Acoustics at Epidaurus

The day we were to head to Epidaurus, we had the chance to sleep in until 7:00 AM. It was glorious! We were soon on the road, after a luxurious buffet breakfast, to our day's destinations. Our first visit was to The Great Theatre of Epidaurus, a visual awe from all vantage points. As the theatre speaks for itself, no pun intended, our knowledgeable tour guide for the day, Sophia, gave a presentation that came off as exhaustive to some. Still, she gave us an excellent demonstration of how the theatre is designed to amplify acoustics so that people at the top can hear the slightest sound from the stage area. She made mention of the acoustic superiority of the theatre and the fact that modern architects are still baffled at how the Ancient Greek architects where able to manage such impeccable acoustics. The ancient stone venue has been well protected and preserved over the years, serving home to Greek drama production. While music was rarely performed there due to fear of harsh effects opera would have on the stones, but there was a performance in 1960 with Marie Callas.
There was a brief, hurried visit to the Temple of Asclepius, dedicated to healing, to which ancient Greeks were brought for healing. The guide explained how the Greeks used basic medical 

Temple of Asclepius

instruments and medicines, special diets, green scenery, and physical exercise in curing sicknesses. I was in awe of the way that speaks to the Greeks’ inclination to reason. Our society seems to lack this kind of rational disposition in some areas. Chemotherapy, for example is administered in masses with the intention to kill cancer cells. However, it does not do anything to prevent new cells from springing to fruition. No, chemo has been found to have many secondary cancer side effects that many are unaware of. The focus on a comprehensively sound inner health which manifests through you favorably, rather than unfavorably and thus unable to defend against malignant cell growth is often considered as an alternative viewpoint, against the grain of our society. The Ancient Greeks may not have had the sharpest microscopes but at least they were looking in the right direction.

Our next stop was the Agora store, where we were faced with an array of talented salespeople and museum replicas. The variety of pottery, jewelry, and other Greek goods were exceptional. The Tomb of Atreus was also impressive. It was a monolithic--literally—monument, legended to be built by Cyclops to explain the enormous rocks used in its construction. Inside of a massive mound, within a honeycomb stone cavern, the tomb of the Mycenaean dynasties was kept with all of its treasure. Archeologists call it a "treasury" to make it sound better, but it as, in effect, a tomb. Within sight of the mound was the acropolis of Mycenae, with the ruins of the earliest and once greatest civilization of mainland Europe. 65,000 people lived within the realm of Mycenae, from the acropolis to the sea, within sight of the top. We visited The Lion Gate, famous for its one-of-a-kind nature among the Mycenaean civilizations. Beyond this gate that once served both as protection and recognition of the great Mycenae, lay the progressively higher levels of the acropolis, culminating in a height from which the surrounding countryside could be seen in a truly spectacular view. Mycenae was, according to Homer and archeological evidence, the greatest of twenty-two different kingdoms of its era. Agamemnon, the famous king of the Iliad, was a kind of high-king of the other kings in the civilization that bears his city's name. Afterwards, thoroughly exhausted, we ate a traditionally late Greek lunch.
Afterwards, we journeyed back towards Athens, stopping briefly to see the phenomenal Corinthian Canal. It was built by the same company that constructed the Suez Canal, enabling trade by sea through the Corinthian Isthmus, which connects Peloponnese with mainland Greece. People had tried to build a canal there since Ancient Greece, but it was it was not finished until the 21st century with modern technology. We threw a rock over the bridge when we stopped to take pictures; it fell, a long time down the deep chasm before splashing in the waters below. Altogether, it is twenty feet wide and four miles long, a little small for heavy modern shipping but a monumental breakthrough at the time.

The group was more than glad to call an end to long bus rides, something we became quite accustomed to. Certain members of our group learned the hard way, also, to always plan ahead financially; foreign ATMs can be uncooperative with banks in the States. We ended the night in Athens, with another provided meal, celebrating our last full day together.