Archaeological Tours 2016 catalog

archaeological tours Led by noted scholars | superb itineraries | unsurpassed service

2016 program Stimulating, inspiring and erudite study tours all over the world

2

How to Book You can guarantee your place(s) on any

Welcome

Archaeological Tour with a $1500 deposit payment. If you haven‘t traveled with us before we will also require personal details of you and any traveling companions. We then ask for a balance payment 20 weeks before you depart (see pg.81 for further details and conditions).

Where you see an unpriced tour in this brochure you can still pay your deposit. We will let you know when the price is fixed and you can choose to either confirm your place, transfer your deposit, or ask for a refund.

After you book your place we will send you many more details of your trip, reading material, practical information and just about anything else you might need to prepare you for a wonderful time on tour.

For more information and to book info@archaeologicaltrs.com Call 212-986-3054 Toll-free 866-740-5130

Hello Travelers, Here it is - our first full catalog! We are so proud of our 2016 tours that we couldn’t bear to split them up. So for the first time in our history we’ve gathered them together in one place - the brand new Archaeological Tours catalog.

Will you join us to watch the sun go down over the glittering golden-stone temples of Bagan in Burma? Would you prefer to enter the Ice Age by tracing outlines of French cave art? Maybe, you’d like to contemplate the meaning of life at the world’s largest Buddhist Stupa… You can do all this and so much more on an Archaeological Tour. We have an exciting selection of tours to share with you, and each offers our signature mix of culture and history.

We’ve told you a little bit about our 2016 tours, but what sets us apart from other tour providers?

One word - passion. We are passionate about travel because we know that nothing else can offer such stimulating experiences, rich new insights or opportunities to learn from history.

We want to make sure that every experience you share with us is just right. My staff and I are still hard at work crafting our 2016 tours, so some still appear unpriced in this catalog.

Keep checking our website for program updates: www.archaeologicaltrs.com. We hope you enjoy browsing this catalog as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it.

If you would like to know more about any of our tours, traveling with AT in general, or would like help deciding on your perfect trip to the ancient world, please get in touch. Give us a call or send us an email. If you find yourself in New York City, stop by to visit us and share a coffee at our Madison Avenue office instead. We always enjoy visits from past and future travelers.

I hope to see you soon on tour,

Linda Linda Feinstone President, Archaeological Tours

3

About Us What can you expect when you travel with Archaeological Tours?

Superb Itineraries

If it’s on our itinerary, it has been personally researched and visited by at least one of our team. This way, we can ensure that when you travel to distant lands, you will be rewarded with deep insight into the archaeology, history and culture of your destination. This is just as true whether you are touring local villages in the Ghanian savannah, or walking the prehistoric landscapes around Stonehenge.

Noted Scholars

Travel with distinguished faculty members of respected universities. Our guides are chosen not only for the breadth and depth of their knowledge, but also for their ability to fascinate their listeners, and share the passion they have for their chosen subject. A great number of our lecturers have toured with us for many years and are very much attuned to the subtleties of what makes a stand-out tour.

Highly Personalized Service

The kind that only a small, dedicated company like ours can provide. We’re here for you whatever you need: person-to-person advice, ideas, insights, or specialized arrangements (hotel bookings or other travel arrangements). You can really count on us to give you reliable advice - every member of our staff is also one of our experienced tour escorts and know our destinations inside out.

4

Depth and Breadth

Ranging from 12 to 21 days, our tours allow you time to totally immerse yourself in the places we visit. For many of us, a trip to Ancient Egypt, Burma or Central Asia is a once in a lifetime experience. We plan not only archaeological but art, music and cultural visits into our programs. You can’t go all the way to Malta and miss seeing the Caravaggio hidden away in one of the Churches of Valletta. Equally, you don’t want to miss the chance to hear the unique tones of Classical Indian music - as intrinsic to the country’s history as the Taj Mahal.

Camaraderie of Fellow Travelers

Most of our tours have around 18 participants, and we think this number of travelers is ‘just right’. Small groups which offer sociability, companionship and a sense of shared experience but most importantly don’t crowd you, or make you feel like part of the herd.

A Sense of Adventure

Travel broadens the mind. It stimulates, educates and inspires. At Archaeological Tours we never limit our ambition and seek out first-rate archaeology and history wherever it can be found. In 2016 you will find tours to Ghana, China, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Japan as well as Latin America and Classical Europe. Even in the modern age of globalization, there are still a wondrous variety of cultures, landscapes and histories waiting to be discovered beyond our own shores.

Your Safety First

The security and political stability of every country we visit is carefully considered and monitored throughout the year. We keep in constant touch with our local experts ‘on the ground’ all over the world to remain informed. Every tour is accompanied by a member of the Archaeological Tours staff who has your safety as their highest priority.

4* & 5* Hotels at the Highest Standard

These days, there is no reason to sacrifice comfort or convenience while you travel the world! We seek out the very best hotels for you. Our international standard hotels are well-located for our touring, restaurants and culture.

You can find details of all our hotels at the end of each day in the tour itineraries. If you would like any more information or have any questions please get in touch.

Flights at Excellent Prices

More than 50% of our travelers choose to book their flights with Archaeological Tours. All of our dedicated staff are specialists in organizing air travel. They are very happy to make arrangements for you, from airports across the country.

The Archaeological Tours team We’ve joined forces with Specialist Journeys, a UK company with several

travel partners. This terrific arrangement has really helped us with a lot of our back office detail. A lot of time has been freed up to do what we love the most: planning new tours, improving our itineraries and talking with all of you. Rest assured that despite this change, our wonderful staff remain unchanged, and as always are here to assist you.

Mary-Lou Leddy has been with Archaeological Tours for 29 years. She is our Director of Operations and loves traveling and interacting with clients.

Mary-Lou has always traveled - she was born in Australia, studied in the UK and is now an American citizen. Her favorite travel destinations are Myanmar and Indonesia.

She also speaks French and Italian.

40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!

Archaeological Tours has been setting the standards of what constitutes a great Archaeological and History Study Tour for forty years. Why accept anything less?

Kirsten Knudsen’s experience of living in a range of countries overseas has helped her provide expertise on our destinations for 16 years. She is a Tour Consultant and is always on hand to offer advice to travelers.

Kirsten is Danish, but has lived all across the world - including Brazil, Portugal, Houston and Africa. Of all the places she has visited she loves India the most.

Outside of the office she enjoys playing bridge and going hiking to immerse herself in nature.

Lisa Cliadakis has been working hard to ensure all runs smoothly behind the scenes at Archaeological Tours for over 11 years. She is a Tour Consultant and enjoys finding flights for our customers. She studied Environmental Science and Archaeology at Hunter College.

Her favorite areas of travel include South and Central America.

Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, long drives, photography and listening to her son’s band.

5

2016 Calendar A full list of all our tours, check our website for any updates January

April

May

Guatemala & Belize Jan 1 - 15

Central Asia Apr 25 – May 12

Western Turkey May 22 – Jun 11

Ghana, Togo & Benin Jan 26 - Feb 12

Malta, Sardinia & Corsica Apr 27 - May 12

Led by Prof William Saturno...................p32

Led by Prof Trevor Marchand..................p26 Burma & Cambodia Jan 29 - Feb 17

Led by Prof Robert R. Stieglitz.................p50

Led by Prof Richard Cooler......................p10

May

February

Brittany & Stonehenge May 4 - 18

Sri Lanka Feb 8 - 24

Led by Prof B.D. Nandadeva...................p62 North India Feb 20 - Mar 8

Led by Dr Roy Larick...............................p20 The Great Museums: Paris May 6 – 15

Led by Prof Ori Z. Soltes..........................p24

Led by Prof Kenneth W. Harl...................p68

June The Great Museums: Berlin & Vienna Jun 1 - 11, 2016

Led by Prof Ori Z. Soltes..........................p24 The Borders: England & Scotland Jun 4 - 17

Led by Dr Martin Goldberg.....................p18 Scotland & Its Islands Jun 17 - Jul 3

Led by Dr Gordon Noble..........................p 58

Classical Greece May 8 – 23

July

Maya Mexico Mar 5 - 20

China: Sacred Landscapes May 15 – Jun 4

Led by Prof Kenneth W. Harl...................p64

Ancient Japan Mar 31 – Apr 14

Tunisia May 20 – Jun 2

Led by Prof J. Daniel White.....................p34

March Led by Prof William Saturno...................p52

Led by Prof Robert Thorp........................p42 6

Led by Prof Craig G.R. Benjamin............p70

Led by Prof Gerald Schaus.......................p28

Led by Prof Robert Thorp........................p14

Led by Prof David L. Stone......................p66

Vikings Jul 10 - 26, 2016

August

October

Indonesia: Java & Bali Aug 1 - 21

Sicily & Southern Italy Oct 1-16

Led by Prof Richard Cooler......................p46 Peru Aug 26 – Sep 11

Led by Prof John W. Rick.........................p56

September

Led by Prof Gerald Schaus.......................p40 Japan: Archaeology & Tradition Oct 6 – 23

Led by Prof Robert Thorp........................p44 Israel With Optional Jordan Extension Oct 24 - Nov 9 or 13

Sicily & Southern Italy Sep 3 - 18, 2016

Led by Dr Norma Franklin......................p38

Led by Prof Gerald Schaus.......................p40

November

Caves & Castles Sep 4 - 18, 2016

Ghana, Togo & Benin Nov 3 - 20

Balkans: Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro & Croatia Sep 5 – 21, 2016

Splendors of Ancient Egypt Nov 4 - 20

Led by Dr Roy Larick...............................p60

Led by Dr Robert Bianchi........................p48 Crete & Santorini Sep 6 – 20, 2016

Led by Prof Robert R Stieglitz..................p30 Ireland Sep 7 – 22, 2016

Led by Prof Trevor Marchand..................p26

Led by Prof Lanny Bell.............................p16 Oman & Zanzibar Nov 4 - 20

Led by Prof Trevor Marchand..................p54 Chile & Easter Island Nov 6 - 19

Led by Prof Charles Doherty...................p36

Led by Dr. Jo Anne Van Tilburg & Prof Calogero M. Santoro....................p12

Bulgaria Sep 15 - Oct 1

Vietnam & Cambodia Nov 17 - Dec 5

Led by Prof Nikola Theodossiev...............p8

Led by Prof Richard Cooler......................p72 7

Bulgaria

ITINERARY Thursday, Friday, September 15 & 16: Arrive in Sofia on Friday afternoon.

Hotel: Grand Hotel Sofia Meals: Dinner Saturday, September 17: SOFIA Our walking tour begins via the Eastern Gate of Serdica to the National Archaeological Museum, housed in a 15th-century former mosque. We stop at St. George Rotunda and then walk via the Western Gate of Serdica to the Sofia Synagogue. Lastly, we visit Banya Bashi Mosque and the adjacent remains of Turkish baths.

Hotel: Grand Hotel Sofia Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, September 18: SOFIA We begin at the National Museum of History, which houses one of Europe’s richest collections of ancient gold and medieval ecclesiastical art. We also visit the Boyana Church, renowned for its 13th-century frescoes. Finally, we stop at Aleksandar Nevski Cathedral and St. Sofia Basilica, which gave the city its name.

Hotel: Grand Hotel Sofia Meals: Breakfast & lunch

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Discover one of Europe’s richest collections of ancient gold at Sofia’s National Museum.

• Travel through the wild landscape of the Rila Mountains to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, Rila Monastery.

• Explore the Valley of the Thracian Kings.

• Find the perfect souvenir in the craft bazaars of Veliko Tarnovo’s old town.

• Visit the huge proto-Bulgarian bas-relief carved into a cliff - the Horseman of Madara.

• Enjoy an enlightening walking tour through the town of Varna.

Our tour will introduce the complicated history and cultures of the mosaic of peoples who have occupied the fertile plains bordering the Danube River. Explore a complex history from the wooded Carpathians to the shores of the Black Sea, where an astonishing wealth of ancient ruins, architecture and art await you.

8

Monday, September 19: RILA We travel through the Rila Mountains’ wild landscapes of forests and granite cliffs to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, Rila Monastery - founded near the site where St. John of Rila lived and worshiped in a cave. The monastery established by the First Bulgarian Kingdom, was known as a center of learning and church power. We will visit the monastery and its museum.

Hotel: Dedeman Trimontium Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, September 20: PLOVDIV We explore the Archaeological Museum and the Late Antique Basilica. We visit the Forum of Philippopolis, the Roman Odeon and see the Late Roman mosaics in Trakart Center. We later visit the National Revival quarter, impressive Roman Theater and partly excavated Roman Stadium.

Hotel: Dedeman Trimontium Hotel Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, September 23: KAZANLAK We begin at the Archaeological Museum which houses the Thracian finds from the area’s tumuli. At Stara Zagora we see a group of Neolithic dwellings, and the new Archaeological Museum. We stop in Karanovo to see the Thracian chariot tomb and the Karanovo Tell.

Hotel: Palace Hotel, Kazanlak Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, September 21: PERPERIKON We travel into the countryside and spend the day in Perperikon, a Roman settlement and Byzantine fortress. Excavation has revealed evidence of a huge palace, temples and living quarters from the Roman era.

We also visit Alexandrovo Thracian Tomb.

Hotel: Dedeman Trimontium Hotel Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Saturday, September 24: NESEBAR Today we drive to the Black Sea coast. Our visit will be to Nesebar. Here we examine the well-preserved ancient and medieval fortifications, the Archaeological Museum and several mediaeval basilicas, some with excellent frescoes.

Hotel: Capital Hotel, Varna Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, September 22: STAROSEL Touring begins at the Thracian beehive tomb at Starosel and continues to Diocletianopolis, a Late Roman spa town.

The day ends in the Valley of the Thracian Kings, with visits to 3 of the 15,000 burials.

Hotel: Palace Hotel, Kazanlak Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Romania Bucharest

Bulgaria SoďŹ a Plovdiv

Constanza

Varna Stara Zagora

Sunday, September 25: VARNA We visit the Archaeological Museum, which houses an extraordinary collection, including 6,000-year-old gold ornaments, exquisitely executed 3rd-century BCE jewelry from Greek Odessos and Roman funerary sculpture. Next we visit the excellent Ethnographical Museum and enjoy a walking tour through town and visit the well-preserved Roman Thermae.

Hotel: Capital Hotel, Varna Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, September 26: PLISKA We stop at Pliska, the magnificent capital of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. We tour the site and visit the small Archaeological Museum. Next we visit the Horseman of Madara, a huge proto-Bulgarian basrelief carved into a cliff. We continue to the Preslav Museum, which exhibits First Bulgarian Kingdom period artifacts.

Hotel: Hotel Riga, Ruse Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, September 27: SVESHTARI Our day begins in Sveshtari where we visit several outstanding Thracian tombs. The most famous, was built in the early 3rd century BCE and is painted and lined with semi-columns of goddesses with upraised arms. We also visit Demir Baba Teke, a fascinating Shiite temple built over the remains of a Thracian sanctuary. We travel to Ivanovo and visit its UNESCO World Heritage rock-hewn Churches.

Hotel: Hotel Riga, Ruse Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, September 28: RUSE We visit the Archaeological Museum in Ruse and tour the site of Roman Sexaginta Prista overlooking the Danube River. We travel to the fortress at Cherven and stop at the Roman city of Nicopolis ad Istrumand before we continue to Veliko Tarnovo.

