Skidmore College
Odyssey to Greece:
Exploring the Roots of Classical Civilization

Mycenae and Epidaurus May 27
Our full-day excursion included two superb ancient sites. Homer called Mycenae, the legendary city of Agamemnon, "rich in gold," and in 1876 the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered shaft graves filled with golden treasures. We passed under the famous Lion Gate to see the palace and the royal tombs, including the Treasury of Atreus, built about 1300 B.C. We then continued into the hills of Argolis where at Epidaurus, surrounded by pines and oleanders, is the ancient shrine of Asklepios, the god of medicine. The temple has all but disappeared; however, the 4th-century B.C. theater is one of the best preserved in Greece. Its acoustics are nearly perfect; the least whisper on the stage can be heard in any of the 14,000 seats. When we returned to Nauplion we changed at the hotel for a beach run nearby.