Mycenaean Life and the House of Atreus
Seminar in Ancient Greek, Tolo, July 4-July 13
Rogerus Byzantinus and Schola Humanistica
Μυκηναῖα is a seminar in Ancient Greek dedicated to Argolis, Mycenaean antiquities, and the saga of the Atreids. The dominant center of Greece from the 16th to the 12th century BCE, the “rich in gold” Mycenae was a small town with few inhabitants by Homer’s time. Its former greatness endured in its walls, streets, and halls, where once had echoed the footsteps of Menelaus, Helen, and their court. Its name, according to an etymology recorded by Pausanias, derives from the word μύκης (mushroom), in memory of the mushroom from which sprang the spring that quenched Perseus’s thirst one day as he wandered these mountains, overcome by heat.
A land beaten by an unrelenting sun, Mycenae was also one of the darkest places in Greece, where the echoes of ancient crimes still resounded: Atreus, who served his brother Thyestes the flesh of his own sons; Clytemnestra, who murdered her husband upon his return from war; their son Orestes, who avenged his father’s murder by killing his own mother.
With this course, which will take place in Tolo from July 4 to 13, 2025, Rogerus Byzantinus and Schola Humanistica offer a journey of discovery through the places that inspired some of the greatest works of Greek literature. The introductory sessions will introduce some useful linguistic tools for everyday conversation in Ancient Greek. We will then turn to reading passages from Aeschylus’s Oresteia, Sophocles’s Electra, and Euripides’s Orestes, as well as prose and poetry related to Mycenaean antiquities, the geography of Argolis, and the daily life of Homeric heroes.
The sessions, totaling four hours per day, will be held in the early morning and late afternoon, allowing participants to enjoy the sea during the hottest hours and engage in Ancient Greek conversation with their fellow adventurers in an atmosphere of tranquility and relaxation. Additionally, excursions are planned to Epidaurus and Mycenae, where we will explore these places guided by the words of Homer, Pindar, Pausanias, and Dionysius Periegetes.
Last day to Register: May 10, 2025
SCHEDULE PROGRAM
The order of the activities in the program might be subjected to some small changes.
| Schedule | |
| July 4 | 15:00–19:00 Arrival and hotel check-in
20:00 Welcome dinner |
| July 5 | 9:00–11:00 Morning session
Break 18:00–20:00 Evening session |
| July 6 | 9:00–11:00 Morning session
Break 18:00–20:00 Evening session |
| July 7 | 9:00–12:00 Visit to Mycenae
Break 18:00–20:00 Evening session |
| July 8 | 9:00–11:00 Morning session
Break 18:00–20:00 Evening session |
| July 9 | 9:00–11:00 Morning session
Break 18:00–20:00 Evening session |
| July 10 | 9:00–12:00 Visit to Epidaurus
Break 18:00–20:00 Evening session |
| July 11 | 9:00–11:00 Morning session
Break 18:00–20:00 Evening session |
| July 12 | 9:00–11:00 Morning session
Break 18:00–20:00 Evening session
|
| July 13 | 9:00–11:00 Closing session
Break 13:00 Closing lunch
|