Hotel: Hotel Yantra, Veliko Tarnavo Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, September 29: ARBANASI Touring begins at the little church of Nativity in Arbanasi and continues at the interesting 17th century Konstantsalieva House. We continue to Pavlikeni to see a Roman ceramic production center. We return to Veliko Tarnovo in time to explore the craft bazaars in the Old town.

Hotel: Hotel Yantra, Veliko Tarnavo Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, September 30: VRATSA Depart for Vratsa, to view the famous Rogazen Treasure hoard. We meet for our farewell dinner tonight.

Hotel: Grand Hotel Sofia Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, October 1: SOFIA Transfer to the airport for flights home.

Meals: Breakfast

Perfectly preserved Bronze-Age Chariot burial at Karanovo

LED BY Prof Nikola Theodossiev is senior assistant professor of Archaeology at Sofia University. He has directed excavations at various Thracian sites since 1990. Among his numerous accolades are Getty and Mellon fellowships.

A funerary procession - paintings from the Thracian tombs of Kazanluk

September 15 - October 1, 2016 17 Days $5,480 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $620 9

Burma & Cambodia

ITINERARY Friday & Saturday, January 29 & 30: We arrive in Bangkok on Saturday.

Suvarnabhumi Hotel, Bangkok Sunday, January 31: YANGON We fly to Myanmar (Burma) and its capital, Yangon (Rangoon) to view the colonial buildings and the golden chedi at Sule Pagoda. We experience the spiritual atmosphere surrounding the glorious Shwedagon Pagoda.

Hotel: Kandawgyi Palace Hotel, Yangon Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, February 1: MANDALAY Our day begins at Myanmar’s cultural and religious center, Mandalay. We explore the Mahamuni Pagoda, the holiest of all Burmese shrines and visit the wooden Shwesandaw monastery.

Hotel: Sedona Hotel, Mandalay Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Uncover the historical, ethnographic and religious aspects of these exotic lands.

• Discover glittering pagodas, golden temples and saffron-robed monks in Myanmar.

• Explore Bagan, the Buddhist capital of the first Burmese kingdom along the shores of Inle Lake.

• Study Cambodia, a country of contrasts - Buddhist monasteries, teeming markets, spectacular palaces and the incomparable Angkor Wat. • Experience traditional music and dance, sample the local foods, examine crafts and explore lively markets.

Travel with us through ancient royal capitals, deserted royal cities and some of the thousands of pagodas and temples dotted around Burma and Cambodia. We begin in Burma with its golden temples and saffron-robed monks and make our way through to Cambodia where we explore the Angkor Wat ruins from every perspective...

10

Tuesday, February 2: AVA South of Mandalay, we visit the deserted royal cities Amarapura and Ava. We ferry across the Myitnge River to Ava, then take a pony cart across verdant rice fields to visit a traditional wooden monastery and Ava village. We witness evening prayers at Shwe Kywe Kyin Monastery.

Hotel: Sedona Hotel, Mandalay Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, February 3: MINGUN We travel to Mingun, to see The Mingun Bell, just one of the famous monuments found here. We visit some of Mandalay’s royal craft guilds, including stone carvers, beaters of gold leaf, and girls who produce a unique ‘paper that makes gold grow’.

Hotel: Sedona Hotel, Mandalay Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, February 4: BAGAN: We fly to Bagan (Pagan), the first capital of Burma. We begin at the Shwezigon Pagoda and also visit Gubyaukgyi Wetkyiin, which has the most complete frescoes in Bagan.

We continue to four very different 11thcentury Mon-style temples.

Hotel: Aye Yar River View, Bagan Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, February 7: INLE LAKE We fly to Heho and spend the afternoon on Inle Lake. Here we see the renowned Intha ‘leg rowers’ and floating gardens bursting with vegetables and flowers. We stop to visit Phaung Daw U Pagoda, the holiest site in Southern Shan state.

Hotel: Inle Princess Resort Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Friday, February 5: MYINKABA After an early morning carriage ride to see the sunrise at one of the pagodas, we visit two transitional temples: Gubyaukgyi Myinkaba Temple and Ananda Temple, and the Archaeological Museum. We also have the opportunity to take an early morning hot air balloon flight.

Hotel: Aye Yar River View, Bagan Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, Tuesday, February 8 & 9: TAUNGGYI We continue to Nyaungshwe. We travel through pine forests to the former hill station and capital of Southern Shan State, Taunggyi. We visit Shweyanpyay Monastery and the ancient ruins of Kak Ku Pagoda. Our last day on the lake takes us through a channel along which we see weaving done with lotus and silk, and umbrella and paper makers.

Hotel: Inle Princess Resort Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, February 6: MT. POPA We travel to Mt. Popa, a dormant volcano that rises from lush groves of toddy palms and flowers in the valley. Mt. Popa is an important pilgrimage site. We watch the throngs of pilgrims as they climb to the shrines that cling to the mountain rocks.

Hotel: Aye Yar River View, Bagan Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat)

Burma (Myanmar) Bagan Mandalay

Laos Vientiane

Yangon

Thailand Ubon Ratchathani

Bangkok Phonm Penh

Pakse

Siem Reap (Angor Wat)

Cambodia

Wednesday, February 10: YANGON We fly to Yangon and visit Scott Market, known for its colonial architecture, antiques, Burmese handicraft and art.

Hotel: Cambodiana Hotel, Phnom Penh Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, February 11: PHNOM PENH This morning we will visit the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda and explore the Russian market. The remainder of the day will be at leisure to explore this fascinating city.

Hotel: Cambodiana Hotel, Phnom Penh Meals: Breakfast Friday, February 12: SIEM REAP We spend a full morning at the National Museum, where sculptures and objects from the temples at Angkor are displayed.

Hotel: Sofitel Royal Hotel, Siem Reap Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, Sunday, February 13 & 14: ANGKOR WAT COMPLEX We have scheduled ample time to allow us an in-depth exploration of the extraordinary Angkor complex. The first two days will be spent touring the older temples of the Roluos group and the magnificent sanctuaries and temples of the Angkor Wat complex. We visit the city of Angkor Thom, with the many-towered Bayon Temple at its center. We also visit Prasat Kravan, guarded by elephants. Our dinner on Saturday will be accompanied by a Cambodian dance performance.

Hotel: Sofitel Royal Hotel, Siem Reap Meals: Breakfast, lunch & 1 dinner Monday, February 15: SIEM REAP We visit two temples: Preah Khan and Ta Som. As we tour Preah Khan we discuss the professional restoration of these monuments. We spend the afternoon in the countryside visiting the remarkably preserved little temple of Banteay Srei. We meet for our farewell dinner tonight.

Hotel: Sofitel Royal Hotel, Siem Reap Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, February 16: TA PROHM We conclude our temple program with a walk through the temple of Ta Prohm, where delicately carved faces are cradled in strangler fig trees and inhabited only by green parrots. We move on to the new Siem Reap Museum and the school and workshops of the Artisans d’Angkor, a state school where traditional Cambodian crafts are taught. We return to Bangkok tonight, ready for flights home tomorrow.

Hotel: Suvarnabhumi Hotel, Bangkok Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, February 17: We depart for home today.

Meals: Breakfast

The gilded stupa, Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma one of the oldest in the world

LED BY Prof Richard Cooler is the Founding Director of the Center for Burma Studies at Northern Illinois University. He has lived, lectured, and conducted research in Thailand, Burma and Malaysia for many years.

The magnficient temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the 12th century CE

January 29 - February 17, 2016 20 Days $8,725 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,690 11

Chile & Easter Island

ITINERARY Sunday & Monday, November 6 & 7: We arrive in Iquique on Monday.

Hotel: Hotel Terrada Suites, Iquique Meals: Dinner Tuesday, November 8: PINTADOS We spend the morning at Chile’s most spectacular geoglyphs in an area known as Pintados. We stop at Humberstone, an abandoned mining town, on our return.

We also visit Iquique’s Regional Museum and explore this picturesque town.

Hotel: Hotel Terrada Suites, Iquique Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, November 9: ATACAMA We travel to the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama. We stop to explore the Valley of the Moon, which was named for the colorful rock formations of gypsum, clay and salt found in the valley.

Hotel: Casa Atacama Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Explore pre-Inca fortresses, colonial churches and excellent museums.

• Encounter Easter Island with two experts who are currently surveying and studying the moai.

• Discover Rano Raraku, the volcanic crater that was the beating heart of the ancient culture.

• Trace the ancient roads which transported statues to nearly every corner of the island.

• Marvel at the 15 re-erected giants in Ahu Tongariki, the largest megalithic site in Polynesia.

• Meet talented artisans, picnic on pink sand beaches and view energetic ceremonial dances.

Our tour begins with a study of the Inca culture in northern Chile. Here the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places in the world, is responsible for the preservation of many great archaeological treasures. We travel on to Easter Island, known locally as Rapa Nui, an isolated speck in the vast blue Pacific Ocean.

12

Thursday, November 10: TULOR We discover the Petroglyphs of Yerbas Buenas - animal and human figures carved into rock 4000 years ago. After visiting Rainbow Valley and its colorful rocks, we continue to Tulor, a 2800-yearold town site, and the fortress of Quitor.

Hotel: Casa Atacama Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, November 11: CHIU CHIU We visit the Archaeological Museum’s excellent collection. The surrounding desert has provided a great collection of mummies, clothes and artifacts predating those of Egypt. We also stop in Chiu Chiu to see the oldest church in Chile.

Hotel: Hotel Marina Las Condes Santiago Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Saturday, November 12: SANTIAGO We view the Easter Island collection at the Natural History Museum, and the PreColumbian Museum, which also houses an exceptional collection of traditional hats from every region of Chile. We then tour the colonial sites of Santiago, including the red-washed San Francisco Church. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Hotel: Hotel Marina Las Condes, Santiago Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, November 13: RAPA NUI We arrive at Easter Island. Dr. Van Tilburg and her project co-director, native Rapa Nui artist Cristián Arevalo Pakarati, will meet us and share our welcome drinks on our hotel terrace. For the next week we will encounter Rapa Nui and its people through the unique perspectives of these two experts, who have joined their knowledge of science and art to study the moai.

Hotel: O’tai Hotel, Easter Island Meals: Breakfast & dinner Monday, November 14: HANGA ROA We begin at the small fishing port and the colorful historic cemetery, then continue to the restored ceremonial sites of Tahai, Vai Uri and Ko Te Riku. This site will provide Arica Iquique

Anakena

Easter Island

Chile Poike

Antofagasta

Rano Raraku Hanga Roa Orongo

Santiago

us with an excellent opportunity to study a statue in transport, and a hare paenga - the stone platform of a boat-shaped Rapa Nui house. We explore the village of Hanga Roa, learning about the lives of the islanders. We also visit the parish church and two artisans’ markets.

Hotel: O’tai Hotel, Easter Island Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, November 15: RANA RARAKU We go across the island to Rano Raraku, the volcanic cone from which 95% of the known moai were quarried. The amazing site is studded with partially carved moai and some that appear to be emerge from the living rock. We venture into the crater’s interior before proceeding to nearby Ahu Tongariki, to see a statue on its way to the ahu, a field of fascinating petroglyphs and 15 magnificent moai recently restored upright on the platform, destroyed by a tsunami in 1960.

Hotel: O’tai Hotel, Easter Island Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, November 16: ANAKENA We tour Anakena, legendary landing site of the ancient founding father, Hotu Matu’a.

We stop at Ahu Vaihu, an impressive, unrestored site where numerous large moai lie face down. We continue via Ahu Akahanga and its adjacent village, passing

by Ahu Hanga Te Tenga. We then visit Ahu Te Pito Kura, where we find the enormous statue Paro, the last to be toppled from its ahu (in about 1840). Our barbecue lunch will be under the palms at Anakena Beach, with time to swim and study the restored Ahu Naunau, where the first intact red stone and white coral eye was found in the late 1970s. We also stop at Vaitea.

Hotel: O’tai Hotel, Easter Island Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Thursday, November 17: VINAPU We travel to Vinapu, where the perfectly fitted stone walls of Ahu Tahiri have been compared to those of the Inca. En route we pass Maunga Orito, where volcanic-glass shards were collected for deadly spear points, and stop at Ahu Huri A Urenga to see a re-erected moai distinctive for its four hands. We visit the small volcanic crater Puna Pau, and see seven re-erected moai at Ahu Akivi. We also explore the cave Ana Tepau and and visit Ahu Tepeu, site of the largest hare paenga on the island associated in legend with the enigmatic “script” rongorongo.

Hotel: O’tai Hotel, Easter Island Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, November 18: RANO KAU We ascend the massive flank of Rano Kau, one of the island’s three formative, dormant volcanoes. The restored ceremonial village of Orongo sits dramatically between the crater lake and sea cliffs. Nearby is the “cannibal” cave of Ana Kai Tangata, its ceiling intricately painted with the faded remnants of soaring birds. After a picnic lunch, you can either head back to Rano Raraku, to the beach for quiet contemplation, or to Tahai to catch the sunset. In the evening we will enjoy a typical umu farewell feast. Preparation begins early in the morning - wrapping the food in banana leaves to be steamed in a stone-lined pit for the entire day. Dinner will be followed by a traditionally energetic Rapa Nui dance performance.

Hotel: O’tai Hotel, Easter Island Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, November 19: This morning we depart the island of Rapa Nui, with a collection of wonderful memories from this magical place.

Meals: Breakfast

Famous red-fronted San Francisco Church in Santiago, Chile

LED BY Dr. Jo Anne Van Tilburg directs the Rock Art Archive and is a Research Associate of The Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California.

Prof Calogero M. Santoro is Professor of Archaeology at the Universidad de Tarapacá in Arica, Chile. He is also editor of Chungara Revista de Antropología Chilena, published by the same university.

Immense rock-art depictions found in the Chilean desert

November 6 - 19, 2016 14 Days We are still working to confirm the price of this tour You can still secure your place with a fullyrefundable $1500 deposit 13

China: Sacred Landscapes

ITINERARY Sunday, Monday, May 15 & 16: BEIJING: We arrive in Beijing on Monday.

Hotel: Citic Beijing Airport Hotel Tuesday, May 17: THE GREAT WALL We travel to Datong by way of the historic Nankou Pass through the Great Wall and across the steppe margins, China’s historic northern frontier.

Hotel: Garden Hotel, Datong Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, May 18: YUNGANG The Northern Wei court and nobility created the Yungang Cave-Chapels. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has 45 major caves and over 50,000 images.

Hotel: Garden Hotel, Datong Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, May 19: HENG SHAN We spend the day visiting the Xuankong Temple, built high on the side of a cliff on the Hengshan Mountain. From here we continue to the Yingxian Pagoda, the only wooden pagoda in all of China.

Hotel: Garden Hotel, Datong Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Travel to no fewer than 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the Yungang Cave-Chapels.

• Explore ancient temples in Wutaishan and Datong, and the grottoes of Yungang and Tianlongshan.

• Discover the new Liangzhu Culture Museum, designed by British architect David Chipperfield.

• Be seduced by the rolling hills and waterways of West Lake, Hangzhou’s premier beauty spot.

