In four groups the students spent the day in Athens, visiting the Acropolis Museum and the surrounding area. The museum was filled with artefacts from the Archaic and Classical periods of Greek history. Outside sits the ancient agora and the acropolis upon which sits the Parthenon. Many of the students also sampled Greek food for their lunch.
On day two we travelled by coach to the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi. This beautiful site was key in many moments of Greek history as leaders would visit to ask the Oracle how they might best proceed.
On day three the group visited Mycenae where they saw the purported tomb of Agamemnon and learned more about the Trojan war and the works of Homer which form part of the GCSE course.
Nearly all the group walked to the top of the citadel and took in the views across the surrounding plain to the sea. This was followed by a visit to nearby Epidaurus where we sat in the amazing open air theatre. In one day we travelled through 9 centuries of history, from the 12th century BC at Mycenae to the 3rd century BC at Epidaurus.
The final day was spent in Athens where the 4 groups again split and visited Hadrian’s library, the botanical gardens, the Panathenaic Stadium, and lots of shops. Ice creams and sorbets were popular in the 30 degree sunshine.
A great deal was squeezed into a short period but the students have returned with a better feeling for the period of history they are studying and a host of memories.