Greece
Jewels of the Aegean: Discover the History of the Greek Islands
Program No. 24908RJ
Board a small ship for an inspiring voyage through the Greek islands, stopping to learn about the history of Santorini, Crete, Karpathos, Delos and more.
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11 days
10 nights
25 meals
9B 8L 8D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
7
Karpathos, Olympos Village
At Sea
9
Patmos, St. John Monastery
At Sea
11
Program Concludes
In Flight
At a Glance
The Aegean Sea sparkles with historical and cultural gems — from its more famous islands of Santorini and Crete to the lesser-known Karpathos and Tinos, experience it all on this small ship adventure! Board your vessel in Athens after several days of exploration, including visits to the Byzantine museum and the Temple of Poseidon, and prepare yourself for a voyage through time. Discover the Bronze Age architecture of Knossos (the oldest city in Europe), the Medieval Old Town of Rhodes and the whitewashed stone villages along the rim of Santorini. Throughout your journey, hear the stories of each island from local experts who will paint the full picture of the history that you experience firsthand.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to two miles per day; uneven and inclined terrain including hills, stairs without railings and cobblestone streets. Getting on/off motorcoach and climbing in/out of tender.
What You'll Learn
- Spend two nights in Athens, where you’ll visit the Byzantine museum, the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion and enjoy a free afternoon to explore independently.
- Visit the St. John Monastery and Grotto on Patmos, the place where St. John received visions that were recorded in the Book of Revelation.
- Stop at the island of Delos, the mythological birthplace of Apollo and Artemis and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Suggested Reading List
(16 books)
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You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Jewels of the Aegean: Discover the History of the Greek Islands
Program Number: 24908
A Traveller's History of Greece
A nicely written survey from prehistory through the 1990s: wide-ranging, accessible and necessarily condensed.
Greece, Land of Light
Brukoff's dramatic color photographs are paired with incisive commentary by award-winning author Nicholas Gage for this striking portrait of the people, land and history of Greece and the islands
Introducing the Ancient Greeks, From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind
Classicist Edith Hall visits 10 Greek communities at different moments during the 20 centuries of ancient Greek history, brilliantly assembling a unified vision of the Greek spirit.
The King Must Die
The first in Mary Renault's trilogy of well-researched page-turners features the tale of Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur and the king of Athens. Known for her exhaustive research, Renault is an acknowledged master of historical fiction.
The Greek Myths, Complete Edition
A new edition of Graves' classic collection with a cover by comic book artist Ross MacDonald. This expert retelling by Graves, a poet, memoirist and the author of I, Claudius (ITL429), still remains the seminal modern translation of the mythologies of Ancient Greece.
Greece, A Traveler's Literary Companion
In this terrific anthology, 24 modern Greek writers offer a flavor of their nation, its culture and people, beautiful landscapes and rich history.
A Traveller's History of Athens
A brief history of Athens through the 1990's -- wide-ranging, accessible and effectively condensed. With a useful chronology and historical gazetteer, this book marches confidently through the centuries.
Ancient Greece: Art, Architecture, and History
This informative handbook traces Greek art and architecture from the third millennium to the first century B.C.
Modern Greece, What Everyone Needs to Know
A primer on Greek history from the 19th century on, with an in-depth look at the government debt crisis of 2010 and a consideration for the far-reaching implications of the country’s current economic instability.
Eyewitness Guide Greek Islands
Color photography, excellent local maps and an island-by-island synopsis of attractions make this book the one to carry with you. Includes a chapter on Athens.
Knossos & the Prophets of Modernism
In this marvelous, scholarly study of the myth and meaning on Minoan Crete, Gere illuminates both the original excavations of Sir Arthur Evans at Knossos and how this ancient civilization captured the Western imagination as an idealized society.
The Greeks, An Illustrated History
This accessible photographic history of ancient Greece pays special attention to Greek innovations: great literature and architecture, war tactics, democracy, the Olympics, Socrates and much more. Cline laces the gripping story of the Greek empire with archaeological discoveries.
The World of the Ancient Greeks
Featuring hundreds of illustrations and invitingly short chapters on topics from the first Greeks to the Heroic Age and classical Athens. With modern color photographs of great Greek cities from Athens and Delphi to Knossos, Ephesus, Pergamum and Priene.
Greek Mythology, A Traveler's Guide
This informative, literary traveler's guide introduces Greek mythology geographically through 22 chapters dedicated to specific destinations, from Mount Olympus and Delos to Athens and Mycenae, illustrated with beautiful color drawings.
It's All Greek to Me
With timelines, a who's who, charts and maps, this handy little primer is a thoroughly entertaining introduction to everything Greek, from poetry and drama to philosophy, history and culture.
The Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems about the Greek hero Odysseus in his long journey back to his native land Ithaca after the fall of Troy.
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