Cari Studenti (Dear Students), 

Meeting you in Naples after your adventures in Greece is an encounter that I anticipate with great delight. I know Greece well, and love it, and so I am eager to welcome you to Italy and hear your stories about your experiences in Greece. What were the highlights? What were your favorite places, and experiences, and food? Did you meet Greek people? Were there any disappointments? Was the Acropolis in Athens a big deal, or a let down? I can see it either way, so I am not looking for accolades for the Acropolis. What is your opinion on returning to Athens the sculptures now in the British Museum in London? Do you know the coded language to use in this discussion? 

We start in Naples, ancient Neapolis (“new city” and a Greek foundation), and so you will have a foothold in Italy that was originally a Greek city. How is that for a smooth transition from Greece to Italy? 

We will be together for only a few days, and I have two goals: (1) to meet all of you individually, so that I will know you as individuals, not just as a group, and (2) to continue your Greek studies by mixing in special experiences in Pompeii and Rome. Perhaps I should add that I began my professional career as a high school English teacher for two years. This means that I know some of your tricks, but I don’t know modern tricks, so I want you to teach them to me. This also means that you cannot get away with the misuse of “less” and “fewer.” And “based off, or based off of,” will result in an excursus on the metaphor involved. Telling you this, means, of course, that you will use this expression intentionally. I would be disappointed in you if you did not do so. A related observation is that I was a fencer for many years and I enjoy a parry-riposte! ☺ 

My teaching method is Socratic, to the extent possible. I will lecture, because that is necessary when you are seeing brand new material. But I prefer to ask you questions about the material we are looking at and steer the discussion by means of your answers. Yes, discussion! That is what we are looking for in this program. You know the drill. Receiving a lecture is passive learning. Being involved in a discussion is active learning. Right? This program is all about YOU, and we want to make it work so that you will learn as much as possible. 

So, who am I? I am a Classical Archaeologist. That means that I study the Greeks and the Romans. My specialty is the Romans, and my precise specialty is Pompeii where I am the Director of the Pompeii Forum Project. The “forum” is the urban center of any Roman city. 

The Romans have left us many artifacts: pots, glass, frescoes, tools, etc., but the most complex artifacts from the Romans are their cities. We start in Pompeii with a very eloquent, yet problematical, artifact that will give us a taste of a small Roman city. I will ask you about scale while we are there, because scale of a city is important. In absolute terms, it is big, but when we go to Rome we will learn what “big” really is. The scale of ancient Rome is extraordinary, and we will see it! 

I am the real Indiana Jones! As a graduate student I drove the excavation Land Rover from Zurich to the Euphrates River and then back again (you fill in the blanks!). I have no envy of Indy, because his adventures were all made in Hollywood, and mine, as a real archaeologist, were made in Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. I can tell you some, but only in trade for your adventures in Greece! But I might indicate that I have swum with snakes in the Euphrates River—something that Harrison Ford never actually did. 

What will we do in Italy? On our basic hit list for Rome are the Forum, Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Vatican. The list will expand as opportunities present themselves. Do you have any special places that you want to see? 

How do you address me? If you want to be very formal, you call me “Professor Dobbins.” If you would prefer to be less formal (my preference) you call me “Professor John” That is my preference. I think that’s it for now. 

Cheers, 

Professor John