Go reader EILEEN PEARSONwas one of a group of philosophy students who paid homage to their Greek hero
WE WERE a group of 70 from all over the world, and we had come to Delphi, a place once known as the centre of the universe. We had one thing in common: a love of Plato.
My choice of a study holiday might seem unusual – hard work, even. A fortnight on a Greek beach would be a welcome escape from talk of recession and Nama, you might imagine. But for me a fortnight learning about the great Greek philosopher on his home ground – which also happens to have a balmy climate – and exploring archaeological sites is the perfect tonic.
We arrived in Athens at the end of August; as our coach drove through Attica we could see the raging fires that wrecked havoc throughout the summer and damaged tens of thousands of hectares of land.
Three hours later, about 150km northwest of Athens, we arrived in a very sacred place. The religious sanctuary of Delphi is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. The magnitude of its contributions to ancient Greece cannot be overstated. Many political decisions were taken after consultation of the Delphic Oracle, and no colony was founded around the Mediterranean without the consent of the sanctuary of Delphi.
Oracles have spoken for thousands of years – in more recent times they have ranged from the witches in Macbethto the cryptic confrontations in the works of Franz Kafka– yet none is more enigmatic than the Delphic Oracle and its direction to know thyself.
How many long-dead practices are still instantly recognisable, their name a part of everyday language? How many features of an ancient religion have given their name to a software company?
Since they were written, nearly 2,400 years ago, Plato's dialogues have found readers in every generation. The best-known are The Republicand The Timaeus. Plato also founded one of the earliest known organised schools in western civilisation, the Academy, in Athens, which lasted 900 years.
We, too, wanted to come to Greece to study Plato as the country’s outstanding philosopher. Some 20 part-time students from the School of Philosophy in Dublin were joined by students from schools in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Cyprus, the Netherlands and England for this odyssey into the ancient world.
We quickly fell into a routine. We were staying at the European Cultural Centre of Delphi, a beautifully designed building, a few minutes’ walk from the site, that complements its stunning surroundings.
Each day we studied there, too. At 1pm, after morning classes, we were picked up by coach and brought to a beautiful beach for hours of swimming and eating. We had more lectures at 5pm, then dined together. Around our classes there were frequent visits to the Delphi site.
It is one of the most attractive archaeological locations in Greece; its idyllic landscape makes it one of the most visited sites, too. At one point city states built treasuries here, to house gifts from their cities to Apollo. It also had a theatre of white marble, a gymnasium and a stadium that held 7,000 people. The Pythian Games – similar to the Olympics – were held every four years to honour Apollo. Delphi was also the site of other cultural events, such as poetry readings and plays.
Highlights of the archaeological site include the Temple of Apollo, the tholos, the theatre, the stadium and the Athenian and Siphnian treasuries.
Only a few of the Doric columns of the Temple of Apollo remain standing. But its foundations are a visible reminder of the temple’s splendour in ancient times. The precise meaning of Know Thyself – inscribed on the temple – remains a puzzle.
The tholos must be one of Greece’s most-photographed monuments; this beautiful circular building, with three of its original 20 Doric columns still in place, represents Delphi in many people’s minds.
The Archaeological Museum of Delphi is one of the best museums the country has to offer, as it houses some very important works of art from ancient Greece, including awe-inspiring statues and friezes showing mythological scenes and battles from the Illiad.
One day we visited Olympia, about three hours from Delphi. A few years ago the fires came to the rim of this ancient site. The Hill of Cronus, which overlooks Olympia, was once covered with flora; now it was bare, allowing us to see how it would have looked thousands of years ago, when people sat here to cheer on their favourite athletes.
Our return to Athens was a culture shock after the tranquility of Delphi. Our party was full of Zen calm; perhaps we needed a bit more zest to cope with the hustle and bustle. At least the fantastically efficient metro system, in place since the Olympics came back to Athens, allowed us to get around the city easily.
We visited the Acropolis and the incredible new Acropolis Museum, which opened in June.
We then moved on to the cell where Socrates was held and where he took the hemlock that ended his life. We listened while our tutor David Horan read Plato’s moving account of these final hours. Its power, even after more than 2,000 years, left some of us a little teary-eyed.
We returned home relaxed and perhaps a bit more thoughtful. We had made new friends, and we promised to meet up again next year. Where? Greece, of course.
Eileen Pearson is on the steering committee of the Irish Hospice Foundation, which has just published the Zest!cookbook (zestcookbook.ie)
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