Great Scot September 2018 Gt Scot_154_September_online | Page 35

LIVING
ENCOUNTERS
WITH THE PAST
TOP: ST CALLIXTUS CATACOMBS, ROME. ON THE GREEK ISLAND OF MYKONOS. ROMAN FORUM, ARCH OF TITUS. BOTTOM: FORUM OF POMPEY, DONKEYS TAKING VISITORS UP THE COBBLED
PATHS OF SANTORINI, GREECE. PHOTOGRAPHY: DYLAN COLEMAN, TIC NEPAL EXPEDITION
Even with the benefit of hindsight, it remains hard for me to
comprehend the significance of all the places that we visited this year
on the biennial Journey to Ithaca Tour.
In the June-July holidays, I visited what I think are the among the
most incredible sites on earth. (I admit bias as an exclusively humanities
student.) Aided by many knowledgeable guides, some five forms of
transport — donkey, cable car, speedboat, chairlift, bus — and four
passionate members of staff, we were privileged to travel around Italy
and Greece.
We visited places as diverse as the Sistine Chapel to the decidedly
less pristine, yet still incredible, marvel that is the ancient Roman sewerage
system. The main theme of our journey was to gain an appreciation of
the humble physical places and their influence on contemporary western
society. These spaces included the communal Agora of Ancient Athens,
the egalitarian Forum of Rome, the spectacular remains of Pompeii, the
resting place of many Anzacs, and the tomb of the unknown soldier
memorial.
Additionally, visiting these spaces provided a prominent voice to the
lives of those who tend not to be recorded in the grand annals of Plato and
Livy. Accordingly, the plight of everyday men and women was brought into
sharp focus by the Catacombs of St Callixtus outside Rome, where the
persecuted Christians secretly entombed their fellow believers. Or indeed,
the experience of standing next to an ancient seaside boathouse in
Herculaneum, east of Vesuvius in Italy, could not fail to induce a poignant
sense of human connection with the skeletons who were clustered at the
back of the shack – their seaside now 30 metres above the compacted
lava, and 400 metres east.
We saw the most direct influences on our society in Greece and its
islands. High above the island of Patmos lies the Cave of the Apocalypse,
where St John the Evangelist wrote the Book of Revelation, and the
world-renowned ancient site of Olympia, where our great unifying tradition
of the Olympic Games originates. Italy also impressed, and for me as an
Ancient History student, it gave me a chance to see what the Rome of
Cicero and Caesar has turned into. However, as in Greece, we saw things
of which we had knowledge – the ‘Curiae’ Senate or law courts, whose
legal system forms the basis of our own.
The journey, as well as being enlightening, was also immensely
enjoyable. We had fun while exploring Ephesus in Turkey, Knossos in
Crete, swimming in the hot springs, and of course touring the rest of the
Greek Islands on an incredible cruise ship.
Shared experiences provide an important framework for students of
different year levels to build relationships with one another, and that was
a highlight of our trip. The journey made us aware of how fortunate we
are to be able to walk in the steps of great people, who have had such a
profound impact on our world today. It was a unique experience to see the
original bust of Aristotle and to walk where Cicero might have walked.
These living encounters with the past can never be fully appreciated
from the relative detachment of a classroom, and for these experiences
we are grateful. I would like to thank the staff accompanying us — Dr
Mark Collins, Rev Doug Campbell, Mr James Brown and Mr Tavish
Thancanamootoo. Without their admirable patience and commitment,
these trips would never go ahead.
JAMES KING — YEAR 11
www.scotch.vic.edu.au Great Scot
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