The first Brazilian Summer School in Greece ended in June, an initiative of Unicamp's Institute for Advanced Studies (IdEA) in partnership with Greek archaeologist Yannos Kourayos, curator of the Archaeological Museum of Paros. The course took a group of 11 people, including undergraduate and postgraduate students and professors from Unicamp, for a three-week stay in important cities in Attica, the Peloponnese and the Cyclades islands, including two weeks of excavations at the archaeological site of Despotiko. The objectives of engaging researchers in classical studies were successfully achieved through this immersion in Greek culture, and participants found the research experience and contact with archaeological practice enriching.
The series of lectures and visits to museums, libraries and temples of ancient Greece allowed a first contact with Greek material culture for Brazilians in the areas of literature, philosophy, history and archeology, previously generally restricted to bibliographical research. The Summer School had the support of the Postgraduate Program in Linguistics of the Institute of Language Studies (IEL) at Unicamp, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Brazilian Embassy in Athens, where part of the course classes were held .
A first stage of training at Unicamp, in April, preceded the group's trip to Europe. The series of lectures “Innovation and Tradition in the Greek Archaic Period: History, Art and Archaeology”, with archaeologist Erica Angliker, from the Danish Institute of Mediterranean Studies (DIOMEDES), was promoted at the IdEA headquarters, lasting three days in a model hybrid, in-person and remote. Angliker, one of the organizers of the Summer School, is a postdoctoral student in the Postgraduate Program in History at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH) at Unicamp. She is also affiliated with Philology Theory Center (CTF), a study group led by professor Isabella Tardin Cardoso, deputy coordinator of IdEA.
“The group was well integrated, which provided an easy dynamic. The pandemic made the work difficult, but everything went well and we were very satisfied”, said Angliker. The program began with two mornings of lectures at the Brazilian Embassy in Athens, with Unicamp professors and Greek guests, visits to museums and archaeological sites. The group visited three regions: Attica, part of the Greek islands – such as Paros, Delos and Despotiko – and the Peloponnese. Finally, they stayed for two weeks on the island of Antiparos, from where they moved to the ruins of Despotiko.
In 2000, archaeologist Yannos Kourayos began a systematic search for remains from Greek Antiquity in Despotiko. On this small uninhabited island, measuring around eight square kilometers, Kourayos discovered the ruins of a sanctuary dedicated to Apollo, as well as more than 20 buildings and a large collection of artifacts. Reconstruction of the Archaic period sanctuary at the site began 14 years later, in order to establish an archaeological park that would rekindle interest in the culture of the Cyclades islands. Regional minister of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sport in Paros, Kourayos heads the scientific team at Despotiko, with support from archaeologist Kornilia Daifa.
Success under the scorching sun
Archaeological excavation work requires strength and physical stamina under often strenuous conditions. In the case of Despotiko, the research can only be carried out in the summer, when the heat is intense and the island has no infrastructure, which makes the task of removing earth with shovels, pickaxes and carts more arduous. Brazilian volunteers worked in all phases of archaeological work, such as cleaning, maintenance, initial organization and excavation.
Although the Despotiko site is known for its abundance of material remains from Antiquity, the results of the excavations exceeded expectations, as fragments of rare ceramics, large vases with geometric decorations, and even parts of the leg of a marble statue were found. . Fractions of smaller, unadorned ceramic containers used in everyday life for storing food or olive oil are usually discovered at the site.
For Isabella Tardin Cardoso, the Brazilian Summer School in Greece was very successful, providing many of the students with their first training experience outside Brazil. In addition to the activities already mentioned, Cardoso considers contact with authorities and diplomats at the Casa do Brasil in Greece, which received the Brazilian academic delegation at the Embassy headquarters, in Athens, important.
The group was made up of two IEL teachers, Patrícia Prata and Flávio de Oliveira, and nine students from different courses. Seven of them were awarded scholarships from an agreement between IdEA and Santander Universities. “These scholarships were fundamental in enabling student participation. Without them, many would certainly not be able to go, as they have now had their first experience abroad, essentially related to their area of research”, estimated Tardin Cardoso, remembering that the students presented recommendations from their advisors to participate in the selection process and will now be able to publicize the results.
IEL master's student Mônica Venturini, a student of poetry and religiosity in the ancient world and recipient of the scholarship, classified the experience as “transformative”, both academically and personally. “It is impossible to quantify the expansion of my horizons – of research, of life projects – after what we experienced in the places we have been”, she pondered. “I also emphasize that the work was hard; An archaeological dig is not a glamorous activity: it’s dirt, it’s sweat, it’s pure physical strength.”
Graduating in history from IFCH, Sidnei de Oliveira Junior also benefited from a scholarship, essential not only for his first experience abroad, but his first trip outside the State of São Paulo. A scientific initiation student in the area of ancient history, he studies the kingdom of Pergamum, in present-day Turkey. Contact with archeology in Greece was revealing. “The excavation clarified my views on my undergraduate research. I deal with historical collections formed from archaeological excavations. Observing the process of establishing a museum collection gave me a new perspective to analyze my object of study.”
Academic learning was the highlight of the experience for professor Patrícia Prata, with emphasis on the work at the archaeological site and the interaction with professionals and volunteers from different areas and nationalities. Working in the excavations transformed the participants into agents of archaeological practice, discovering and handling pieces that can normally only be appreciated in museums, under glass or separated by an isolation rope, highlighted Prata.
“The experience allowed me direct contact with material culture, not just its observation in museums and archaeological sites. From there, I will have new practices in the classroom – I will be able to enrich classes by establishing connections between the content provided in the subjects and material culture – as well as in my own research, since excavation makes it possible to experience on-site visit of my object of study – in a broader sense, Antiquity”, explained the Latin teacher, linked to the Department of Linguistics.
In addition to Despotiko, the volunteers considered the visits to the Gennadius Library, at the American School of Classical Studies, in Athens, with a large collection of manuscripts and rare works; to the sanctuary of Apollo, at the archaeological site on the island of Delos; to Menelaion, near Sparta; to the Archaeological Museum of Athens and the Parthenon, on the Acropolis of the Greek capital.
Flávio de Oliveira, professor of Greek in the Department of Linguistics at IEL, praised the initiative for having enabled students to delve deeper into Greek culture under the guidance of experts. “The fact that Unicamp provides this training experience to its students is in line with our model of a popular, democratic and inclusive public university – a university that invests in both the scientific and humanistic training of its students”, defended the professor. “In these times of misgovernment and disgusting political barbarity that Brazil is experiencing, it is auspicious to see that the public university continues to fulfill its main mission: it also promotes science and humanistic values, training professionals who will also be good citizens.”
Starting in September, IdEA will offer a series of lectures complementary to the course offered to Summer School participants, which will be virtual and open to the general public, upon registration. Details and form for candidates will be released soon on Institute website. While outlining the proposals for the second edition of the Summer School, in 2023, the event organizers agree on the details of an exhibition, with photos from the inaugural expedition, to be held at Unicamp in the second half of 2022.
Read more:
Summer School will take Unicamp researchers to archaeological excavations in Greece
Summer School will take Unicamp researchers to archaeological excavations in Greece
Innovation and Tradition in Archaic Paros
The Parthenon sculptures in the context of the curatorial narrative of the Acropolis Museum
Check out images from the Brazilian Summer School in Greece:
