The Route of Aeneas
In the spring and summer of 2022, five Trinity College Dublin students participated in the Erasmus+ ‘Route of Aeneas’ programme hosted by the University of Siena, which combined an online component of lectures and project work with a one-week in-person course in Siena. The Route of Aeneas is one of the Council of Europe’s designated Cultural Routes, designed to encourage tourism, promote and share regional histories, and promote cooperation and shared heritage. Students met and worked with colleagues and classmates from Istanbul, Thessaloniki, Butrint, Tunis, and Siena, to interrogate what Virgil’s old and influential poem might mean in the Europe of 2022. Here each member of our TCD group reflects on their experience.
Piazza del Campo, Siena, September 2022
Roxanne
I was only able to participate in the virtual part of the Aeneas Route programme. However, I still had a fantastic experience; my team focused on Carthage, and my project consisted of a comparative analysis of Virgil’s Dido and Horace’s ‘Cleopatra Ode’, which I explored within the highly charged political contexts of contemporary Rome. Additionally, my teammate from the University of Carthage helped me to add a modern example: in September of 2021, Tunisia appointed Najla Bouden – their first woman prime minister. With the support of my team and the kind and helpful feedback from our supervisors - Martine and Filomena - I created a presentation of which I was proud.
The most important thing the Aeneas Route project gave me was my friendship with my teammate Duru who attends Koç University in Istanbul. We grew close over the course of the programme, connecting over our shared love of history and archaeology. I participated in a dig in southern Turkey last summer and met up with Duru in Istanbul. We spent four days together exploring the city’s history. We went to the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sofia, the Great Palace Mosaic Museum, the Hippodrome, and the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
It was one of the best weeks of my life, and I would never have met this friend without the Aeneas Route Programme. Months later, Duru and I still talk almost every day, and I feel so lucky to have made this connection. Though I was sad I wasn’t able to attend Siena in person, the Aeneas Project certainly gave me more confidence in myself as an academic, and gave me a friendship I truly cherish.
Duru and Roxanne at the top of Galata Tower
Nina
I was lucky enough to be able to take part in both the online and in-person parts of the project. The online exchange was a really exciting few weeks where we heard from many Classics and archaeology professors about their various areas of interest within the world of Virgil’s Aeneid.
What was so appealing was the way we were being encouraged to look at the text in the context of modern influence, travel and heritage: mapping Virgil’s poem onto a real, physical landscape and heritage route was a very rewarding process. While the lecture series continued, we were put into groups and given a stop on Aeneas’s route to create a presentation about. Mateo, from the University of Tirana, and Ziyed, from the University of Carthage, were my teammates, and together we looked at Rome and its significant relationship with the poem.
In all honesty, trying to create a presentation and poster with people you barely know was a challenge. We all had different areas of interest as well as varying schedules and different time zones. Despite this, the process ended up being really enjoyable and worthwhile. Unfortunately, Ziyed didn’t take part in the in-person programme, but it was so nice to meet Mateo.
The week in Siena was an intense but incredible experience full of both learning and fun. After a busy day of lectures by some of the most pre-eminent Italian scholars on Virgil, our project teams would have a lot of fun filming a short video on any chosen theme. My group looked at Aeneas’ status as a refugee and considered the importance of hospitality in the ancient world as well as now. Listening to my teammates’ different viewpoints and sharing cultural experiences with each other meant that we quickly became close friends.
If we were not in a lecture or filming we would all be wandering around Siena, getting ice cream, lying in the sun and talking for hours. Siena is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and to be able to spend a week living, working and making new friends there was really special. I’ll never forget the friends and memories I have from Siena and will always be extremely proud of our project.
Delia, Professor Alessandro Barchiesi, Mac, and Nina
Mac
I was very lucky to participate in both the virtual and in-person portions of the program! Dr Filomena Giannotti, Research Fellow of Latin Literature and Language at the University of Siena, was a wonderful host in both settings; I feel like I speak for all of us when I congratulate her poise and generosity.
I began in the online space, first meeting the students and professors from the partner universities over Zoom. My group’s presentation was about Cumae, the first site in mainland Italy that Aeneas encounters. The other two members of my group, Francesca from the University of Siena and Dimitra from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, are further advanced in their degrees than I am, so their attention to detail and confidence in presenting made them admirable role models. We all contributed new perspectives because of our different exposure to the text in English and persevered despite being out of our comfort zones, which is what made this experience unique. The student presentations were not the only presentations I had the pleasure of hearing, as each university had a professor speak on topics related to the mission of the Route of Aeneas organisation. The seminar that resonated with me most was given by Dr Agolli from the Archaeology Department of the University of Tirana; she spoke about how Balkan nationalists have co-opted the archaeology of Butrint to suit their own narratives, an example of the political relevance these sites continue to have in the modern era.