• Pay respect to Bixia Yuanjun, goddess of the mountain, by climbing to the peak of Mount Tai. • Wander through smaller towns, where life goes on oblivious to the pressures of our modern age.

Experience China as it was in ages past: its walled cities, vibrant temples, and mountain scenery. The emphasis of our tour is on three regions, each distinct in character and landscape, where a significant quantity of ancient architecture survives into the 21st century.

14

Friday, May 20: MOUNT WUTAI We travel to Wutai Mountain, the sacred Buddhist mountain dedicated to Manjusri, the Great Bodhisattva of Wisdom. We enter via the Eastern Terrace and walk to its summit.

Hotel: Youyi Hotel, Wutaishan Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, May 21: PUSA DING Wutai has been a religious center since medieval times and was a popular pilgrim destination. We visit four of the “five great

temples,” including Pusa Ding, center for the Tibetan Yellow Hat sect.

Hotel: Youyi Hotel, Wutaishan Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, May 22: NANCHAN TEMPLE We visit two Tang temples: Foguang Si and Nanchan Temple, the oldest wooden structure in all of China. We then drive to Pingyao, an intact Ming-period walled city and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hotel: Yun Jin Cheng Hotel, Pingyao Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, May 23: PINGYAO We explore the major sights of the city and visit the Ming period Shuanglin Temple to see its Buddhist clay sculptural ensembles.

Hotel: Yun Jin Cheng Hotel, Pingyao Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner Tuesday, May 24: TAIYUAN We continue to Taiyuan, an important regional center since the Bronze Age. We visit the Shanxi Provincial Museum, rich in archaeological artifacts from the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties and the Tang.

Hotel: Kempinski Hotel, Taiyuan Meals: Breakfast & lunch Datong Mt Heng Mount Wutai Pingyao

Beijing

Taiyuan Zibo

Jinan Mt Tai

China Shanghai Hangzhou

Wednesday, May 25: JINAN We fly to Jinan, known for its many hills and bubbling springs. We also visit the Shangdong Provincial Museum before continuing to the charming walled town of Qufu, birthplace of Confucius.

Hotel: Shangri-La Hotel, Qufu Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, May 26: QUFU We visit the Temple of Confucius, his tomb and family cemetery, and the Confucian Mansion. This complex of UNESCO World Heritage Sites rivals the Forbidden City in Beijing in complexity and variety.

Hotel: Shangri-La Hotel, Qufu Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, May 27: DAI MIAO We start with the Dai Miao, temple to the mountain, and then spend the full day on Mount Tai. Also known as the Sacred Peak of the East, this is the most important of the Five Holy Mountains associated with the imperial cult and Taoism.

Hotel: Ramada Plaza Hotel, Taishan Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, May 28: ZIBO CITY We drive to Zibo City to explore the ancient capital of the kingdom of Qi at Linzi. The hundreds of nearby royal and noble tombs include impressive pits with chariots and hundreds of horse skeletons.

Hotel: Sheraton Hotel, Jinan Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, May 29: LINGYAN SI We visit the Lingyan Si, magically set below an imposing cliff with an ancient hall, magnificent Ming Luohan sculptures, an impressive grove of burial pagodas, and one of China’s oldest pagodas.

Hotel: Sofitel West Lake Hotel, Hangzhou Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, May 30: FEILAI PEAK We begin our tour of Hangzhou on the West Lake, with an initial stop at the Leifeng Pagoda. We travel from island to island amid the flowering lilies. In the afternoon, we visit Feilai Peak, with its Yuan-era cliff-face carvings.

Hotel: Sofitel West Lake Hotel, Hangzhou Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, May 31: HANGZHOU We explore the new Liangzhu Culture Museum designed by British architect David Chipperfield, and the impressive mansion of Hu Xueyan, one of the largest domestic complexes preserved in China.

Hotel: Sofitel West Lake Hotel, Hangzhou Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, June 1: CONFUCIAN TEMPLE We visit the Confucian Temple, site of the Song Imperial Academy and the Southern Song Guan Yao Site and Museum. The remainder of the day will be at leisure.

Hotel: Sofitel West Lake Hotel, Hangzhou Meals: Breakfast Thursday, June 2: SHANGHAI We return to Shanghai and celebrate our farewell dinner in one of Shanghai’s fine restaurants.

Hotel: Le Royal Meriden Hotel, Shanghai Meals: Breakfast & dinner Friday, June 3: THE BUND Morning at Shanghai Museum. Our afternoon is at leisure for last-minute shopping or strolls on the Bund.

Hotel: Le Royal Meriden Hotel, Shanghai Meals: Breakfast Saturday, June 4: Depart for home.

Meals: Breakfast

Entrance gate to the cemetary of Confucius, where the great philosopher is buired

LED BY Prof Robert Thorp recently retired as Professor at Washington University. He specializes in the art and archaeology of early China, and has taught courses on Chinese archaeology and architecture, Buddhist art, and Chinese painting.

Temples and pagodas on the fairytale-like artifical islands of West Lake, Hangzhou

May 15 – June 4, 2016 21 Days We are still working to confirm the price of this tour You can still secure your place with a fullyrefundable $1500 deposit 15

Splendors of Ancient Egypt

ITINERARY Friday & Saturday, November 4 & 5: We arrive in Cairo on Saturday.

Sunday, November 6: MEMPHIS We begin our touring in Memphis, the first capital of a united Egypt, and Sakkara, the necropolis of Memphis. We visit Sakkara’s newly opened museum and tour the Step Pyramid complex of Djoser, which predates the Giza pyramids. We also tour the smaller Pyramid of Teti and the mastaba tombs of the Nobles.

Hotel: Mena House Hotel, Giza Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, November 7: GIZA We examine the only surviving Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. We also view the remarkably preserved remains of the Solar Boat of Cheops.

Hotel: Mena House Hotel, Giza Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • View the reliefs and inscriptions on the temple of Philae.

• Investigate the seldom-visited pyramid complexes at Dahshur and Abusir.

• Visit Edfu’s Temple of Horus, the most perfectly preserved ancient Egyptian temple in existence.

• Enjoy a five-day Nile cruise on the M.S. Farah, one of the most luxurious vessels plying the Nile.

• Discover the fascinating Temple at Kom Ombo, perched on a spectacular site overlooking the Nile.

• Explore the many great temples of Egypt, including those at Karnak.

Popular interest in Ancient Egypt is often limited to pyramids and mummies. There is so much more to this wonderful land.

Exploring outstanding archaeological sites alongside our notable scholar, you will gain unmatched insight into the culture of ancient Egypt and discover the profound influence it has had on the West.

16

Tuesday, November 8: CAIRO: We spend the morning at the Egyptian Museum, viewing the highlights including objects from the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Dr. Selima Ikram, the leading expert on animal mummies will give us a special tour of the mummy room. After lunch we visit the Citadel, famed as the stronghold of Salah el-Din. The day ends with a stroll through Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, one of the largest suqs in the Middle East.

Hotel: Mena House Hotel, Giza Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, November 9: ABUSIR We trace the rapid development of the pyramids following their creation at Sakkara. At Dahshur, Snefru completed the Bent Pyramid using the lessons

learned at Meydum. In the Red Pyramid, he perfected this architectural form. We have been granted special permission to visit Abusir, where most of the 5th Dynasty pharaohs built their pyramids.

Hotel: Mena House Hotel, Giza Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, November 10: LUXOR We fly to Luxor, the ancient city built on the east bank of the Nile. Here, we visit the sanctuary of Amun-Re at Karnak. This fascinating temple’s maze of monumental gateways, obelisks, pillared halls and subsidiary shrines is reached via an avenue lined with fantastic beasts. We also visit Luxor Museum.

Hotel: Steigenberger Hotel, Luxor Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, November 11: LUXOR We cross the Nile to visit the Valleys of the Kings and Queens. Among the many tombs we see is that of Tutankhamun. We also visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, at Deir el-Bahri, one of Egypt’s most spectacular monuments.

Hotel: Steigenberger Hotel, Luxor Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Alexandria

Tanis Cairo

Giza Sakkara Memphis

St. Catherine

Egypt Abydos Dendera Esna Edfa Abu Simbel

Luxor Kom Ombo Aswan

Saturday, November 12: LUXOR We return to the west bank of the Nile to visit the tombs of the Nobles, spread over two square miles. We move on to the ancient village of the artisans, Deir el-Medina, one of the best-preserved town sites in Egypt. We receive a specially arranged tour of the Oriental Institute’s Chicago House this afternoon.

Hotel: Steigenberger Hotel, Luxor Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, November 13: DENDERA We travel to Dendera to visit the Temple of Hathor, goddess of love, music and wine.

On the roof of the temple, there is a plaster cast of the famous Zodiac of Dendera, one of the three circular representations of the heavens found in Egypt. In Abydos, we tour the Temple of Seti I, viewing the famous List of Kings and beautiful painted reliefs surviving from Pharaonic times.

Hotel: Steigenberger Hotel, Luxor Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, November 14: RAMESSEUM Our last visit to the west bank will include the Colossi of Memnon and the temples and chapels of Medinet Habu. We explore the Ramesseum, where the fallen statue of Ramesses II inspired Shelley’s famous poem “Ozymandias.” We conclude the morning, at the rarely visited tombs of Kheruef and Ankh-Hor. We explore the Temple of Luxor in the afternoon.

Hotel: Farah Nile Cruiser Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, November 15: ON THE NILE Enjoy time at leisure: you explore the local suq, hire a felucca to sail the Nile or just relax at the pool.

Hotel: Farah Nile Cruiser Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, November 16: EDFU We begin at the Temple of Edfu, a preserved Ptolemaic temple of the falcon god Horus. This afterbiib we visit Kom Ombo, often called the Acropolis of Egypt, dedicated equally to two gods: Horus the Elder and Sobek.

Hotel: Farah Nile Cruiser Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, November 17: ASWAN We sail to Aswan to tour the Quarry, where an unfinished obelisk remains embedded in stone. We also view Philae, a Ptolemaic temple dedicated to Isis, an incredible complex of shrines and the last bastion of paganism in the Byzantine Empire.

Hotel: Farah Nile Cruiser Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, November 18: KALABSHA We begin at the Kalabsha Temple today, built on the site of an earlier sanctuary founded by Amenhotep II. The temple was dedicated to the Nubian god Mandulis. In the same antiquities park we will visit the shrine of Ramesses II, from Beit el-Wal. End the day at the Nubia Museum, before our farewell dinner tonight.

Hotel: Aswan Mövenpick Hotel Meals: Breakfast & dinner Saturday, November 19: ABU SIMBEL We fly to Abu Simbel, where the rock-cut temples of Ramesses II and his favorite queen, Nefertari, have been saved from the rising waters of the Nile. The temples were built to honor the deified royal pair and to awe the Nubians.

Hotel: Movenpick-Heliopolis Hotel.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, November 20: CAIRO We transfer to the airport for our flights home.

A tradional Felucca on the waters of the great life-giving river Nile

LED BY Dr Lanny Bell teaches at Brown and Columbia University. An expert on the Luxor area, he contributed a ground-breaking chapter on the Luxor Temple in “Temples of Ancient Egypt”, published by Cornell University Press.

Karnak Temple, Luxor - monumental complex founded in 3200 BCE

November 4 - 20, 2016 17 Days We are still working to confirm the price of this tour You can still secure your place with a fullyrefundable $1500 deposit 17

The Borders:

ITINERARY

England & Scotland

Saturday & Sunday, June 4 & 5: YORK Depart from the US on Saturday, arriving into York on Sunday. We have an opening lecture by Martin Goldberg and dinner.

Hotel in York Meals: Dinner Monday, June 6: YORK We begin our touring in York, the historic Northern capital of England, with a Viking past. Visits include walking the city walls, the Jorvik Viking center and the soaring Cathedral – York Minster which dominates the city center. After lunch we also explore the Roman archaeological excavations at Cripplegate.

Hotel in York Meals: Breakfast & lunch

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Walk along Hadrian’s Wall, the furthest frontier of the Roman Empire, in excellent preservation.

• Explore the cobble streets of Viking York.

• Visit Holy Isle where monks peacefully illuminated manuscripts, until the coming of the Vikings...

• Travel the dramatic heather-covered hills and rugged coastline of Northern England.

• Visit Fountains Abbey, a World Heritage Site, and one of the finest medieval monasteries in Europe.

• Enjoy cosy hotels and good honest Scottish ‘fare’ as you discover the history of this untamed region.

The sites of Northern England, many in beautiful dramatic settings, tell a story of invasion, resistance and fierce struggle.

From Iron Age tribes who fought off Roman rule, to Viking raiders and defiant Scottish Kings. Explore a wonderful variety of sites - hillforts, Roman castles, soaring abbeys and some exceptional museums in the company of our expert scholar.

18

Tuesday, June 7: ALDBOROUGH & FOUNTAINS ABBEY Travel back to Roman times this morning at Aldborough. This quaint English village was once a major Romano-British town.

We view remains and mosaics at the local site museum. We will continue this afternoon to the grand ruins of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Park. A World Heritage Site, the Abbey was once one of the largest and riches monastic foundations in England - a fact which did not escape King Henry VIII when he ‘dissolved’ and claimed the lands of the abbey in 1539.

Hotel in York Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, June 8: NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Drive North from York to the area of Monkwearmouth. Here we view the terminus of Hadrian’s Wall, the great Roman fortification against the ‘barbarian’

Northern tribes, at Wallsend and South Shields Fort. After lunch, we will have a glimpse of Anglo-Saxon monastic life as we travel to Bede’s World Museum and Monastery. The site also hosts a herb garden and working farm, reconstructing the life and surroundings of the great medieval a monk, author and scholar.

Hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, Friday, Saturday, June 9, 10 & 11: HADRIAN’S WALL Our scholar Martin Goldberg spends three days leading our touring of Hadrian’s Wall.

Built in 122 CE, the wall was over 70 miles long with many defensive forts, garrisons and milecastles along its length. The monument is still remarkable complete and we explore some wonderfully preserved Roman sites. We begin on Thursday morning at Great North Museum in Newcastle which has extensive displays and material from Hadrian’s Wall. We will then venture into the wild and beautiful countryside to visit many sites along the wall including Chesters Roman Fort, Crawburgh Roman Temple to Mithras, Housesteads, a very complete Roman Fort and Chesterholm fort,

Falkirk

Edinburgh Holy Island Glasgow Cairnpapple Bamburgh

Newcastle

England Aldborough

York

excavations and museum. A highlight of our touring is the great fort at Vindolanda.

Here, archaeologists discovered a unique cache of Roman tablets inscribed with fascinating details of everyday and military life along Hadrian’s wall. We return to our hotel in Newcastle each evening.

Hotel in Newcastle Upon Tyne Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, June 12: THE BORDERS Drive north through the dramatic Northumbrian scenery stopping at Five Barrows, Bronze Age barrow cemetery and Five Kings stone row. We will contrast the orderly Roman monuments along Hadrian’s Wall with the Iron Age enclosures and prehistoric rock art of the Pictish and Celtic peoples. End the day at Bamburgh Castle, overlooking the coast.

