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Curious Cruising Tales: From the Aegean to the Adriatic Seas with Charles Higham
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Just before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, Charles Higham was a featured guest speaker cruising with the Caledonian Sky, a vessel with just 120 passengers. Join us as we re-imagine the international voyage virtually, in a five-part cruise through some of the world’s most popular ports of call.
Few journeys loom larger in the history books than following Homer’s epic as Odysseus returned to Ithaca from the Trojan War. There are more Greek cities in Turkey than in Greece, and we begin in Pergamum, with temples, library, and theatre, a must-visit.
Most of Santorini literally evaporated with the massive volcanic eruption of about 1600 BC, one of the largest eruptions ever witnessed by mankind that destroyed the Minoan settlement of Akrotiri while at the same time preserving it under volcanic ash to visit today. Heading west, we will visit Mycenae and Tyrins before inching through the Corinth Canal to consult the Delphic oracle and emerge into the Adriatic and sail through the Strait of Messina.
It was here that Odysseus had to survive Scylla and Charybdis, and be confronted by Polyphemus, the one-eyed giant who must surely be the volcano Stromboli. Having ourselves come through these testing waters we end by cruising up the Grand Harbor of Valetta to visit the ancient Maltese temples of Hal Salfieni and Skorba.
This seminar is designed to be enjoyed as part of a five-part series led by Charles Higham. For more details, please click here to explore destinations such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and The Andaman Islands, New Zealand, the Dardanelles Strait, the Black Sea, and more.
Charles Higham is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He is an archaeologist with a particular interest in the origins of Southeast Asian civilizations. His excavations in Thailand and Cambodia have greatly increased our understanding of how the great Kingdom of Angkor began, how God-Kings were revered, and with a climatic deterioration, how it came to an end.
This conversation is suitable for all ages.
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
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