Cast your mind back a few weeks — when the weather was still cool and the cicadas were still quiet. In mid-June, I took my last exploratory trip around the Aegean islands (if you’re late to the party, catch up here: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4). This voyage of discovery (also, an … Continue reading
The next stage of my itinerant fieldwork round the Aegean islands sees me working my way further alongside the coast of Turkey (parts one, two, and three here). In fact, I was a mere mile from Turkey at one stage — and Didim was perfectly clear on the horizon, where I’ve happily spent the past few … Continue reading
The next stage of my research on the islands of Greece (parts one and two here) brings me to the coast of Turkey. I’m moving down a set of islands that are so close to the Turkish mainland that I’ve been able to see across to Ayvalık and Çeşme — and I can almost taste … Continue reading
Continuing on from last time, here’s the next thrilling instalment of my Greek Island hopping fieldwork adventure. Having been left abandoned on the shores of Mykonos in the last episode, I was soon back on the road (/the sea). Next stop: more of the Northern Cyclades. Andros Andros is the northern-most of the Cycladic islands, … Continue reading
For the next few months —and thanks to the generosity of my funding body— I’m on a Greek Odyssey. As part of my PhD fieldwork, I’m visiting the archaeological sites and museum collections from some of the Cyclades, Dodecanese, and Northern Aegean islands. These groups of islands comprise some of 6000 islands in the middle … Continue reading
For years Pompeii has been many things. The subject of art and novels, the setting of films, a Lego model and a cake. So potent is the imagery the Roman city inspires in people’s minds that it has let many other places borrow the name. It seems like you cannot open a news or travel … Continue reading
Recently I went to see the Architecture Biennale in Venice and its exhibition entitled ‘A World of Fragile Parts’. This was curated by Brendan Cormier from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and explored the idea that making copies of things is a way of preventing the loss of material heritage. Having this show in … Continue reading
According to the Culture and Tourism Provincial Directorate, the site of Ancient Ephesus welcomed nearly 2 million visitors in 2013. That’s around two thirds of the total visitor population to archaeological and heritage sites in the whole İzmir region: around the same number of people who visit the Athenian Acropolis or Pomepii per annum, and … Continue reading
As the Cambridge winter starts drawing in, the natural response (at least as far as I’m concerned) is to start daydreaming about warm sunny places in the Mediterranean. Fortunately, one of the advantages of Classics is that it provides the perfect excuse to go to said warm sunny places and sit on a beach eating … Continue reading
I recently had a flying visit to Madrid: two days’ conference, one day’s sightseeing, far more Spanish food than was reasonable given the length of my stay (top food tip: the Mercado de San Miguel, an entire market of stalls selling every possible kind of tapas…). However, as is traditional for RG travel reporters, I … Continue reading
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