Originally built in the 5th century CE it was extensively rebuilt by the Normans in the 11 century CE. Hotel in Bamburgh Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, June 13: LINDISFARNE Today we cross to Lindisfarne, Holy Island, a tidal island and important focal point of Celtic Christianity and monasticism since the 6th century. The island famously suffered one of the earliest Viking raids in 793 CE, heralding the beginning of the Viking Age in the UK. After exploring the Abbey and small castle we return to the mainland and Traprain Law Hillfort, a major Iron Age settlement and trading centre on the Scottish borders. Continue to our Edinburgh hotel.

Hotel in Edinburgh Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, June 14: EDINBURGH Our scholar is a Curator at the National Museum Scotland and he takes us on a

fantastic tour of the National Museum, housing artifacts from all periods of Scotland’s history and the National Gallery.

We also climb to Edinburgh Castle, royal residence of the Scottish Kings since at least the 12th century CE. Hotel in Edinburgh Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, June 15: FALKIRK AND CAIRNPAPPLE We begin today at the Falkirk Wheel, a monumental boat lift which hoists vessels from the Union to Clyde Canals. Continue to Cairnpapple Hills, the ‘Stonehenge of Scotland’, and a ritual site since the Neolithic. End the day at the picturesque ruins of Linlithgow Palace.

Hotel in Glasgow Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, June 16: GLASGOW This morning we contrast the genteel grandeur of Edinburgh with the industry and art-nouveau architecture of Glasgow.

We visit the Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow University & Charles Rennie Mackintosh collection at the Hunterian Museum. We also visit Govan Church, with elaborately carved Celtic and Viking crosses and tombstones. We will regroup for a final farewell dinner in Glasgow this evening.

Hotel in Glasgow Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

The high Medieval frontage of York Minster, at the heart of a Viking town.

LED BY Dr Martin Goldberg is Curator, Early Historic Period of the National Museum Scotland. His research interests include Northern Britain from Later Prehistory to the Early Historic period.

Statue and ruined abbey at Lindisfarne, ‘Holy Isle’

Friday, June 17: We will have a group transfer to the airport for return flights to the US. June 4 -17, 2016 14 Days We are still working to confirm the price of this tour You can still secure your place with a fullyrefundable $1500 deposit 19

Brittany & Stonehenge

ITINERARY Wednesday, Thursday, May 4 & 5: Depart from on Wednesday. We arrive in Paris on Thursday.

Hotel: Saint James Albany Hotel, Paris Meals: Dinner Friday, May 6: ST GERMAIN-EN-LAYE Morning brings us to the Musée d’Archéologie Nationale in St. Germainen-Laye. Here we see Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic art objects that set the stage for our tour. Among the fascinating artifacts we will see are the Rouerque menhirs in human form.

Hotel: Hotel Le Diana. Carnac Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, May 7: MORBIHAN COAST Today we explore the Morbihan coast, Brittany’s megalithic strong hold. The Miln-Rouzic Museum helps us grasp the Carnac ritual landscape of more than 4,000 standing stones, many in large alignments. We walk the Kerlescan and Menec alignments and conclude our day at the Saint-Michel mound.

Hotel: Hotel Le Diana, Carnac Meals: Breakfast & lunch

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Discover the best monuments that Megalithic Brittany and Salisbury have to offer.

• Visit Mont Saint-Michel, the UNESCO World Heritage site and prehistoric tidal island stronghold.

• Walk among the stones of Stonehenge after the site has closed to tourists.

• Explore Brittany’s megalithic treasure house, the Morbihan coast.

• View one of the four original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta in the historic Salisbury Cathedral.

• Learn how historical Celts used standing stone and timber in cathedrals, castles, and parish closes.

Megalithic Brittany and the Salisbury Plain explores a fundamental transformation in European life - as prehistoric hunter gatherers settled to become fisherman, craftsman and famers. The settlements of these Neolithic Europeans have been lost but their religious monuments - from Carnac to Stonehenge - remain an indelible part of the Breton and Wessex landscapes.

20

Sunday, May 8: LOCMARIAQUER We travel to the Locmariaquer Megalith Site, to see the Great Broken Menhir, the Marchands Table, and Er Grah, a 400-ft long dry stone mound. Next we take in the dolmen of Mané-Lud engraved with an image of a sperm whale. We later navigate the Morbihan Gulf to Gavrinis Island to see its lavishly decorated passage grave, with engravings including: croziers, chevrons, serpentines, and zigzag designs.

Hotel: Hotel Le Diana, Carnac Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Monday, May 9: PONT-AVEN We enter Finistère, stopping at Kerzerho, the westernmost extension of the Carnac alignments. We visit Pont-Aven Museum and continue to Concarneau, a beautiful 14th century island city built on fishing and shipbuilding. The day ends with a walking tour of the charming Quimper old town and the Musée des Beaux Arts.

Hotel: Kregenn Hotel, Quimper Meals: Breakfast and lunch Tuesday, May 10: MENEZ DREGAN Our day begins with a tour highlight, Menez Dregan, a wave-cut rockshelter with human occupation levels dating to 450 thousand years ago. We visit the museum center and the nearby dolmen de Souc’h and Menez Korriged. We continue to the Penmarch Peninsula where, in StGuenole we visit Notre Dame de Tronoën parish close. The sculpted calvary dates to the 1460s. It may be the oldest of its kind in Brittany. We move on to the Musée de Préhistoire Finistèrién which houses the intriguing Plomeur goddess menhir.

Hotel: Kregenn Hotel, Quimper Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Avebury London Salisbury

Guimillau Quimper

St Germain en Laye Paris Roche aux Fees

Carnac Nantes

France

Wednesday, May 11: LAGATJAR Today we visit the Crozon Peninsula, stopping at the lovely Locronan town square, with its fine Renaissance-style granite houses and still active textile workshops. We continue to Lagatjar, where four intersecting alignments are set beside the sea. We end the day in Le Faou.

Hotel: Hotel Europe, Morlaix Meals: Breakfast and lunch Thursday, May 12: GUIMILLAU Set on the slopes of the Montagne d’Arrée, the Mougau-Bihan passage grave has impressive architecture and delicate art.

Heading north, we visit Guimiliau, a distinctive but typical example of a Brittany parish close where a triumphal arch issues to a church, calvary and ossuary. We then arrive at Barnenez cairn, Europe’s largest. The double cairn has 11 large passage graves with several engraved megaliths.Hotel: Hotel Europe, Morlaix Meals: Breakfast and lunch Friday, May 13: ROCHE-AUX-FÉES From Morlaix, we drive southeast into Ille-et-Vilaine, and to our last Breton megalithic sites. Roche-aux-Fées is thought to be Europe’s best-preserved dolmen passage grave. Individual stones weigh up to 40 tons and were transported more than four kilometers to the site. We also visit Menhir-du-Champ-Dolent.

Hotel: La Maison des Armateurs, St-Malo Meals: Breakfast and lunch Saturday, May 14: SAINT-MICHEL We slip into Normandy to visit Mont SaintMichel. Historical importance came as the Saint-Michel monastery was established in the eighth century. We have the day at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hotel: La Maison des Armateurs, St-Malo Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Sunday, May 15: SALISBURY Our ferry sails to Porstmouth this morning arriving in the late afternoon.

We will be met by our British escort who will take us to Salisbury.

Hotel: White Hart Hotel, Salisbury Meals: Breakfast Monday, May 16: SALISBURY 5,000 years ago, Neolithic farmers had two religious centers here: Amesbury on the Salisbury Plain and Avebury on the Marlborough Downs. Our Amesbury touring begins with the Neolithic sites of Durrington Walls and Woodhenge. In Old Sarum, we see remains from the Neolithic, Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, and Norman periods. New Sarum (Salisbury) was built around its Magnificent Cathedral. Here, we view one of the four original Magna Carta copies of 1215. At Stonehenge, we have been granted permission to walk among the stones after the site has closed.

Hotel: White Hart Hotel, Salisbury Meals: Breakfast & dinner Tuesday, May 17: AVEBURY HENGE Our Avebury visit begins at The Sanctuary, a standing stone and timber circle. Here we can view Sillbury Hill, Europe’s largest earthen mound. We trace the West Kennet Avenue standing stone procession route to Avebury Henge, the world’s largest circular Neolithic site. Just outside the henge, the Alexander Keiller Museum houses important Avebury finds. Our tour closes with West Kennet Long Barrow, a massive promontory burial mound.

Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel, Heathrow Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, May 18: LONDON Independent departures from London to our home cities.

Meals: Breakfast

One of the thousands of stone alignments the dot the landscapes of Carnac, Brittany

LED BY Dr Roy Larick is a veteran lecturer for Archaeological Tours. He worked in the Périgord region of southwest France for more than ten years as associate of the Direction des Antiquités Préhistoriques d’Aquitaine.

Mont St-Michel, the spire of the abbey looming above the fortified town

May 4 - 18, 2016 15 Days $7,450 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,310 21

The Great Museums: Paris

• View treasures from Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Greece, Italy and Southeast Asia in Paris’s many museums.

• Take a walking tour through the Latin Quarter, housed in the old residence of the abbots of Cluny.

• Enjoy ample leisure time for your own exploring of one the most iconic cities in the world.

Paris is known for its remarkable selection of museums and galleries. This tour offers you the opportunity to focus in depth on the great museum collections and also give us ample opportunity to take advantage of Paris’s cultural season. You will of course be afforded the time to fall in love with the City of Light itself... and fall in love you will.

22

Friday, May 6: Independent departures from home cities.

Saturday, May 7: THE LOUVRE We begin this afternoon with a walk to the Louvre for the first of three visits planned to this amazing museum. Today, we visit the Greek and Roman collections.

Many of the most famous monuments from ancient Greece and Rome can be seen here, including the Winged Victory of Samothrace; the Venus de Milo; the Borghese Hermaphrodite; part of the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon; the Hera of Samos; and an array of Roman portraits. This evening we will have an opening lecture and dinner at our hotel, Saint James Albany.

Hotel: Saint James Albany Meals: Dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Discover everything the world-renowned Louvre has to offer, during three separate days in the museum.

• Visit Notre Dame Cathedral, where traces of the Paris of the Roman Imperial Period can still be found.

ITINERARY

Sunday, May 8: MARAIS QUARTER This morning will take us on a walking tour in the Marais Quarter, which stretches between the Quartier du Temple and the Seine. We will examine the pre-Revolution residential architecture, including the oldest square in Paris, Place des Vosges, and the private town houses of the nobility. At the Centre GeorgesPompidou we will discuss modern architecture and visit the Museum of Modern Art housed within. We will also stop at the Church St-Merri and the whimsical Stravinsky Fountain. Our touring ends at the Jewish Museum, whose exhibits illustrate both modern and historic Jewish culture. There are so many museums, sites and shops in the Marais Quarter that we will be fully occupied throughout the entire day.

Hotel: Saint James Albany Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Monday, May 9: THE LOUVRE Our second visit to the Louvre will be to view the Ancient Near Eastern Collections, which were begun in 1847 and rank as one of the richest in the world. Among the treasures in this collection are the Vulture Stele of King Eannatum; the Stele of Naram-Sin, King of Akkad; several statues of Gudea of Lagash; the wall paintings from Mari; the famous Stele of Hammurabi containing his law code; and reliefs from the palace of Susa built for Darius the Great. After a break for lunch, we will continue our visit with some of the major works of art in the painting galleries.

Hotel: Saint James Albany Meals: Breakfast & dinner Tuesday, May 10: THE OPERA DISTRICT Touring this morning takes us into the Opéra district to visit the Musée d’Orsay, housed in the former Gare d’Orsay. We will view the highlights of this amazing collection, which represents each artistic movement between 1848 and 1914 in chronological order. Some of the highlights of the collection include Delacroix’s The Tiger Hunt, Renoir’s Bal du Moulin de la Galette and Coubert’s The Origin of the

World, which still causes controversy to this day. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure.

Hotel: Saint James Albany Meals: Breakfast Wednesday, May 11: THE LOUVRE Our third and final visit to the Louvre will be to the Egyptian Collection, which has among its treasures the offering chamber from the Tomb of Akhethotep from the Old Kingdom; the painted limestone statues of Sepa and his wife; the Red Scribe; the colossal statue of King Sankhare; and the wooden statue of Nakhti. Sphinxes and stelae commemorating the Apis Bulls at Saqqara adorn the stairway to the second floor, where a wealth of minor arts are displayed, as well as statues of Amenhotep III, Akhenaten and Tutankhamen. In the afternoon, we visit Place de la Concorde to view the obelisk inscribed to Ramses II, which originally stood in front of the first pylon at the Luxor Temple. We also walk to Notre Dame, where one can still see traces of the city’s original ramparts and collections of coins and pottery from the Paris of the Roman Imperial Period.

Hotel: Saint James Albany Meals: Breakfast Thursday, May 12: THE LATIN QUARTER Our walking tour of the Latin Quarter, or Lutetia as it was known in the 3rd century, includes a visit to the Museum of the Middle Ages, housed in the old residence of the Abbots of Cluny, and the adjoining Roman Baths. The museum’s galleries display the riches of the period, the most famous being the 15th-century tapestries known as La Dame à la Licorne. Our walking tour continues via the Sorbonne to the Panthéon and the adjacent Église St-Étienne-du -Mont, known for its unique

facade and rood screen. Lastly, we visit the Musée de L’institut du Monde Arabe, which offers an excellent collection of artifacts from the Arab-Islamic world.

Once again, this ancient quarter offers us many more sites for the remaining hours of the day.

Hotel: Saint James Albany Meals: Breakfast Friday, May 13: ST-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE This morning a short journey brings us to St-Germain-en-Laye, where Professor Soltes will introduce us to the art and artifacts of prehistoric man at the Musée des Antiquités Nationales. After lunch at the charming Cazaudehore et la Forestière restaurant, we return to Paris, with time for independent touring in the late afternoon.

Hotel: Saint James Albany Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, May 14: MUSÉE GUIMET The focus of this morning will be the spectacular collection of Asian art at the newly renovated Musée Guimet. The collection includes everything from huge balustrades from Preah Khan temple at Angkor, bronzes and sculptured ivories from India, to Chinese ceramics.

We also visit the Galerie du Panthéon Bouddhique du Japon et de la Chine, devoted to Japanese Buddhist and Shinto art and archaeology. The museum displays agriculture, crafts, music and folklore materials. We meet tonight for our farewell dinner.

Hotel: Saint James Albany Meals: Breakfast & dinner Sunday, May 15: There will be one departure transfer from the hotel to the airport on Sunday.

The Louvre - home to 35,000 objects from prehistory to old masters of Western art.

LED BY Prof Ori Z. Soltes lectures at Georgetown University. He specialises in Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and classical Greek and Roman art. His academic honors include an NEH Fellowship in SyroPalestinian archaeology.

The Great Sphinx of Tanis at the Louvre one of the largest sphinxes outside of Egypt.

May 6 – 15, 2016 10 Days $5,780 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,235 23

The Great Museums: Berlin & Vienna

• Unearth an array of artifacts from Ephesus and Samothrace at the Ephesus Museum.

• Cast your eyes over the works of an incredible array of artists including: Klimt, Kokoschka and Schiele.

• Stay in two hotels throughout your tour, close to Berlin and Vienna’s finest restaurants.

This tour will focus on the great museum collections of Egyptian, Classical and Near Eastern art in Berlin and Vienna.

