Midterms

This week is midterms at CYA. I believe the best way to express my day can be taken from that friendly ole chap Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Byzantine Art & Architecture exam: TERRIBLE! I studied all day yesterday and I left feeling like a gutted fish. It was like a chapter from Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING. I am a fish. Katie shared the same sentiment saying she felt "eviscerated." Damn her descriptive journalism mumbo-jumbo. The test was really difficult partly because the amount of information we had to know (~800 years of information) and because I am convinced I don't think like an art historian. I cannot connect the dots that others can in a seemingly easy logic. I am also convinced that I will NEVER be an architect, nor study classical architecture. There are simply too many terms.

The midterm consisted of three parts: comparing slides, a short answer, and an essay. There were 6 sets of two slides. We had five minutes per pair to write down what, when, where, why, and why they are important. The short answer question is as follows:

Draw a plan of a "typical" mid-Byzantine (10-11 cent.) church and label it with the appropriate terms from the list below. Define briefly the function of each area you label.
Terms: ambo, apse, arcade, arcosolia, cubicula, diakonikon, diptych, dodekaorton, enkolpion, iconoclast, nave, naos, narthex, orangs, paten, prothesis, psalter, solea, stylite, synthrono, tablion, templon, transept, typikon.

Yeah...
ambo-I'm pretty sure this was a mid 70s dance craze
apse-a term used when one drops something, "Apse!"
arcade-a place where males go to pump the money their mother gave them into a machine that inhibits any kind of "interaction" with other humans save the scary janitor.
arcosolia-this medieval/goth band had a number one hit ("We wish we lived a thousand years ago, but without the unpleasantness of no access to black nail polish.") in Germany where anyone can make "music."
cubicula-yet another bastardization of vampire mythology. This vampire worked for a box company and had to file TPS reports.
diakonikon-coming to an amusement park near you!
diptych-something my dad used to call us when we screwed up royally
dodekaorton-collective name for the 12 sons of a NASCAR driver
enkolpion-who invents a word like this?
iconoclast-phrase shouted by a late student in middle-school
nave-isn't this a body part?
naos-a colony founded by MENSA members
narthex-a colony visited by the Star Ship Enterprise
orans-not appropriate for children
paten-makes me think of a famous piccolo tune
prothesis-supporter of theses
psalter-usually placed in the middle of the table, next to the spepperer
solea-yet another emaciated model that goes by only her first name
stylite-Paris Hilton?
synthronon-a new comic book hero's hideout
tablion-fancy name for a fancy table setting
templon-place where one can handpick a temp with a nice selection of styles, sizes, and prices
transept-polite term for "hobo"
typikon-new annual convention for stenographers

I'm not positive what she was aiming at, but I'm pretty sure my definitions probably missed the mark.
The essay question was as follows: Citing specific examples, discuss the importance of Imperial patronage from Constantine the Great through Theodora (843) in determining the appearance and the role of art in Byzantine society. This question was worth 55 points. Usually I can bullshit my way to earn half the points, but there was NO WAY I even reached that in this case.
In a way I feel cheated because I actually studied really hard for this test. There should be a reciprocal relationship between studying and exams! If I study, I should know what to say on the exam. I SHAKE MY FIST AT YOU! (Well, not YOU, at the test...)

Attic Tragedy exam: PIECE OF CAKE! Before the teacher got there, Caleb announced that the challenge was to fit four specific words into the essay. These words were: hogwash, ragtag, ..., and buttery. It is my pleasure to inform you that no less than 5 people completed the task. I would have, except I didn't want to spend the time when I could have been studying for Greek.

Greek exam: LONG! Too...many...Greek...words...in my...head. The sad part is that my basic knowledge of this language is extremely remedial, even with over 500 words on flashcards.