As engaging as the virtual aspect was, it was an invaluable opportunity to visit Siena and be in the same room as these students I’d come to admire over the course of those few months. Dr Giannotti arranged a contest where we would film videos in larger groups about how the environment of Siena, the project and the in-person lectures we attended changed how we felt about the text of The Aeneid; outside our project work, I became closer with different students while also enjoying the city and the summer school with Dimitra and Francesca. **The video project asked us to pay close attention to everything we were learning in that week– that approach made such a fast-paced experience feel as enriching as if we got a month to do all the same activities. The activities themselves were a pleasure: guided tours through the Duomo and the national art gallery of Siena from experts on medieval and Renaissance Italian art – what else would an inquisitive mind want when visiting one of the great centres of the Renaissance.
Learning about the other students’ cultures and interests casually outside of the classroom was an aspect I enjoyed as well, as I’d never met students from Tunisia, Albania or Turkey before! Becoming comfortable enough with students from other cultures to learn about their lives – I feel like that is the core of international exchange and the part of the programme that I appreciated the most.
Lucy
Despite solely participating in the virtual portion of the program, I found my experience to be exceptionally educational and I managed to establish new international connections that would not have been possible without the virtual communication necessitated by the pandemic.
My team focused on Troy, and for our presentation we analysed its long-lasting literary and cultural legacy across the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Europe. Studying at a European University gave me a particular but limited perspective; my teammates Jasmin and Berrin, from Tunisia and Turkey respectively, provided a great deal of context for the Mediterranean view of Troy and its enduring historical impact.
Throughout our many virtual discussions, we realized that the very geographical location of our primary and secondary education influenced our understanding of Troy. Being born and raised in the United States, I had very little personal connection with the city growing up; Berrin, however, has lived a few hours away from the site of Troy her entire life, and recounted to me many instances of visiting its museum for class field-trips and learning of Turkey’s changing identity in relation to the Trojans and Homer.
The virtual element of the programme, though it did feel slightly disconnected (and was made more so by the large time difference when I travelled back to the States in May), opened my eyes to the different perceptions we can hold of well known topics. It was in learning of each other’s differing viewpoints that Berrin and I established a strong connection. We are now good friends, and communicate regularly.
Detail from Berrin, Lucy, and Jasmin’s presentation.
Delia
I only participated in the in-person event in Siena. It was a truly amazing experience, and something I will remember for the rest of my life. I arrived in Siena on Sunday and from Monday to Friday I met so many interesting classicists, friends, and experts in fields I had never studied in-depth.
The programme was intensive but not overwhelming. The mornings were for group-work, with a lecture for a few hours in the afternoon. This gave us the opportunity to explore the city, visit historical landmarks and connect with each other. We worked together on our projects during the day and went out to dinner in the evenings.
I met so many amazing, intelligent, and inspiring people. I learned to look at the ancient world and the current one around me in a different light. We all came from such diverse backgrounds which allowed us to share our life experiences and cultural traditions. Despite the many differences, everyone was caring and inclusive. I made many friends whom I am still in contact with and plan on visiting.
It is rare to find such a unique opportunity for academic and self-development, so I felt I was extremely lucky to travel to Siena as a part of the programme.
History, Heritage, and Collaboration
The Aeneas Route Programme was an excellent example of how the study of Classics can thrive in the modern world. Not only did students use modern technology to interact with their teammates and present their findings, but many also tied modern significance(s) into each presentation. Students from Albania and Turkey discussed the impact of their country’s ancient history on contemporary media, advertising, and national pride, while Koç University’s Dr Lucienne Thys-Şenocak talked about how cultural routes have been used to protect areas of historical significance and their vulnerable modern peoples. By participating in an EU Cultural Route Programme, students used their knowledge of Classics to argue that the protection of these sites is critical to the legacy of The Aeneid, and important for Mediterranean communities today.
The Aeneas Route Programme combined digital humanities with international and interdisciplinary collaboration, giving participants valuable experience in producing and presenting meaningful academic work. The immersive week in Siena allowed participants to develop an invaluable network of mentors, colleagues and friends.
Questions after the talk of Professor Sandra Gatti, archaeologist and member of the Route of Aeneas Association
Contributors
Mac Sizeland (they/them), Ancient History and Archaeology (Year 2)
Nina Spens (she/her), Single Honours Classics (Year 2)
Delia Termini (she/her), English Literature and Latin (Year 2)
Roxanne Zaroff (she/her), Ancient History and Archaeology (Year 2)
Lucy Walaszek (she/her), Ancient History and Archaeology (Year 2)