You will be able to see the magnificent monuments that once dominated the sites around them. We will also visit major collections of Christian art as well as museums known for their outstanding paintings.

24

Wednesday, June 1: Departures from US airports.

Thursday, June 2: BERLIN BODE MUSEUM We arrive in Berlin. In the afternoon, we meet at our hotel for our first museum visit. The Bode Museum houses late antiquity, Byzantine and early Christian material as well as the sculpture collection from the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

We gather tonight for an opening lecture followed by dinner.

Hotel: Hotel Savoy, Berlin Meals: Dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Enjoy the unmatched grandeur of Berlin and Vienna - the dazzling Imperial cities.

• Discover a treasure trove of art from the ancient cities of Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Syria and Iraq.

• Gaze upon reconstructions of Babyblon’s Ishtar Gate and the Hellenistic altar from Pergamon.

ITINERARY

Friday, June 3: BERLIN PERGAMON MUSEUM The full day will be spent in East Berlin visiting the Pergamon Museum, which houses antiquities from both the Ancient Orient and the Greek and Roman worlds as well as Islamic galleries. Among the architectural masterpieces reconstructed here in their original sizes are the fabulous Ishtar Gate from Babylon, the famous Hellenistic altar from Pergamon, and the Market Gate from the Greek city of Miletus, on the Turkish coast. Our stay in Berlin provides us with the great opportunity to attend some of the city’s many evening cultural events.

Hotel: Hotel Savoy, Berlin Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, June 4: BERLIN MUSEUM ISLAND We return to Museum Island today, to tour the Altes Museum, which is now the home of the antiquities collection formerly on display in the Charlottenburg including Greek sculpture, the so-called Berlin Amphora from Vulci, Scythian

treasures from Vettersfelde and treasures from Thyreatis in the Peloponnese, as well as a collection known as the Hildesheim Silver from the first century BCE. After a lunch, we will spend the afternoon visiting some of the galleries at the Old National Gallery, also on Museum Island.

Hotel: Hotel Savoy, Berlin Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, June 5: BERLIN NEUES MUSEUM Our touring continues today to the Neues Museum, which now unites three of the National Museums major collections. It is the home for the material formerly housed in the Aegyptisches Museum including its many treasures from the Amarna Period, the famous bust of Nefertiti, the Berlin Green Head, and the Gateway to the Temple of Kalabsha, built by the Roman Emperor Augustus and contemporary with the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

We will also visit the museum’s extensive Pre- and Early History section including the Treasure of Troy. The rest of the day is your to enjoy at leisure.

Hotel: Hotel Savoy, Berlin Meals: Breakfast

Monday, June 6: OLD VIENNA A morning flight brings us to Vienna. Our centrally located Europa Hotel is within walking distance of many fine restaurants and cultural venues. The remainder of the day will be spent with our Viennese guide on a walking tour exploring the area of the city, between the cathedral and the Danube canal - known as “Old Vienna.”

We stroll the long narrow streets, stopping to visit Stephansdom, Vienna’s magnificent cathedral. The rest of the monuments will be viewed from the outside, including Mozart’s house, the Hoher Market Square, where remains of the Roman Legion’s camp have recently been found, Ruprechtskirche, the oldest building in Vienna, Am Hof, the 14th-century former town hall, and much more.

Hotel: Europa Hotel, Vienna Meals: Breakfast Tuesday, June 7: VIENNA KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM This full day will be devoted to the fabulous Kunsthistorisches Museum. The extraordinary treasures we will examine include the 18th-dynasty sculpture of Thutmosis III and the Old Kingdom Reserve Head in the Egyptian gallery, the gold of Nagyszentmiklos and the Gemma Augustea cameo in the Greek, Etruscan and Roman gallery, as well as many remarkable works in the painting galleries.

Hotel: Europa Hotel, Vienna Meals: Breakfast Wednesday, June 8: VIENNA NATURHISTORISCHES MUSEUM Our day begins at the Naturhistorisches Museum. This museum houses among its treasures the Venus of Willendorf, the finds from the Hallstatt graves and a mineral collection that includes the famous “bouquet of jewels” given by Maria

Theresa to her husband. After a lunch at a traditional Viennese restaurant, our tour continues at the Leopold Museum, which opened in September 2001. This fine museum houses an unparalleled collection of works by 20th-century Austrians, including Klimt, Kokoschka and Schiele.

Hotel: Europa Hotel, Vienna Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, June 9: VIENNA UPPER BELVEDERE Today’s tour begins at the Upper Belvedere, one of two Baroque palaces built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy in 1717. The palace served as an imperial painting gallery from 1776 onwards. After lunch we continue our tour at the Jewish Museum, which has multifaceted and expansive collections and artifacts on display. Learn more about the story of Jewish life, history and religion in Austria during your visit.

Hotel: Europa Hotel, Vienna Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, June 10: VIENNA EPHESEUS MUSEUM Today we will end our museum touring with the finds from Ephesus and Samothrace at the Ephesus Museum. The collection includes the Athlete of Ephesus and the Frieze of the Parthian Monument in honor of Emperor Lucius Verus.

The afternoon will be at leisure for our own pursuits. There are over forty more museums to visit! This evening we gather for our farewell dinner at one of the city’s fine restaurants.

Hotel: Europa Hotel, Vienna Meals: Breakfast & dinner Saturday, June 11: We depart Vienna for home.

Meals: Breakfast

The Bode Museum, reopened in 2006 after an extensive programme of refurbishment

LED BY Prof Ori Z. Soltes lectures at Georgetown University. He specialises in Jewish, Christian and Muslim art and religions, classical philosophy, linguistics, and Greek and Roman art.

A Babylonian lion stalks the Ishtar Gate, housed in the Pergamon Museum

June 1 - 11, 2016 11 Days We are still working to confirm the price of this tour You can still secure your place with a fullyrefundable $1500 deposit 25

Ghana, Togo & Benin

ITINERARY Tuesday, Wednesday, January 26, 27: We depart the USA on Tuesday and arrive in Accra, Ghana Wednesday afternoon.

Hotel: Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra Meals: Dinner Thursday, January 28: ACCRA We visit the Archaeological Museum before a tour of Brazil House. The day ends at the Mausoleum and Museum of Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah.

Hotel: Labadi Beach Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, January 29: ELMINA We depart Accra early in the morning for our tour along the ‘Gold Coast’. We stop at a coffin-making workshop. Funerals are one of Ghana’s most important social gatherings. Ghana’s slave trade was conducted from solid forts. We visit Cape Coast Castle and Ft. Amsterdam, which was the center for the British slave trade until it was destroyed in 1811.

Hotel: Elmina Bay Resort Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Learn about the latest West African discoveries at the University of Ghana.

• Touch on the darker side of history at Cape Coast and Elmina, once centers of the slave trade.

• Visit the remarkable Royal Palaces of Abomey, in Benin, built between 1625 and 1900.

• Encounter African royalty at the colorful Akwasidae Festival, attended by the Ashanti King.

• Get a glimpse of monkeys, elephants, hippos and other primates at Mole National Park.

• Meet village elders, musicians and traditional crafts people throughout the tour.

Join us as we explore both the ancient history and ever-evolving cultural identity of the peoples of Ghana, Togo and Benin.

Traveling from savannah to lush forests you will tour Royal Palaces, marvel at the might of the Akan and Ashanti peoples, and visit ingenious mud-brick architecture. A fascinating trip to an often (undeservedly) overlooked part of the world.

26

Saturday, January 30: KUMASI: We begin by walking through Elmina’s old town, fishing harbor and fort. We stroll down narrow streets where the wealthy Dutch merchants built their houses in the 1840s. We also see a number of posuban, the colorful pirogues in the fishing harbor and a vibrant market.

Hotel: Kumasi Golden Tulip Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, January 31: KUMASI We adjust our tour to accommodate today’s Akwasidae Festival, where the Ashanti King greets his subjects in the courtyard of the Manhyia Palace. We

spend the rest of the day at Manhyia Palace Museum and Prempeh II Jubilee Museum.

Hotel: Kumasi Golden Tulip Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

first mud-and-thatch mosque. We continue to Wa where we visit Wa Naa’s Palace.

Hotel: Upland Hotel, Wa Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

the remarkable mud architecture of the Batammariba people of the Taberma valley.

Hotel: Hotel Kara, Kara Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, February 1: KUMASI Today, we tour Kejetia market and the villages around Kumasi. We find two Ashanti Shrines: Besease and Atia Kusia Kwame, and visit craft villages including Adanwomase, Pankrono and Ntonso. We also visit the wood carvers at Ahwia.

Hotel: Kumasi Golden Tulip Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, February 4: BOLGATANGA Our first stop today is Lawra, famous for its handcrafted xylophone. We hear a short recital before traveling on to Gwollu. We meet with a unique medical provider, a traditional bone setter. We learn how the tradition has been passed down within the Najiriwia clan and is still practiced today.

Hotel: Ex-tee Crystal Hotel, Bolgatanga Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, February 9: ABOMEY We journey south into Benin at Ouake.

The drive will be broken by stops at a weaving cooperative in Bafilo, Togo, and to photograph the changing landscape as we move from one tribal region to another.

Hotel: Hotel Dako Bohicon, Abomey Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, February 2: MOLE NATIONAL PARK We stop at Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary. We get a close-up of rare blackand-white colobus. Local taboo against killing monkeys dates back 200 years.

Hotel: Mole Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, February 3: WA We take part in a game drive in Mole National Park during the morning.

Travelling across the rich grassland savannah, we should see elephants, hippos and primates. In Larabanga, we see our

Benin

Bolgatanga

Togo Wa Kara Mole National Park Tamale Bafilo Ghana

Atakpamé

Kumasi Accra Elmina

Cape Coast

Abomey Ouidah Porto Novo Lomé

Cotonou

Friday, February 5: BOLGATANGA We begin at Sirigu, visiting a village known for its elaborate mud compounds. We later visit the mud-brick Cathedral of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows in Navrongo. Our last visit is to Paga Pia’s Palace, built in the traditional Sahelian style. The compound is a labyrinth of round and square huts.

Hotel: Ex-tee Crystal Hotel, Bolgatanga Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, February 6: TAMALE We stop in Tongo, home to Tallensi people.

We visit the Chief ’s sprawling honeycomblike configurations of interconnected dwellings and ancestral shrines. The rocky outcrops surrounding the village house caves, shrines and sanctuaries. We later stop in Wulugu to see Zayaa Mosque.

Hotel: Gariba Lodge, Tamale Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, Monday, February 7, 8: TOGO We journey via Yendi to Togo, stopping to visit the village of Bandgeli, which once mined and smelted ore. We meet the Chief, his three wives and twelve children and examine the village’s unique architecture.

On Monday, we enjoy a day exploring

Wednesday, February 10: COTONOU We spend the morning at the Royal Palaces of Abomey, not only the decision making center of the kingdom, but also where crafts were developed and treasures stored. The palaces of King Ghézo and King Glélé have become the Historical Museum of Abomey.

Hotel: Azalai Plage Hotel, Cotonou Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, February 11: OUIDAH Ouidah is the focus of today’s tour. We see a number of altars and temples scattered about this colonial town. We visit the Temple of the Pythons, dedicated to snake god, Dagbe, and home to serpents of many shapes and sizes which are revered locally.

We witness a Vodun ceremony before we meet for a farewell dinner in the evening.

Hotel: Azalai Plage Hotel, Cotonou Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, February 12: GANVIE Our last morning takes us to Ganvie, described as the ‘Venice of Africa’. We return to Cotonou for an afternoon of leisure and final souvenir shopping before our evening flights home. Our rooms will be available in the evening.

Hotel: Azalai Plage Hotel, Cotonou Meals: Breakfast

Uniquely West African mud-brick mosque in Northern Ghana

LED BY Prof Trevor Marchand received his PhD from The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he is currently Professor in the Department of Anthropology. He specialises in indigenous architectures.

Traditional thatched compound in Abomey, Benin, home to a weaving cooperative

January 26 - February 12, 2016 November 3 - 20, 2016 18 Days $7,420 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $760 27

Classical Greece

ITINERARY Sunday, Monday May 8 & 9: We arrive into Athens on Monday.

Hotel: Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens Meals: Dinner Tuesday, May 10: THE ACROPOLIS We spend the day exploring the Acropolis - the lasting symbol of classical Athens and the Age of Pericles. We stop at the Theatre of Dionysus, Acropolis proper, Parthenon, Erechtheion and the newly opened Acropolis Museum. Continue to the Areopagus and the Agora, containing the Theseion and Stoa of Attalos.

Hotel: Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, May 11: ATHENS Today’s tour takes us to the National Archaeological Museum and its unrivaled marble and Mycenaean collections. We tour the Kerameikos Cemetery after lunch, and lastly complete our city tour with the Arch of Hadrian and the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates.

Hotel: Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens Meals: Breakfast & lunch

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Explore the splendors of ancient Greece from the panhellenic sanctuaries of Olympia and Delphi to the great healing center at Epidauros.

• Find the fabled home of Agamemnon in Mycenae.

• Explore the Acropolis, lasting symbol of classical Athens and the Age of Pericles.

• Discover King Nestor’s Palace, where the earliest written evidence for the Greek language was found • Travel to Meteora, where spectacular monasteries rest atop huge columns of gray rock.

• Walk on one of the great highways of the Roman Empire - the Via Egnatia.

Classical Greece, the cradle of Western democracy, philosophy and science, was itself an heir to the great achievements of Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. This study tour intends to explore the spectacular and varied cultural treasures of Hellas, as manifested by her fabulous sites and museums.

28

Thursday, May 12: CORINTH We begin our tour of the Peloponnese, stopping at Corinth, an important Roman mercantile center. The afternoon is spent at Epidaurus, one of ancient Greece’s most renowned medical centers. Its theater has enough seats for 14,000 spectators and is considered the best preserved of its kind in the Greek world.

Hotel: Hotel Grand Bretagne, Nauplia Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, May 13: TIRYNS We begin today in Tiryns, to explore its interesting system of fortification walls.

We continue to fabled Mycenae, home of Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks against Troy, and his treacherous wife Clytemnestra. This afternoon we enjoy our leisure time, exploring Nauplia’s lovely squares and relaxing at a seaside café.

Hotel: Hotel Grand Bretagne, Nauplia Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, May 14: LERNA We continue to ancient Lerna, the scene for one of the “Labors of Hercules.” We visit the “House of Tiles”, stop at Tegea to see the sanctuary temple of Athena and continue to Mystras, a medieval city rising up along the slopes of Mt. Taygetos.

We stroll along a lovely wooded path and discover wonderful views at every turn.

Hotel: Hotel Menelaion, Sparta Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, May 15: NESTOR’S PALACE Today we visit King Nestor’s Palace, where the preserved hearth and bath complex are evocative of Homer’s descriptions. It was here that the late Professor Blegen found the cache of Linear B tablets, the earliest written evidence for the Greek language.

Hotel: Amalia Hotel, Olympia Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Philippi Thasos Thessaloniki

Kavalla

Greece Meteora

Delphi Athens Olympia Nauplia Mystras Sparta

Monday, May 16: OLYMPIA Today’s touring is devoted to the Panhellenic sanctuary of Olympia, where every four years from 776 BCE to 393 CE Greeks from the world over came to participate in the Olympic Games. We conclude with a visit to the museum.