Aegean & Ancient Greek Art & Archaeology paper: I FINALLY got it back. Prof. Diamant had lost it and I was afraid he was going to need another copy, thereby grading it separately, thereby knowing the specific author of the paper, thereby being very disappointed with my lack of intelligence. To my utter amazement, I GOT AN A-! There are very few paper grades that I've been surprised by, this probably tops them all. This guy is notoriously nitpicky and a little bit of an asshole. I think my grade was helped by the fact that my thesis agreed with his opinion on the matter. (Is Mycenae a city?-No.) Whatever, I'm still proud of it and may even send it back to ND to be put up on the fridge.

So, to sum up: I am not and will never be an art historian. My lit. test was buttery. Καταλαβαινω λιγο Ελληνικα. Finally, according to Prof. Diamant's atrocious handwriting, my paper was "mostly good thow more Myce evideure wuld be uide. A-"

Enkolpion, anyone?

Happy International Women's Day!

Happy International Women's Day! For those of you who don't know, "International Women's Day (IWD) is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women."

I'm celebrating by eating custard, which also happened to be served for lunch today. Shelece says, "Go out and buy yourselves some chocolate." Don't mind if I do...

There is a march scheduled at 4 PM at the Panepitismou Square. Hopefully I'll make it down there to witness Greek women, en masse. Wish me luck.

Happy Tsiknopempti

Carnival! It is amazing how many traditions the Greeks manage to pack into the pre-Lent holiday. Today is Tsiknopemti, which means literally, "smokey Thursday." It is one of the most celebrated days and is the last weekday of eating meat during Meat Fare week.

The origins of this tradition stem back to the good ole days of paganism. The ancient Greeks wanted to please the gods, so one of the ways they did it was to send up the smells of cooking meat.

By tradition, everyone, even the poorer members of the community, is supposed to grill pieces of meat with a little fat on it so that the smoke can fill the air and let others know that this day is being celebrated. This is how "Tsiknopempti" was named. Each family cooked its meat and took it to another home, or everyone gathered in one home to cook together, sending the smell of grilled meat throughout the neighborhood.

Today most people celebrate this Thursday in local taverns with friends and family. Apparently, the younsters dress up in masks and throw confetti at others. I'm told they even hit people with plastic bats. So tonight I'm off to a taverna with Maura, Manos, and family! Kalinixta! (Goodnight!)

By the way, Happy Birthday Mom!

Photos-Epidavros, Franchthi Cave, the Mediterranean, and Corinth!

Epidavros-
Noelle and Katie at the Theater in Epidavros. Katie taking the stage.

Franchthi Cave-
Here's the collapsed roof.

Katie climbing down. (Has anyone seen her happier?)
Noelle climbing down.
Here's what we climbed down from.

Mediterranean-
Before trekking up the cave, our group had a fantastic lunchbreak. Here's the view from where we ate. And Katie is once again, very happy. The island in the background is dubbed, "Rich Man's Island." This guy is a VERY successful Greek boat man, probably richer than Onassis. He owns this island and uses a helicopter to attend meetings. He loved the beautiful view his island home provided, so he bought the land on the other side of the water so that no development could be built there...and uglify his picturesque view. The only structure in the area we stopped at was a small Orthodox chapel.

The site is sitting right alongside the Mediterranean. I'm very proud of this photo. It will make a great computer background image.

So for all you who are asking yourself, "Now, where in the world was Noelle on February 12, 2005?" .... here's the answer.... I was HERE! IN the Mediterranean. [Katie didn't go in because she "doesn't like sand in her shoes." Pft!]

Argolid-
On the way back, I snapped some shots of the unique Argolid countryside. As you can see, the terrain is nothing like good old South Bend's. [This picture of a sinkhole is specifically meant for Mazzillo, and any other geology buffs there are out there.]

Corinth-

Here's a photo of the Corinth Acropolis. This one fortress has made a distinct impact on Aegean history.

We made a pitstop at the Corinth Canal. After thousands of years of trying to be an island, the Peloponnese FINALLY got what they wanted. ;)

Oh and Mom, I just thought you might want a photo of what Katie and I will be doing next. *wink

Franchthi Cave

Franchthi Cave is another site visited on our Argolid field trip.

