always, Dimitri, Myrto and Thalia Cocconi — who have provided exceptional hospitality to St. Olaf Study Travelers and students for nearly 35 years — arrange excellent accommodations and cuisine along the way.

Beginning in Athens, we set the stage for our Study Travel experience with tours of the Acropolis and National Museum. We then fly to Limnos (ancient Lemnos) to begin our exploration of several northern Aegean islands and ancient Asia Minor. Less often visited than the Cyclades Islands of the central Aegean, the northern islands open our eyes to glorious natural beauty and enlighten our minds to the economic influence of island agriculture. As they also provide easy access to mainland modern-day Turkey, we experience firsthand the close proximity that figured in both conflict and cultural exchange throughout history.

Some of Greece’s finest beaches line the coasts of Limnos, Lesvos (ancient Lesbos), Chios and Samos. A petrified forest, richly forested valleys, precipitous mountain slopes and lovely mountain villages await us. These agricultural islands produce olives, grapes and honey in abundance, providing the basis for economic life for hundreds of years and excellent local cuisine to this day. The island of Chios is famous for its production of mastic, used in paints, varnishes and chewing gum.

Greek mythology names Limnos as the location of the foundry of Hephaestus, god of the forge. Lesvos is the birthplace of the renowned Greek poetess Sappho, as well as Alcaeus, Terpander and Arion. Chios claims Homer as a favorite son.

In Turkey we study notable sites of antiquity including Troy, the scene of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans and the subject of Homer’s Iliad. Pergamum is a Hellenistic cultural capital chiseled into the precipitous slope of a mountainside. And Ephesus, one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the Aegean, is an important location in early Christian history, familiar from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

We conclude our learning adventure on the island of Samos, home of the sanctuary to the goddess Hera and an important island throughout Greek and Roman history.

Faculty Leaders
Professor of Classics Jim May is the author of Trials of Character: The Eloquence of Ciceronian Ethos, an annotated translation co-authored with Jakob Wisse, of Cicero’s On the Ideal Orator. With his St. Olaf colleague Anne Groton, he wrote a textbook, 38 Latin Stories. Also the author of many articles on Cicero, classical rhetoric and Latin pedagogy, Jim recently edited a volume of essays, A Companion to Cicero: Rhetoric and Oratory.

When not immersed in his role as provost and dean of the college, Jim competes in handball, restores antique tractors, builds harpsichords, plays baroque instruments, chants Gregorian-style and sings in a Renaissance chamber choir. Besides having visited Greece more than two dozen times, his greatest claim to fame is having been one of 170 rowers who powered the trireme Olympias, the replica of an ancient Greek warship, around the Aegean Sea in 1990.

Jim and Donna, a professional singer, choir director and high school music teacher, have two sons, Joseph and Michael.

Personal Perspectives: What Previous Participants Say
“It was wonderful to have the experience, knowledge and expertise that Dr. May so willingly gave to everyone and always thoroughly answered our questions.”
“We had heard glowing reports about previous years and were impressed by the number of ‘repeaters’ and now we understand why.”
“We much appreciated the ‘off the beaten track’ quality of most of the trip, where we felt we were in areas most tourists would never experience.”
“It was a very enlightening learning/educational experience, not only from Dr. May and our Greek guides, but from the participants in our group.”

Program Fee
The program fee is $5,980 per person through Feb. 1, 2008. Based on double occupancy, it includes:

  • Seminars by Jim May
  • Assistance by Donna May
  • Guidance by Stella Galani
  • Roundtrip airfare from Minneapolis
  • Internal airfare
  • Ferry fees
  • Accommodations
  • Breakfast daily and several other group meals
  • Group tours
  • Admissions for group activities
  • Ground transportation
  • Gratuities

For single occupancy, add $900. For land-only, making your own travel arrangements to and from Athens, subtrace $1600.

After Feb. 1, 2008, the program fee is $6,050 and could be subject to additional airfare because space at the group rate cannot be guaranteed. Payment schedule

Continuing Education Units
Approximately 43 hours of continuing education are available.

Register Today
Go “behind the seen” with St. Olaf Study Travel. Register online, call toll-free 866-255-6523 or fax 507-786-8232. A deposit of $350 per person guarantees your space.