Hotel: Amalia Hotel, Olympia Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, May 17: DELPHI This wonderful day will be spent exploring Delphi, the “center” of the Greek world.

The ancient sanctuary is divided into three sections - Marmaria, the oracular sanctuary of Apollo proper on the slopes of Mt. Parnassus and the stadium on the heights above. We visit each in turn before studying the rich collection of art from the site in the museum. The collection includes the renowned bronze Charioteer of Delphi.

Hotel: Amalia Hotel, Olympia Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, May 18: KALAMBAKA We travel to Kalambaka, to visit Meteora.

Its spectacular monasteries are perched precariously atop huge columns of gray rock. Although hermits have occupied the caves of Meteora since the 11th century, it wasn’t until Serbs invaded in the 14th century that the first monastery was built,

by St. Athanasius.

Hotel: Divani Hotel, Kalambaka Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, May 19: DION We continue north today, stopping en route at the foot of Mount Olympus to visit the ancient city of Dion and its fine museum.

We continue to Thessaloniki, Macedonia’s most important port in ancient times.

Strategically located on the Via Egnatia, Thessaloniki was the seat of Macedonia’s Roman officials, and the city played host to

both the Greek and Roman games well into the 3rd century CE. Hotel: Mediterranean Palace Hotel Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, May 20: PELLA Today is devoted to Alexander the Great and his father, Philip. We begin at the museum and site of Pella, where pebble mosaics were introduced. It was here in the still unexcavated palace that Alexander was born. We continue to Vergina and Levkadhia to visit the royal tombs of the Macedonians and their magnificent treasures displayed at the museum. We end today at the palace at Aigai.

Hotel: Mediterranean Palace Hotel Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, May 21: KAVALA We tour the Old Town of Kavala, with its Ottoman houses, ramparts and aqueducts built in the 16th century under Suleiman the Magnificent. After visiting the museum we proceed to the ancient city of Philippi, a mainland colony of Thassos occupied by Philip II in 356 BCE. Here we might walk on the ancient Via Egnatia, one of the great highways of the Roman Empire.

Hotel: Mediterranean Palace Hotel Meals: Breakfast & lunch

The exquisite charioteer of Delphi, cast in bronze, housed in Delphi Museum

LED BY Prof Gerald Schaus is Professor of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Wilfred Laurier University. He has excavated at various sites in Italy and Greece. He will soon publish seven years of research from excavations at the Sanctuary of Athena.

The Caryatid porch of the Erechtheum in Athens, dedicated to Athena and Poseidon

Sunday, May 22: THESSALONIKI We begin at the Archaeological Museum, with its array of luxury vessels in precious metals, including the unparalleled Dherveni Krater. The remainder of the day will be at leisure before our farewell dinner.

Hotel: Mediterranean Palace Hotel Meals: Breakfast & dinner Monday, May 23 There will be a group transfer to the airport for our flights home.

Meals: Breakfast

May 8 – 23, 2016 16 Days $5,890 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,295 29

Crete & Santorini

ITINERARY Tuesday, September 6: Independent departures from home cities.

Wednesday, September 7: KHANIA We arrive in Khania. We gather tonight for an opening lecture and dinner.

Hotel: Porto Veneziano Hotel, Khania Meals: Dinner Thursday, September 8: ARMENI Touring begins in a large Venetian church, which is now the Khania Archaeological Museum and the Minoan ship exhibited in a Venetian vault. We visit the site of the newly discovered Minoan palace at the Venetian port of Khania and the extensive Late Minoan necropolis at Armeni, where we explore some of the 200 underground rock-cut burial chamber tombs.

Hotel: Porto Veneziano Hotel, Khania Meals: Breakfast & lunch

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Enjoy in-depth exploration of Minoan culture led by an archaeologist who has excavated across Greece.

• Visit one of Crete’s most important ruined Doric cities - ancient Lato.

• Explore the palace of Knossos, offering excellent insight into the royal lifestyle of the past.

• Discover the world’s greatest collection of Minoan artifacts at Heraklion Museum.

• Explore Akrotiri, Santorini’s Late Minoan city that was destroyed by earthquakes.

• Enjoy ample leisure time to explore the islands’ monuments, sites and restaurants.

The Heroic Age of Mycenaean Crete ended a few decades after the fall of Troy. Archaeologists only rediscovered Minoan civilization at the beginning of the 20th century - but the rich religious heritage of Minoan-Mycenaean times has left an indelible impression in myths and legends.

30

Friday, September 9: APTERA We travel along the highway above the lovely Souda Bay. We stop at the GraecoRoman site of Aptera, a powerful walled city built on the heights above the bay looking south to Akrotiri. The Minoan settlement of Stylos is nearby, with a wellpreserved tholos tomb with stone-lined dromi and a vaulted circular chamber.

On to the church of Ayios Nikolaos at Kyriakoselia. The day ends at the traditional village of Gavalokhori, for its women’s co-op and folklore museum.

Hotel: Porto Veneziano Hotel, Khania Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, September 10: LISOS We go across the island to Souyia and then Lisos, famed in antiquity for its temple dedicated to Asklepios, god of healing. En route we traverse the forested

western flank of the White Mountains, the wild and beautiful landscapes of the western pass and the area between the mountains known as the Omalos plain.

We pass the ancient site of Elyros, before descending to the Libyan Sea to visit the remote site of Souyia.

Hotel: Porto Veneziano Hotel, Khania Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, September 11: TYLISSOS We make our way eastward across the island to Heraklion, stopping at the Rhethymnon Museum, which has an outstanding collection, including finds from the Armeni necropolis. We continue to the Minoan villa complex at Tylissos.

The villas here were built during the 16th to 15th century BCE. Additions were later added to some of the homes during the 15th to 14th centuries BCE. Hotel: Aquila Atlantis Hotel, Heraklion Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, September 12: GORTYN We go southward to Gortyn, the most powerful city on the island during GraecoRoman times. We continue to the great Minoan palace of Phaistos, where the famous Phaistos disk was discovered. Our

Santorini

Kania Souyia Crete Heraklion Gournia Gortyn

last stop today is the royal villa complex at Ayia Triadha, beautifully situated overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Hotel: Aquila Atlantis Hotel, Heraklion Meals: Breakfast & lunch

dotted with ancient sites. We continue to the Minoan palace and harbor town built at the gorgeous bay of Kato Zakro.

Hotel: Minos Beach Hotel, Ayios Nikolaos Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, September 13: HERAKLION Our full morning will be spent at the Heraklion Museum, which houses the world’s greatest collection of Minoan artifacts from the island’s palaces, towns and villas. The rest of the day will be at leisure to explore Heraklion on our own.

Hotel: Aquila Atlantis Hotel, Heraklion Meals: Breakfast

Saturday, September 17: MALLIA We begin at the large Minoan villa at Nirou Chani. Forty rooms have been excavated on the ground level, along with courtyards and evidence of stairways leading to an upper floor. We continue to the Minoan palace of Mallia. Excavations here have revealed Neolithic habitation, including the first palace, erected circa 1900 BCE. Lastly, we visit Lato, one of the most important Doric city-states in Crete.

Hotel: Minos Beach Hotel, Ayios Nikolaos Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, September 14: KNOSSOS Today, we discover the palace of Knossos, where, according to tradition, Minos ruled and conversed with Zeus every ninth year in order to obtain laws for his kingdom. The palace buildings have been reconstructed and preserved, giving us an excellent picture of royal lifestyle. We continue to Vathypetro to visit a Minoan villa and the museum at Archanes, housing the remains of a nearby Minoan palace.

Hotel: Minos Beach Hotel, Ayios Nikolaos Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, September 15: GOURNIA We tour Gournia, and the well-preserved remains of an ordinary ancient Minoan town; its small houses crowded along narrow cobblestone lanes are laid out much the same as today’s Cretan mountain villages. The afternoon will be at leisure.

Hotel: Minos Beach Hotel, Ayios Nikolaos Meals: Breakfast & dinner Friday, September 16: CHAMAIZI We travel to the furthest point on the east coast of Crete, stopping en route to visit Chamaizi, the only known oval house of the Middle Minoan period. The region is

Sunday, September 18: SANTORINI We make our way to Santorini - ancient Thera - by ferry. We will explore the maze of picturesque narrow streets here, which are easily reached from our centrally located hotel. We gather together, to enjoy our farewell dinner tonight.

Hotel: Atlantis Hotel, Santorini Meals: Breakfast & dinner

A typically vivid and beautiful Minoan fresco from Akrotiri, Santorini

LED BY Prof Robert R. Stieglitz is Professor Emeritus of Archaeology at Rutgers University. He has excavated in the United States, Greece and Israel.

He has led tours to Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Malta, Sardinia and Corsica for Archaeological Tours.

The legendary home of the minotaur and great Minoan palace of Knossos

Friday, September 19: AKROTIRI On our last day, we visit the local museum and Akrotiri to explore a Late Minoan city destroyed by earthquakes and a great volcanic eruption circa 1500 BCE. Thera later became an important naval base.

Hotel: Atlantis Hotel, Santorini Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, September 20: We have a group transfer to the airport for flights home.

Meals: Breakfast

September 6 – 20, 2016 15 Days We are still working to confirm the price of this tour You can still secure your place with a fullyrefundable $1500 deposit 31

Guatemala & Belize

ITINERARY Friday, January 1: GUATEMALA CITY Arrive in Guatemala City and meet at our hotel for a lecture and dinner.

Saturday, January 2: GUATEMALA CITY After an orientation lecture, we visit the Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, with its immense collection of Maya treasures. We continue to Popul Vuh Museum, which houses extraordinary examples of Maya art and ceramics, as well as fine religious art dating from the 16th to 18th centuries.

The museum name is taken from the sacred book of the Quiché Maya people.

Hotel: Camino Real Hotel Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, January 3: CHICHICASTENANGO We travel through beautiful mountains and native villages to Chichicastenango.

Here we witness a strange combination of Maya and Catholic rites as the local Indians burn incense and present offerings to their Maya gods outside the church, and then perform Catholic rituals inside. After free time we continue to Antigua, stopping briefly at Lake Atitlan.

Hotel: El Convento Boutique, Antigua Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Explore one of the largest ancient Maya cities complete with pyramids and palaces - Tikal.

• Find the tallest known Maya stelae in Quiriguá, on the banks of the Motagua River. Take a guided walk through the rainforest.

• Count how many species of birds and wildlife will you spy? Maybe you’ll find Belize’s national bird, the yellow-breasted toucan, during your adventure.

• Visit a traditional Maya medicine center to learn about the plants still used in Maya medicine.

Uncover the ferocious political struggles between the Maya superpowers in the Late Classic period - now evident thanks to newly deciphered Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions. New roads will allow us to visit many of these ancient cities, including Tikal and Lamanai, as well as Caracol in Belize, where there is now a large archaeological project.

32

Monday, January 4: ANTIGUA Today’s touring takes us to the colonial sites of Antigua, resplendent in their 17thand 18th-century architecture. Our visits include the Monastery of San Francisco and the church of La Merced. After lunch, there will be time to explore this charming city on our own.

Hotel: El Convento Boutique, Antigua Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Tuesday, January 5: COPÁN Crossing the border into Honduras, we visit Copán, one of the greatest Maya cities of the Classic period. Copán is particularly exciting due to ongoing research which brings new discoveries to light each year.

We visit the Great Plaza and Hieroglyphic Stairway, silhouetted against the verdant jungle, and the Archaeological Museum.

Hotel: Hotel Marina, Copán Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Friday, January 8: TIKAL The full day will be spent exploring the magnificent ancient city of Tikal. One of the largest Maya cities, Tikal has been under excavation and reconstruction since 1950. Our visit to Tikal will include steep pyramids, huge plazas, temples, shrines and paved causeways.

Hotel: Camino Real, Tikal Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, January 6: COPÁN ACROPOLIS We continue touring at Copán Acropolis and the Sepulturas section of elite residences. We also visit the tunnels, where excavations have revealed beautifully preserved early period architecture.

Hotel: Hotel Marina, Copán Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, January 9: YAXHÁ We journey into the Petén jungle through to Yaxhá, a seldom-visited Classic period city that competed with Tikal. This site is particularly interesting for its Solstice Observatory. We will also cross Lake Yaxhá to Topoxte, which dates back as far as the Middle Preclassic.

Hotel: Camino Real, Tikal Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, January 7: QUIRIGUÁ Returning to Guatemala City for our flight to Tikal, we stop at the Classic Maya site of Quiriguá, noted for its sculptured monuments, depicting surreal creatures of the underworld.

Hotel: Camino Real, Tikal Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, January 10: TIKAL Our final visit to the pyramids and palaces of Tikal continues today. The finds from these vast excavations are housed in two museums we will visit. There will also be time to explore the site on our own.

Hotel: Camino Real, Tikal Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Corozal

Mexico Uaxactún Tikal Seibal

Lamanai

Belize City San Ignacio Caracol

Belize

San Pedro Sula Rio Hondo Chichicastenango Guatemala City Copán Honduras Comayagua Antigua Tegucigalpa

El Salvador

Monday, January 11: XUNANTUNICH We cross into Belize and the frontier town of San Ignacio. Beginning at Xunantunich, one of the largest ancient cities in the Belize River valley. The site has three adjacent plazas, dominated by El Castillo.

We climb this 130-foot monument for a spectacular view. After lunch, we visit a center for traditional Maya medicine, and learn more about the plants that are traditionally used. We also enjoy a guided walk through the rain forest.

Hotel: San Ignacio Resort, San Ignacio Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, January 12: CARACOL Today’s excursion takes us into the Chiquibul Rainforest to Caracol.

Dominated by its 136-foot temple, Caracol was once one of the major cities in the Maya world. Excavations have revealed plazas, unusual circular stone altars and a sophisticated reservoir and terracing of this Classic period city.

Hotel: San Ignacio Resort, San Ignacio Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, January 13: LAMANAI We leave the lush mountains for Orange Walk, where we board our boat for a trip on the New River to Lamanai. Totally hidden from river traffic by vegetation, Lamanai was continuously occupied from 1500 BCE until the late 16th century. Keep your binoculars at hand, for we will see many species of birds and wildlife as well as flowering orchids and other brightly colored plants during this adventure.

Lodge: Lamanai Outpost Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, January 14: LAMANAI The excavations at Lamanai have freed the ruins of the ancient city from the jungle, revealing royal residences, templepyramids and ball courts. After visiting the site, our last afternoon will be at leisure to explore the area. Our lodge also offers nature walks and other activities. This evening we will toast our adventure at our farewell dinner.

Lodge: Lamanai Outpost Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, January 15 An early start brings us back to Orange Walk to transfer to the Belize City airport for our flights home.

Meals: Breakfast

Temple at the Great Plaza of Copan, classic Maya city in Honduras

LED BY Prof William Saturno is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Boston University. He discovered the remote site of San Bartolo and the oldest intact Maya murals. He has conducted research in Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala.

Mask from the ancient city of Lamanai, hidden deep in the jungle

January 1 - 15, 2016 15 Days $6435 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1080 33

North India

ITINERARY Saturday, Sunday, February 20 & 21: DELHI We depart from home on Saturday, and arrive in Delhi on Sunday.

Hotel: Taj Palace Hotel Monday, February 22: DELHI We begin at Delhi’s major Mughal sites, including the exquisitely carved minaret of Qutub Minar, built by Aibak in 1199.

