Ancient Greece/Modern Psyche
Petros M. Nomikos Foundation
Santorini, Greece
2-4th, September, 2009
"Dawn in her saffron robe rose from the River of Ocean To bring daylight to the immortals and to men"
Homer, Iliad 19.9
We would like to invite you to participate in a conference designed to illuminate the influence of ancient Greek thought--mythology, philosophy, art, culture--on our modern psyches. We are bringing together Jungian analysts, archaeologists, and other scholars, for our three-day event on the beautiful island of Santorini, ancient Thera, in Greece. Because of the volcanic eruption around 1627 bce which created the caldera, a huge crater that drops to the sea, the island has been fabled as Plato's lost kingdom of Atlantis.
Known for its spectacular views at the edge of the caldera, the island's Bronze Age site of Akrotiri was first excavated in 1967 by the archaeologist Spiro Marinatos. When Marinatos died in 1976, Professor Christos Doumas took over the direction of the ongoing work. The island offers a unique opportunity to concentrate our studies. The Petros M. Nomikos Conference Center, with its stunning location at the top of the hill above the main town of Fira and its up-to-date facilities, is a splendid site for participants and presenters to come together. The Nomikos Conference Center also houses the Thera Wallpainting Exhibition, an in situ full size photographic installation of the Bronze Age site frescoes uncovered and restored thus far.
We are limiting the program to nine presenters to provide ample time for discussion. We want to stimulate dialogue and create an intimacy that honors both the depth and the breadth of our presentations, the modern Greek culture in which we will be hosted, and the fascinating history of the island. To that end, there will be only three presentations a day. Two lectures will be given in the morning, one in the early evening; question and answer session to follow each presentation. Lecturers will be available throughout the days for further discussion.
In the long afternoons, participants may follow the Greek tradition of lunch and nap as well as find time to visit the local attractions, which include the following: the Bronze Age site of Akrotiri; the modern Museum of Prehistoric Thera which houses the artifacts from Akrotiri; the older Archaeological Museum; the Roman era town of ancient Thera, wineries (for example, Boutari winery), black sand beaches, and the hot springs of Nea Kamena.
Speakers
Virginia Beane Rutter MA, MS (San Francisco) First Fruit Offering and Blood Sacrifice: Initiation Rites in the Bronze Age
Thomas Singer MD (San Francisco) Themis: Ancient Goddess/Modern Man
Richard Trousdell PhD (Boston) Surviving Trauma, Becoming Human: Hero and Victim Roles in The Libation Bearers
Jules Cashford MA (London) Mnemosyne and Orphic Tradition
Stephen Tobriner PhD (UC Berkeley) Myth, Memory and Mitigation: Natural Disaster Response in the Ancient Aegean
Ronald Schenk PhD (Dallas) Ulysses: Home Is Nowhere
Luigi Zoja (Milano) (to be announced)
(Two other speakers to be announced)
Additional Information
For additional information about registration, cost, travel, etc: Please contact Baruch Gould at
Organized by Virginia Beane Rutter and Thomas Singer
Supported by the Petros M. Nomikos Foundation