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Every other January the Classics Department offers an international study-abroad opportunity for Macalester students. In 2006 the destination was Turkey. Led by classics faculty members Andy Overman and Nanette Goldman, 30 students and two additional faculty members explored Istanbul, Troy, Ephesus and other sites on the Aegean Coast.
Katie Pastorius
Arden Hills, Minnesota
Biology, neurobiology emphasis
After Mac: University of Minnesota Medical School
Turkey is a textbook in itself! The Greeks, Persians, Romans, Christians and Ottomans all flourished along the western coast of Turkey and on the Anatolian Plateau, leaving mountains of marble and stone ruins for archaeologists to dig up. They treat their ruins like national parks, and to be a tour guide requires extensive training. Our guide came in handy when he brought us to the cultural event of the century: camel fighting! Camel rivalries between families date back to the 12th century when this region was a major crossroad for trade in the ancient world. It was the first time that I had been to an event where the only food on the menu was the same as the main attraction. I have memories to last a lifetime.
 Zach Teicher
White Plains, New York
Religious Studies
After spending two and a half years studying the religious and cultural importance of sites around the Mediterranean world, the site that excited me the most was Ephesus. One of the best-preserved classical cities in the eastern Mediterranean, the city is perhaps best known for the Apostle Paul’s visit. When we visited the theater, the site of the riot in Acts 19, I knew this place was special. The clash of the Roman Artemis cult with Christianity and Judaism makes Ephesus a truly “multifaith” city of the classical age.
 Ben Larson
Portland, Oregon
Classical Languages
I am convinced that the most beautiful spot on the Aegean coast of Turkey
is the small, elegant city of ancient
Priene. While most of the group was at the temple of Athena, I snuck away to the theater and soaked up a few solitary moments. The utter silence of the Anatolian countryside was broken only by the occasional birdsong. Below I could see the delta farmland created by silt deposits from the Meander River, gently reminding me of how much time had passed from when Priene’s founders had built it as a port city. Silt gets the better of us all, eventually.
 Cassandra Berman
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Religious Studies, History
After Mac: research assistant, Newberry Library, Chicago
We visited important sites of classical religion, modern Islam and early Christianity, all within a modern secular country. No place exemplified this religious and ideological pluralism better than Pergamum, an ancient Greek city near the Aegean Sea. Atop a steep hill, I stood near the Temple of Trajan and the former site of a Temple of Zeus. Looking down on the modern-day city of Bergama, I could see the Red Basilica, which was first a temple to Greek deities, then the Christian Church of St. John and eventually a mosque. To the right, an enormous Turkish flag was embedded in the hillside with stones. Awe came over me as I took in nationalism, secularism and thousands of years of religious history, all in one view.
 Mike O’Toole
Westwood, Massachusetts
Biology
After Mac: research assistant, University of Minnesota plant genetics lab
The remarkable history of Istanbul came into perspective for me on the first day when we visited an excavated obelisk. Looking at the wall of the trench around the ancient monolith, we could see each layer of civilization that had inhabited the city. I ate lunch one afternoon in the remains of a Roman nymphaeum [for the worship of nymphs] where Muslim men now pray, kneeling towards Mecca. At the mosque and former church Hagia Sophia, ornate Islamic calligraphy sits alongside vivid mosaics depicting biblical scenes. Turkey is presently dealing with a host of political issues, among them its bid to join the European Union. Learning so much about the history of the nation makes me wonder how today’s layer will be represented in the future.
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Jill Smolevitz (left) and Anna Peschel |
Jill Smolevitz
Evanston, Illinois
Classical Languages
For lunches and afternoons we were often left to our own devices. Interacting with shopkeepers, restaurant owners and passersby definitely gave us a taste of Turkish culture.
Our greatest cultural immersion was the camel-wrestling festival. Dropped off on the side of the road, we were left to wander through a crowd numbering in the thousands, dodging wildly decorated camels drooling uncontrollably. An announcer’s voice roared from the speakers, vendors offered sandwiches of camel meat and small ensembles played traditional Turkish music. Such fervor, commotion, excitement! No bus windows, no translator, no instructing guide … just us, the camels and Turkey.
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