We also visit Humayun’s Tomb, the first tomb of the great Mughals.

Hotel: Taj Palace Hotel Meals: Breakfast & dinner Tuesday, February 23: DELHI Today, we continue to Jama-i Masjid, decorated with polychrome stonework, and the recently restored water system, as well as the grand Lal Qila, known as the Red Fort. We spend the afternoon at the National Museum, which is rich in archaeological artifacts and art dating back 5,000 years.

Hotel: Taj Palace Hotel Meals: Breakfast & lunch

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Discover 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the breathtaking Taj Mahal and The Amber Palace • View Khajuraho Group of Monuments - each one a sculptural masterpiece.

• Cast your eyes on a dazzling array of Buddhist architecture and art at Sanchi.

• Visit the palaces and fortresses in the wonderful Rajasthani cities of Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur.

• Enjoy an early morning boat trip along the sacred Ghats of the Ganges.

• Stay at the world famous and unforgettable Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur.

There is never “enough time” in India, but the cities and sites we travel through will provide a comprehensive understanding of the best of Indian art, architecture and history across three of India’s major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

Examine the tremendous mix of cultures of Northern India’s past across superb museums and world-famous monuments.

34

Wednesday, February 24: VARANASI We fly to Varanasi and begin touring at the remains of the monastic center at Sarnath. It was here that Buddha preached his first sermon after he had received enlightenment. We explore the site and its museum, which houses India’s official symbol, the Ashoka pillar.

Hotel: Gateway Hotel Ganges Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, February 25: KHAJURAHO Our day begins with an early morning boat trip on the Ganges as Hindu pilgrims flock to the ghats to perform their ablutions. After completing our touring,

we fly to Khajuraho. The region’s temples celebrate the joy of life and love, and are considered to be the epitome of Hindu sculpture. We spend the remainder of the day at the Southern Temple Group and Archaeological Museum.

Hotel: Hotel Chandela Meals: Breakfast & dinner Friday, February 26: KHAJURAHO We continue to the Eastern Temple Group, including the Parsvanath Jain temple. After visiting the Western Temple Group, we have an afternoon at leisure to revisit our favorite sites or to enjoy some well-earned relaxation in our hotel swimming pool.

Hotel: Hotel Chandela Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, February 27: BHOPAL An early start brings us to Jhansi where we board a train to Bhopal. Our hotel, originally built as the residence of the eldest daughter of H. H. Nawab Hamid Ullah Khan, overlooks Bhopal Lake.

Hotel: Jehan Numa Palace Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, February 28: SANCHI We travel to Sanchi, to see magnificent Delhi Jaipur Jodhpur Udaipur

Mumbai

Pokhara

Agra

Kathmandu

Varanasi

Khajuraho Bhopal Aurangabad

India

Bhubaneswar Puri

Buddhist monuments. Set on a hilltop, these impressive buildings span almost the whole range of Indian Buddhist art. We study the Buddhist sculpture and stupas, first built by Ashok in the 3rd century BCE. We then visit the rock-cut Gupta shrines at Udayagiri Caves.

Hotel: Jehan Numa Palace Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, February 29: BHIMBETKA We explore Bhimbetka, where over 500 caves with rock paintings have been discovered. The paintings span periods from upper Paleolithic to the Medieval.

We also explore the varied archaeological collection at the State Museum.

Hotel: Gateway Hotel Agra Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, March 1: TAJ MAHAL There will be ample time to explore the amazing Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan for his favorite wife. We also visit the Red Fort, the garden mausoleum of Itimadud-Daulah as well as other buildings of interest for their Mughal architecture.

Hotel: Gateway Hotel Agra Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, March 2: FATEHPUR En route to Jaipur we stop to visit Fatehpur Sikri, the deserted red sandstone city built

by Emperor Akbar as his capital in the late 16th century. After using 10,000 artisans to create this Hindu-Persian masterpiece, he utilized the city for just 15 years.

Hotel: ITC Rajputana Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, March 3: AMBER We journey to Amber, a magnificent fortpalace nestled on a rocky hill, and visit its jeweled interior. We return to Jaipur to tour the intricately carved marble Old City

Palace, Jantar Mantar (Observatory), and the Palace of the Winds.

Hotel: ITC Rajputana Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, March 4: JODHPUR We travel to Jodhpur, a sandy, colorful town lying at the edge of Thar Desert. We visit the fabulous fort city of Mehrangarh with its wonderful ramparts, museums, blue-painted houses and exotic bazaar.

Hotel: Taj Hari Mahal Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, March 5: JODHPUR We explore some of the very colorful villages inhabited by the Bishnoi people.

These interesting people are potters and weavers and are followers of a 15thcentury sage whose creed focused on protecting every living thing.

Hotel: Taj Hari Mahal Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, March 6: RANAKPUR A fascinating drive brings us to Ranakpur.

This 15th-century Jain complex includes the three-story Chaturmukha Temple with 1,444 columns, no two alike.

Hotel: Lake Palace Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Great stupa of Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh, elaborately carved in the 3rd century BCE

LED BY Prof J. Daniel White has been a professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for more than three decades. He earned his PhD in Indian religions, languages and literature from the University of Pennsylvania.

Jal Mahal, Jaipur, renovated in the 18th century by Jai Singh II of Amer

Monday, March 7: NAGDA We visit Nagda and the exquisitely carved Hindu temples and Eklingji. We return to Udaipur and meet for a farewell dinner, accompanied by classical Indian music.

Hotel: Lake Palace Hotel Meals: Breakfast & dinner Tuesday, March 8: After a morning at leisure we fly to Delhi.

We enjoy dinner at the airport hotel before our international flights home.

Meals: Breakfast & dinner

February 20 - March 8, 2016 18 Days $6,960 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,325 35

Ireland

ITINERARY Wednesday & Thursday, September 7 & 8: DUBLIN We arrive on Thursday and meet with Professor Doherty for dinner and lecture.

Hotel: Brooks Hotel, Dublin Meals: Dinner Friday, September 9: DUBLIN We spend our first morning in the National Museum, which houses the largest collection of Bronze Age gold in the world. We continue to Merrion Square, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, National Cathedral of Ireland and Durrow. We stop at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells Hotel: Brooks Hotel, Dublin Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, September 10: DUBLIN Professor George Eogan, Director of the Knowth Research Project, and Professor Emeritus of Archaeology at University College, Dublin accompanies us at the magnificent prehistoric sites of Newgrange and Knowth and the Hill of Tara, one of the most important royal sites of early Ireland.

Hotel: Brooks Hotel, Dublin Meals: Breakfast & lunch

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Study the distinctly Irish remains of Viking, early Christian, and Iron Age Celtic civilizations.

• Gaze upon the lavishly decorated Book of Kells at Trinity College in Dublin.

• Cast your eyes on the beehive huts, grave slabs, crosses and early churches found at Glendalough.

• Experience the priviledge of visiting Knowth and Newgrange with Professor George Eogan, Director of the Knowth Research Project.

• Travel north to Carrowmore, to find the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland.

• Enjoy ample leisure time to explore independently.

Ireland has a turbulent and often troubled history, giving each hill, lough and pile of stones a story. On tour we encounter prehistoric Kings, beautiful Celtic art, Viking raiders and English invaders... Along the way we experience ancient traditions and relax with the locals at typical singing pubs.

36

Sunday, September 11: DUBLIN We travel south to Glendalough, a 6thcentury monastic settlement set in a lovely glaciated valley. Continuing south we stop at Old Kilkullen to view the remains of an Iron Age hill-fort, round tower, and 9th-century crosses. At Castledermot we will see a finely sculptured 9th-century high cross and a Franciscan abbey. Lastly, at Browne’s Hill, we find a dolmen with a capstone that is said to weigh 100 tons.

Hotel: Pembroke Hotel, Kilkenny Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, September 12: KILKENNY We begin at the imposing Jerpoint Abbey, renowned for the 15th-century cloister and unique carvings in the sculptured cloister arcade. Our next stop is the famous Cathedral, the Rock of Cashel, the once seat of the Kings of Munster.

Hotel: Actons Hotel, Kinsale Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, September 13: KINSALE After a morning at leisure to enjoy this medieval town, we depart for Charles Fort, a massive star-shaped structure built in 1677. We continue to Tralee to visit the Bonane Heritage Park. We find archaeological remains from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages here, including stone circles, standing stones and a fulacht fiadh.

Hotel: Grand Hotel, Tralee Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, September 14: KERRY Some of the finest coastal scenery in Ireland is found in West Kerry, on the Dingle Peninsula. Our first stop will be the Iron Age Dunbeg Fort, an impressive and elaborate example of a promontory fort. We examine the 9th-century corbelbuilt Oratory of Gallarus. Finally, we visit

Belfast

Northern Ireland

Bundoran

Ireland Galway Ennis Tralee Kinsale

Dublin Kilkenny

Blasket Heritage Center, which tells the fascinating story of this remote island.

Hotel: Grand Hotel, Tralee Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, September 15: GALWAY Our day begins at Clonmacnoise Monastery, the burial place of the Kings of Connaught and Tara, and continues with Roscam church, round tower and graveyard, an old monastic site associated with St. Patrick. This evening we will attend a program of Irish music and dance.

Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel, Galway Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, September 16: GALWAY This morning we sail to the Aran Island of Inishmore, where we visit some of the island’s spectacular sites beginning at Dun Aenghus, a dramatic dry-stone fort set on the very edge of a cliff 200 feet above the sea. Our next visit is Na Seacht dTeampaill, Seven Churches complex. We will have some free time in Kilronan, capital of Inishmor, before boarding the return ferry back to the mainland.

Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel, Galway Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, September 17: SLIGO Our day begins at Ceide Fields, Europe’s largest Neolithic land enclosure. Bog growth has covered most of the settlement over the last 5000 years, which has helped to preserve it. Recent excavations have revealed Stone Age pottery and a wellused primitive plough. Professor Seamus Caufield, the site archaeologist, will be our guide. We stop at the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, the largest megalithic cemetery in Ireland; the oldest grave dates from 3200 BCE. Hotel: Glasshouse Hotel, Sligo Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sunday, September 18: SLIGO A short boat ride brings us to Inishmurray Island, an early Christian site. Today, it is a wildlife sanctuary of national importance for both breeding and wintering birds, such as Arctic and Common Tern, Shag, Herring Gull, Great Blackbacked Gull and Eider duck. This site is of particular interest for its good state of preservation.

Hotel: Glasshouse Hotel, Sligo Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, September 19: BELFAST We begin today at Drumcliff and take a literary break to visit W.B. Yeats’s grave.

Then at Creevykeel, we see one of the finest Court Cairns in Ireland. We have lunch in Derry, where we explore the city walls. We end the day at the reconstructed circular stone fort Grianan of Aileach.

Hotel: Europa Hotel, Belfast Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, September 20: BELFAST We tour Belfast, viewing the leaning Albert Memorial Clock Tower and Opera House.

We venture a few miles out of Belfast to see our last prehistoric monument of the tour, Giant’s Ring, an impressive earthwork, 600 feet in diameter, with a megalithic chamber thought to date to 3000 BC. Hotel: Europa Hotel, Belfast Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, September 21: DUBLIN Our last day brings us back to Dublin with time for an afternoon at leisure. We enjoy our farewell dinner at Thornton’s Restaurant tonight.

Hotel: Brooks Hotel, Dublin Meals: Breakfast & dinner Thursday, September 22 We transfer to Dublin airport.

Meals: Breakfast

Celtic-style crosses at the ruined monastery of Clonmacnoise

LED BY Prof Charles Doherty is Senior Lecturer, UC Dublin and President of the Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. He has written numerous articles on the impact of the Vikings upon Ireland and the evolution of settlement in early Ireland.

The great Neolithic chambered tomb of Newgrange, over 5000 years old

September 7 – 22, 2016 16 Days $6,290 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,145 37

Israel: with optional Jordan extension

ITINERARY Mon & Tues, Oct 24 & 25: Departures from our home cities. We arrive into Jerusalem on Tuesday evening.

Hotel: David’s Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem Meals: Dinner Wednesday, October 26: JERUSALEM Our tour begins on the Mt. of Olives and Mt. Scopus. We then view the monuments in the Kidron Valley. Lastly, we visit the Herodian Quarter, the residence of the upper-class Jerusalemites and the Cardo, the Upper City’s main thoroughfare.

Hotel: David’s Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, October 27: THE OLD CITY Today we explore the City of David’s historical layers. We examine Hezekiah’s Tunnel, the Gihon Spring and Pool of Siloam. The day ends at the Southern Wall excavations.

Hotel: David’s Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem Meals: Breakfast

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Spend six full days in Jerusaleum, exploring outstanding sites, museums and holy places.

• Visit classical sites including Bet She’an, Caesarea, Capernaum and Sepphoris.

• Ascend to the legendary, tragic fortress of Masada.

• Listen to a special lecture and tour the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusaleum.

• Join our optional Jordan extension and visit Petra, the great rose-red city carved from desert rock.

• Enjoy international standard hotels, pleasant traveling and expert scholar throughout the tour.

The Lands of the Bible, though physically small and shared today by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, have attracted the attention of scholars for more than two hundred years. This tour encompasses the marvelous kaleidoscope of Israel’s archaeological riches from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages to the Classical and Medieval Periods.

38

Friday, October 28: WESTERN WALL Our touring begins with the excavations of the Western Wall and continues in the Christian Quarter. On to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Time this afternoon to stroll in the City and to enjoy the preparations for the Jewish Sabbath.

Hotel: David’s Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem Meals: Breakfast & dinner Saturday, October 29: HERODION Our day begins at Herodion, built by King Herod between 22 and 15 BCE. We continue to the caves of Beit Guvrin, believed to have been dug first for stone to build the Roman coastal cities.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch Hotel: David’s Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem

Sunday, October 30: THE OLD CITY Returning to the Old City, we view Islamic monuments including Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. The rest of the day is devoted to the newly renovated Israel Museum, home of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Hotel: David’s Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem Meals: Breakfast Monday, October 31: JERUSALEM We have made special arrangements for a tour and lecture at the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research. We then offer two options for touring: the Rockefeller Museum of Archaeology, or Yad Vashem Memorial to the Holocaust.

Hotel: David’s Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem Meals: Breakfast Tuesday, November 1: DEAD SEA Traveling south, we stop at Lachish, conquered by the king Sennacherib in 701 BCE. We then descend to the Dead Sea, arriving in time for a swim.

Hotel: Isrotel Dead Sea Hotel, Sodom Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, November 2: MASADA Visit the great fortress of Masada. We then travel to Qumran whose library housed the

Haifa Caesarea

Tiberias

Tel Aviv

Jericho Jerusalem

Ashkelon

Beersheba Sodom

Israel

Eliat

Dead Sea Scrolls, end the day at Jericho.

Hotel: Leonardo Plaza, Tiberias Meals: Breakfast & lunch

for our farewell dinner in Tel Aviv.

Hotel: Sheraton, Tel Aviv Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Thursday, November 3: JEZREEL Touring continues at Bet She’an, where excavations are still under way. Then Dr. Franklin will take us on a tour of her excavations in the Jezreel Valley. On to Sepphoris and its fine mosaics.