In the afternoon, we hiked out to an archaeological site called Franchthi Cave. [N: It was a beautiful hike on a gorgeous day.] I know I’m a nerd, but this was seriously awesome, even for people who don't really care about archaeology. Digging in a cave is logistically tricksy because you’re generally not dealing with a lot of wide open space AND because caves that have been inhabited once have often been inhabited many, many times over, which means that there are lots and lots of layers of STUFF. So we got to see the remains of vertical archaeology, which is basically painstakingly precise digging of really deep shafts.

This cave had been occupied off and onfrom around 30,000 BC (BCE for you politically correct ones) to 3,000 BC. Since it was excavated back in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, there wasn’t any man-influenced stuff to look at, but seeing the effects of 32,000 years’ worth of geological change was pretty neat. It was also kind of weird to realize that people had lived in this place back when there was no such thing as agriculture.

"In the Early Neolithic period (ca. 6000 B.C.) the area of human occupation extended outside of the cave for the first time. The roughly built walls visible in this photo probably served as retaining walls on the uphill side of a settlement which extended further to the west and is now submerged." (Indiana U.)

N: At the back of the cave is a amazingly clear pool of water. When the archaeologists finally got the equipment to send divers down into it, they were greeted by two, very angry eels. Both divers admitted to wetting their wet suits, but managed to dispose of the creatures with some fishing spears. Upon entering the water, it was quickly apparent that the pool was mostly salt water with a thin layer of fresh water on top. It used to be completely fresh water, but the sea level has since risen dramatically in this area. "Today the cave is only ca. 75 meters from the shore and ca. 15 meters above sea level. When human beings first began using the cave in the Paleolithic period, the sea level was much lower and the coast was perhaps 5-6 kilometers farther away." (I. U.) The divers picked up artifacts resting on the bottom. These appear to be cult materials thrown in at a much later date than the cave was occupied.

"In order to "maximize" the amount of evidence recovered from the excavations, all of the soil was carefully saved for either dry-sieving (shown here) or wet-sieving. Samples of soil were regularly saved for "wet-sieving" (also called "water-sieving" or "flotation"). As the soil is put into water, some organic materials float to the surface and are collected ("flot") while heavier materials (small fragments of stone, bone, shell, carbonized seeds, etc.) are collected into "heavy" and "light" fractions. These samples are then dried, sorted by hand, and analyzed under a microscope. The wet-sieving at Franchthi took place right at the shore using two "custom-built" machines and water pumped from the bay." (I.U.)

"Student volunteers carefully sorting through the "heavy fraction" from the wet-sieving -- using highly scientific tools & techniques (small paint brushes, music, coca-cola). Although this is one of the LEAST exciting jobs on an excavation, it is also one of the MOST important. Careful sampling, sorting, and analysis of the floral and faunal remains from Franchthi Cave have allowed archaeologists to develop important theories about ancient diet, husbandry practices, economy, and even about changes in the environment over the long span of human habitation at the site." (I.U.)

"The earliest human burial found at Franchthi dates from the Mesolithic period. The inhumation burial is of a 25 year-old male buried in a shallow pit near the mouth of the cave. He was buried in a contracted position and covered with fist-sized stones (visible in the photo). Forensic analysis indicates that he died from severe blows to the head and that he had suffered from malaria. There were no "grave goods" buried with him, an observation which has led some archaeologists to conclude that the Mesolithic people who used Franchthi cave may have had no developed sense of personal property and/or no significant concerns about life-after-death." (I.U.)

"The burial of an infant from the Early Neolithic period. The infant was only a few weeks old and was buried along with a small marble vessel and one half of a clay vase. This was the only one of 8 Neolithic child burials which contained "grave goods." The presence of such offerings in an infant's burial is unusual and has led some archaeologists to conclude that status may have been hereditary in this Early Neolithic community." (I.U.)

