Turkey summer school helps reconstruct the past

Wednesday, 14 January 1998

If you'd like to escape the 'winter blues' in 1998 and spend three weeks on the south coast of Turkey studying archaeology, history, art and architecture-then a new 'summer' school being run by the University of Adelaide could be just what you're looking for.

The summer school, to be held in July, promises to be a unique experience... and it's open to both university students and interested members of the public.

Those who take part in the summer school will be able to walk the streets of some of the best-preserved Greek and Roman cities in the world, and get to know every detail.

The school is being offered by the University's Classics discipline (within the Centre for European Studies) in a bid to broaden students' knowledge and experience of ancient sites.

"Summer schools in Greece or elsewhere are big business in America, but Australian students have not had the same opportunity," says organiser Dr Anne Geddes.

"Turkey is wonderfully rich in superb classical sites, has fewer tourists, is terribly cheap, and is keen to welcome visitors. I think this sort of affordable 'hands-on' experience is both innovative and enriching for the students involved, and it will be a welcome addition to our course offerings."

Participants in the school will fly to the city of Antalya, where they will stay in double-share accommodation. Weekdays will be spent on site studying various aspects of Pamphylia (the name of the region in ancient times) in cities such as Aspendos, Perge, Selge, Sillyum and Side.

Dr Geddes says the summer school will be flexible to students' needs, allowing them to explore their specific interests.

"If, for example, some are interested in religion, they can trace the changes in religious practice from the Anatolian fertility goddess, Cybele, through her Greek and Roman transformations and then the gradual rise of Christianity which St Paul, who was born nearby, brought to the region," she says.

"Other students might be interested in the imaginative use of water which the Romans brought to the cities in aqueducts, or the prominent role women played in public life. The idea is to give the students the knowledge and experience to reconstruct the past for themselves."

Dr Geddes says the summer school in Turkey will be the first of its kind. It's designed as an ordinary semester course subject for second and third-year university students and as such will count as part of their degree.

But it will also be open to interested members of the public who would like the same experience.

"Although non-enrolled students will not earn university credits, they will acquire a unique expertise in the understanding and enjoyment of classical archaeology in Turkey," she says.

The exact cost of the school, including airfare and accommodation, has yet to be determined, but it is expected to be $3550 for the three weeks.

For more information about the summer school contact the University of Adelaide's Centre for European Studies on (08) 8303 5638. Bookings through WEA: (08) 8223 1272.

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