Eric De Sena - Journeys

As a professor of archaeology and history in Europe, I always enjoyed leading students on city tours and extended academic excursions. For example, in Rome, I taught a course on Roman art and architecture using the city as my classroom. We would begin the class on the banks of the Tiber River, discussing Romulus and Remus, and ended the course, fourteen weeks later, at the Arch of Constantine. Each class session presented a chapter in the history of ancient Rome and the meandering path we followed each allowed me to recount the biographies of the emperors, the daily life of citizens and slaves, and the significance of the monuments of ancient Rome.  As director of the American Research Center in Sofia, Bulgaria, I oversaw our fellowship program. One of the many benefits of being a fellow was that my institute (i.e., yours truly) organized excursions in Bulgaria, Serbia, Republic of Macedonia, northern Greece, and Edirne, the westernmost city of Turkey. One of my favorite itin...