(A) Required Experience: 

This is an *educational* summer camp, suitable for learners who are genuinely interested in ancient Greek history, mythology and archaeology, motivated to learn more, and willing to follow this summer camp in order to acquire a deeper knolwedge about the ancient Greek Olympic games and the archaeological site of ancient Olympia. This is a summer camp for those learners who believe that learning history, mythology and archaeology can be fun.

(B) Teaching style and students interaction:

The learning process of this camp is based on a combination of a power-point presentation, a lecture that asks students to participate, class dialogue, questions based on the ongoing lecture, and new ideas based on the participants. There is not one universal solution to teach. Rather I combine techniques to achieve the maximum of my strengths and of my students. Having taught so far young kids, teenagers, University students and mature learners, I know that teachers need to approach students with understanding. After all, such a small class has the advantage of making the combined technique of ppt presentation-lecture-dialogue feasible and efficient. Thanks to Zoom, engaging students and interacting with them is always possible. 

(C) Class format and topics to be covered: 

Every four years the entire planet talks about the Olympic Games, an extremely popular international event, and we are often reminded that their origin is from a place in modern southern Greece, called Olympia. We may even get a glimpse of the Olympic torch when it starts its journey from the archaeological site of ancient Olympia. But, how much do we really know about these ancient games and the ancient place that hosted them for the very first time in recorded human history thousands of your ago? 

In this summer camp we are going to discuss five important aspects of ancient Olympia and the ancient Olympic games to get a short but concise overview of how Greeks conceptualized the idea of a highly competitive exposition of physical strength (the Greeks called this form of competition "agon"; from where we get the word prot-agonist = Gr. "the first to compete"):

Day One: Zeus and the Olympic Games. Zeus is the strongest of the gods, a warrior god, a winner over his opponents (giants, titans) and a fighter who uses his mind and intelligence (and not just brute force) to win his opponents, as well as the distributor of victory. It is all the more natural that the Olympic games are dedicated to the Olympian Zeus. We will learn about the myths that connect Zeus and Olympia, about the art dedicated to him in Olympia, and most of all the temple constructed for his worship in Olympia. His temple in Olympia was, in fact, the focal point, of the ancient Olympic games which had always been part of a religious festival. 

Day Two: Pelops and the Olympic Games. Pelops is the local hero, a human with extraordinary powers and a highly relevant myth, since he is the first to have ever competed in a chariot race in the are of Olympia. His story, though, is full of bribery, trickstery, betrayal and love. Perhaps the life of ancient Greek athletes, too! Be that as it may, the archaeological site of Olympia is full of places of memory related to this mythical founder hero of the games (e.g. his tomb next to the temple of Zeus). In other words, the ancient Greeks believed that their Olympic Games had a heroic past.

Day Three: Herakles and the Olympic Games. There is no way the ancient Greeks could leave these games without connecting them to their greatest hero, himself an example of strength, willingness and perseverance in fighting his opponents. Ancient athletes did not have to fight beasts, monsters, giants and dragons like Herakles did, but definitely needed Herculean strength to win the first place. Herakles was also seen as the founder of a festival that was meant to bring together all Greeks in one place in harmony.

Day Four: Olympic Games. What was really the games about? What did the Olympic program include in it? Which atheltic events? For how many days? What did it really mean to compete and win in these games? Who was eligible to compete and how? What for?  The logistic of the games and the profit out of it.

Day Five: War and Politics. Despite being games to have taken place under a highly respected Olympic truce, yet these games were never meant to be seen as a peaceful event. On the contrary, these games were part of the military preparation of citizens/fighters. In an era of amateur or semi-professional athletes, competing for your city in games, representing and reflecting its strength and prowess in the stadium was much more important than any athlete's individual success. The ancient Olympic games was a highly political event, and Olympia a theatre of war and politics.