MY favorite part of the cave was that at the end, we got to scale a bunch of rocks that had collapsed at the back of the cave at least several hundred years ago. The climb was probably only 30 or 40 feet, but it made my heart happy. When we got to the top, we could see over the ledge of a chasm that dropped down to where the original ground level of the cave would have been back when people actually lived there. I had to lean over the edge a bit just to be able to see the bottom (which was about 60 or 70 feet down). Since I am actually quite terrified of heights, I don’t really know what possessed me to lean over the edge (No, I did NOT fall into the chasm, if that’s what you were expecting. It was almost anticlimactic in that I was NOT even utterly terrified). Nonetheless, I felt like Indiana Jones (minus the bad guys, and the snakes,etc.) Seriously, it was incredible.
-Katie

N: For the record, I am NOT terrified of heights, yet was thankful I never had to "Indiana Jones" myself across that chasm. Plus, I didn't have the whip and fedora.

Epidavros

Katie's musings on famous Epidavros (pronounce eh-PEE-dah-vrohs):

On Saturday, we took a break from both the power-hungry Mycenaeans and the crazy Italian/Turkish/Italians of Nafplion. We visited the ancient sanctuary of Epidavros, where we received a clear-as-mud course in Greek mythology and the origins of Western medicine.

The basic premise of the site is that it was dedicated to the mythological hero-turned-God named Asklepios. Supposedly Asklepios was the son of Apollo and a mortal woman named Coronis. Apollo took an interest in his son and sent him to be schooled by a famous healer, Chiron the Centaur. According to the myth, Asklepios became so good as a healer that he was able to bring people back from the dead, which made the line of mortality (that had previously separated humans from gods) pretty thin. This stretching of the boundaries for divinity made Zeus, the supreme god, pretty angry, but Zeus took care of the problem by zapping Asklepios with a thunderbolt and killing him. Well, Apollo got pretty hacked off when he figured out that Zeus had killed his son, so he brought Asklepios back from the dead, making him into a full-fledged immortal god instead of a regular hero. Asklepios got married, had a few kids and started a family business of healing people full-time. Thus, as our professor joked, Asklepios and his kids (who had names like Ygeia, which means “health,” and Therapaea) got together and formed the world’s first HMO.

Well anyways, the sanctuary at Epidavros was famous because ancient Greek people went there to receive healing, and they were healed. Regardless of your opinions on its mythical pagan ancestry or the exact details of the cases recorded at the sanctuary, I felt like what mattered about the site was the idea that disease is only partly physical. That is to say, true healing, or even just general self-improvement, is about the attitude you internalize, the environment with which you surround yourself, and the activities in which you participate. In short, it's not just about the specific problem or ailment you’re trying to overcome. Walking around the grounds of this place was incredible, which says alot because I was with a group of about 30 people, most of whom were pretty loud and didn’t really buy into the almost sacred aura that this place seemed to possess.

We messed around in the world-famous theater, which is not only still standing, but still retains incredible acoustics, seats 14,000, and is used in the summers for performances. We also looked at the ruins of a various altars dedicated to the gods in thanksgiving for their cures, gymnasium (which was a place both for exercise and for learning/philosophizing), a stadium, the temple, the hestiatoreion, and the avaton (which was the place where supplicant people slept in hopes of being healed). Whether the matches were specific exercise for people with certain problems or mere entertainment for people while they were being treated in other ways, I feel from personal experience that the Greeks had the right idea.
-Katie

For the record...

For the record, I'd like everyone to know that I have indeed FINISHED my internship applications for the summer. It was a long, arduous battle, and I have yet to know the outcome. Thinking back, I spent over 30 hours on the damn things...I shake my fist vigorously at having to work while I'm abroad...non-academically no less. Well, I guess that means that I can post here more often since I'm not spending every moment in the computer lab staring at a cover letter that won't write itself. Special thanks to LaFave, Mazzillo, Gates, Davis, and Hogan for playing Obi Wan to my Luke. (I probably look like Mark Hamill in Return of the Jedi right now.) I STILL want to go to Toshi station to pick up some power converters...but I am "les tired." So, I'll take a nap.