Hotel: Leonardo Plaza, Tiberias Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Tuesday, Wednesday November 8 & 9: TEL AVIV Our last morning in Israel will be spent visiting the Eretz Israel Museum. Free afternoon before we return home.

Hotel: Sheraton, Tel Aviv Meals: Breakfast

Friday, November 4: TEL HAZOR Today we visit Capernaum, the site of Jesus’ three-year ministry. On to the Golan Archaeological Museum. After lunch, touring continues at Tel Hazor, one of King Solomon’s military centers.

Hotel: Kfar Blum Kibbutz, Galilee Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, November 5: GOLAN HEIGHTS Our day begins at Tel Dan. This fascinating tel has yielded wonderful architecture, including a fine Middle Bronze Age cult center. The afternoon’s touring will include Banias, and the fortress of Qalat Namrud.

Hotel: Kfar Blum Kibbutz, Galilee Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, November 6: HAIFA Returning to the Galilee, our first visit will be to the Solomonic city of Megiddo, exploring the remains of the ancient city.

We will spend the afternoon in Haifa.

Hotel: Dan Carmel Hotel, Haifa Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, November 7: TEL AVIV We will begin our day at the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum at Haifa University.

We then drive south to the Roman port of Caesarea, built by King Herod. We meet

OPTIONAL JORDAN EXTENSION Wednesday, November 9: JERASH We will cross into Jordan and meet our Jordanian guide. We begin touring with a to visit Jerash, an exceptionally wellpreserved Roman city.

Hotel: International Hotel, Amman Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, November 10: MADABA Our touring begins with the Regional Museum and the hilltop ruins of the Temple of Hercules. We then depart for Petra stopping at Madaba, to view a unique mosaic map of Palestine made c.560 CE. Hotel: Mövenpick Hotel, Petra Meals: Breakfast & lunch

The cliffs at the fort of Masada

LED BY Dr. Norma Franklin is a Research Associate at the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa and Associate Fellow at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research. She is also co-director of the Jezreel Expedition.

The main Roman ‘cardo’ or street at the Decapolis city of Bet She’An

Friday, November 11: PETRA The full day will be devoted to exploring the breathtakingly beautiful city of Petra, carved into rose-colored sandstone.

Hotel: Mövenpick Hotel, Petra Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, Sunday, November 12 &13: THE HIGH PLACE OF SACRIFICE We re-enter Petra and climb to the High Place of Sacrifice. The views out over the city are spectacular. Drive back to Amman.

Flights home on Sunday morning.

Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel, Amman Meals: Breakfast

October 24 - November 9 or 13, 2016 17-21 Day $6,765 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $2,250 Extension price: $1260 | Single Supp: $530 39

Sicily & Southern Italy

ITINERARY Saturday, Sunday, September 3 & 4: PALERMO We arrive in Palermo on Sunday. During the evening we will meet with Professor Schaus for dinner and an opening lecture.

Hotel: GH Pizza Borsa Hotel, Palermo.

Meals: Dinner Monday, September 5: PALERMO Our touring begins at La Zisa, a NormanArab mansion housing the Museum of Islamic Art. We continue to the Archaeological Museum, where the Salone di Selinunte contains fantastic architectural sculpture. Lastly, we view the Byzantine mosaics in the Cappella Palatina.

Hotel: GH Pizza Borsa Hotel, Palermo Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, September 6: CEFALÙ Our first stop is the Phoenician necropolis; we continue to Cefalù to visit its Cathedral and to stroll in this charming town before a seaside lunch at Porticello. The full afternoon will be spent in Monreale, where we visit the single most important Norman monument on the island, the Cathedral and its cloisters.

Hotel: GH Pizza Borsa Hotel, Palermo Meals: Breakfast & lunch

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Admire the genius of the ancient Greeks at some of the finest Doric temples in the Mediterranean.

• Uncover a fusion of gracious Classical and Baroque architecture in the old city of Siracusa.

• Go face to face with mighty Riace Warriors, life-size Greek bronze statues rescued from the sea.

• Walk a mile in Roman shoes at the eerily complete cities of Pompeii & Herculaneum.

• Wonderful museums throughout the tour holding treasures discovered over centuries of excavation.

• Enjoy delicious Italian food and lovely landscapes covered with grape vines, olive and almond trees.

The cities and landscapes of Sicily and Southern Italy are home to some of the best-preserved Classical archaeology in the Old World. The Greeks and Romans conquered this corner of the Mediterranean - leaving us aesthetically beautiful ruins which tell a long, complex and fascinating story.

40

Wednesday, September 7: SEGESTA We travel through the countryside to Segesta, where a pretty Doric temple and Greek theater are nestled between the mountains. We visit the island of San Pantaleo to tour the Phoenician site of Motya. The day ends at the Marsala Museum, renowned for its reconstructed Phoenician ship.

Hotel: Mahara Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, September 8: CUSA Our first stop today is the Museo del Satiro in the church of Sant’Egidio. Our touring continues at Cusa, site of stone quarries used in the construction of the Selinunte temples, which we next visit. It was sacked by the Carthaginians and then completely destroyed by earthquakes, but the temples of Selinunte are quite magnificent. We complete today at the Western Acropolis.

Hotel: Baglio della Luna, Agrigento Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, September 9: AGRIGENTO We begin at the National Museum, with its reconstruction of the Atlas-like Telamones and outstanding collection of vases. We continue to the Oratory of Phalaris and the Hellenistic and Roman Quarters. Next we visit the temples of Akragas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We begin with Hercules, the oldest; and continue to the beautifully preserved temples of Concordia and Hera, dramatically set on the edge of the ridge. Crossing into the western zone of the site, we view the remains of the largest known Doric temple, the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Hotel: Baglio della Luna, Agrigento Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Rome

Italy Naples

Herculaneum

Pompeii Paestum

Monreale Palermo Reggio Calabria Cefalú Segesta Taormina Sicily Selinunte Mt. Etna Agrigento Siracusa

Saturday, September 10: CASALE Our day begins with a lovely drive into Sicily’s hilly interior to Morgantina, a Greek city excavated by Princeton University. We travel to the Roman Villa Imperiale at Casale, where fine mosaics of the Roman-African school date from the 4th century. The many rooms of exquisite mosaic floors include a famous hunt scene; the scene of ten maidens in bikinis participating in gymnastics; and an array of mythological scenes. We continue to Siracusa, the island’s most powerful city for two hundred years.

Hotel: Grand Hotel Ortygia, Syracuse Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, September 11: SIRACUSA We begin in the Archaeological Park, with its wealth of remains, including a Roman amphitheater; enormous 3rd century Altar of Hieron II; the “Ear of Dionysius” quarry; and a Greek theater, carved out of the rock. We continue with a walking tour in the Old City of Siracusa, visiting the temple of Athena, now incorporated into the Cathedral, and the Fountain of Arethuse, famed in Greek poetry.

Hotel: Grand Hotel Ortygia, Syracuse Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, Tuesday, September 12 & 13: TAORMINA We explore Euryalus Castle, the largest military construction of the Greek world.

We later travel along the coast to the medieval town of Taormina to visit the famous Greek theater. The panoramic views of the coastline and snow-capped Mt. Etna are magnificent. You have the full day at leisure on Tuesday to travel to Mt. Etna or explore this beautiful resort town.

Hotel: Monte Tauro Hotel, Taormina Meals: Breakfast daily & 1 lunch

Wednesday, September 14: CALABRIA We take the Messina ferry to Reggio Calabria. A high point of the tour will be our visit to the National Museum to view the spectacular life size “Warriors of Riace,” found in the Ionian Sea and considered the finest bronze statues from the Greek world. We then travel through Sila Massif, covered with Italy’s most extensive forest.

Hotel: Savoy Beach Hotel, Paestum Meals: Breakfast & dinner Thursday, September 15: PAESTUM & HERCULANEUM We travel to ancient Paestum to tour its well-preserved Doric temples and extensive ruins of the ancient city. We also visit the site museum, which displays an important group of tomb paintings, including the “Tomb of the Diver”. We continue north to visit Herculaneum, sister city to Pompeii, also buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

Hotel: TBC, Naples Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, September 16: POMPEII We tour Pompeii, whose remarkably preserved villas and wall paintings have survived from the Roman period. We will have ample time to see the site in depth.

This evening we gather for a farewell meal.

Hotel: TBC, Naples Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, Sunday, September 17 & 18: NAPLES The tour ends with a visit to the National Museum, where we will see the wonderful wall paintings and mosaics from Pompeii and Herculaneum. We enjoy an afternoon at leisure on Saturday. Our departure flights are on Sunday.

Hotel: TBC, Naples Meals: Breakfast

Details from one of the many fine mosaics from the Romana del Casale, Sicily

LED BY Prof Gerald Schaus is Professor of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Wilfred Laurier University. He has excavated at various sites in Italy and Greece. He will soon publish research from excavations at the Sanctuary of Athena.

The Greek theatre at Taormina, spectacularly placed by the sea with Mt Etna looming

September 3 - 18, 2016 October 1 - 16, 2016 16 Days $6,375 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $965 41

Ancient Japan

ITINERARY Thursday, March 31: Independent departures from home cities.

Friday, April 1: TOKYO We arrive in Tokyo. Our centrally located hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Ginza, is a short walk to the restaurants and shops of the Ginza district.

Hotel: Courtyard, Tokyo Saturday, April 2: PALACE EAST GARDEN After an introductory lecture, our touring begins at the Palace East Garden, site of the ruins of the great Edo Castle. We then visit the Tokyo National Museum.

The fabulous Horyu-ji treasures will be on view in a stunning modern gallery designed by Taniguchi Yoshio. Tonight, we meet with Professor Thorp for our opening dinner.

Hotel: Courtyard, Tokyo Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Discover a rich collection of archaeology and engage with this fascinating culture during visits to temples, traditional villages, craftsmen’s workshops and Japanese restaurants.

• Find paths lined with thousands of stone lanterns during a visit to Nara’s Kasuga Shrine.

• Explore Heijo-kyo, the archaeological park dating back to the 8th-century.

• Visit one of the most famous buildings in Japan the Byodoin Temple from the Fujiwara era.

• Enjoy Japan at its most beautiful - during Cherry Blossom season.

Japan’s archaeology is not well known to Westerners despite hundreds of state-of-the-art museums, thousands of annual government-sponsored excavations, and vigorous local press coverage. Our archaeological study tour provides an introduction to the entire span of Japanese archaeology, from the Paleolithic period to medieval castles.

42

Sunday, April 3: FUKUOKA & DAZAIFU This morning we fly to Kyushu and its capital, Fukuoka. The remainder of the day will be spent at Dazaifu, a regional capital during the Nara period. Our tour includes the Tenjin Temmangu Shrine, Kanzeonji Temple and the Kyushu National Museum, which houses an excellent collection of ancient materials from the region.

Hotel: Hakata Excel Tokyu, Fukuoka Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, April 4: YOSHINOGARI We begin at Yoshinogari. Excavations of this major Yayoi period archaeological site have revealed more than 350 dwellings and 2,500 graves. After studying the

artifacts from this settlement, we continue to the enchanting pottery town of Onta, where ceramics are still made using traditional water-powered mortars.

Hotel: Hakata Excel Tokyu, Fukuoka Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, April 5: KUMAMOTO We travel south to Kumamoto, where we tour one of Japan’s greatest fortresses, Kumamoto-jo. We continue along the East China Sea to the villa garden, Iso Tei-en.

The garden has a grand view that encompasses Kinko Bay and the towering volcano Sakura-jima . We also visit ShokoShuseikan Museum.

Hotel: Nishitetsu Solaria Kagoshima Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, April 6: UENOHARA We journey east through mountain forest to Uenohara, a remarkable early Jomon site. We continue to Saitobaru Kofun-gun, where more than 300 round, square and keyhole burial mounds dot the landscape.

Excavations have uncovered gilt-bronze horse trappings and unusual Haniwa.

Hotel: JAL City Miyazaki Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Japan Kanazowa Fukui Tottori Matsue Yoshinogari

Fukuoka Kumamoto Saitobaru Miyazaki Kagoshima Chiran

Kyoto Nara Osaka Asuka

Tokyo Matsumoto

Thursday, April 7: ASUK After a morning flight to Osaka, we drive to Asuka, where the palaces and temples of the early Japanese state were established in the seventh century. We visit Asukadera, one of the ‘Four Great Temples’ and home to the Asuka ‘Great Buddha’, and Asuka Historical Museum. We then proceed to the fascinating city of Nara.

Hotel: Nara Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, April 8: HORYU-JI, TOSHODAIJI & HEIJO-KYO We begin with a visit to Horyu-ji, famed for its Golden Hall, Five-Level Pagoda and fine sculpture, including the affecting Miroku Bosatsu in the avatar of a pensive prince. We continue to Toshodai-ji, a beautiful monastery founded by the Chinese priest, Ganjin. Our last visit today will be to Heijo-kyo, 8th-century capital site and archaeological park.

Hotel: Nara Hotel Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, April 9: KASUGA SHRINE Today’s city tour starts at Kasuga Shrine, approached by paths lined with thousands of stone lanterns, and moves to the wonderful monuments within Deer Park; Todai-ji temple, the South Gate and Lotus Hall. After lunch, we travel to Kyoto stopping en route to visit the Byodoin Temple built in 1053. This splendid villatemple surviving from the Fujiwara era is one of the most famous buildings in Japan.

Hotel: Royal Park Hotel The Kyoto Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, April 10: KYOTO We have organized our day of touring to cover major shrines, temples, castles and gardens in Kyoto. Today takes us to several important temples, including Ryoan-ji,

and Sanjusangen-do, with its awesome array of Kannon statues. Lastly, we will explore the maze of canals and footbridges, tiny alleys and traditional houses in the wonderfully atmospheric Gion Quarter.

Hotel: Royal Park Hotel The Kyoto Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, April 11: TOJI TEMPLE We begin at Toji Temple, known for its 9th century sculptural mandala and Saiho-ji known for its moss garden. We end the day with a visit to the ornate audience halls and somber rooms of the shogun’s Nijo Castle.

Hotel: Royal Park Hotel The Kyoto Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, April 12: SHISEN-DO We continue to the early Edo period villa Shisen-do. We experience the quiet beauty of a leisurely stroll along Philosopher’s Walk between Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji temples. This delightful walk takes us along a tree-lined canal linking two great Zen temples, renowned for their gardens and the decoration of their abbot’s quarters.

This evening our farewell dinner will be held at one of Kyoto’s fine restaurants.

Hotel: Royal Park Hotel The Kyoto Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Himejo Castle, whose white exterior is said to resemble a bird taking flight

LED BY Prof Robert Thorp recently retired as Professor at Washington University. He specialises in the art and archaeology of early China and Japan. He has lived in Japan for extended periods, studying the temples of Honshu and Kyushu.

Traditional Japanese garden screen for meditation and contemplation

Wednesday, April 13: KYOTO NATIONAL MUSEUM We spend the full morning at the Kyoto National Museum. This will conclude our touring, leaving our final afternoon at leisure for last-minute shopping or visits to other sites and museums.

Hotel: Royal Park Hotel The Kyoto Meals: Breakfast Thursday, April 14: We transfer to Osaka for our flights home.

Meals: Breakfast

March 31 – April 14, 2016 15 Days $7,990 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $950 43

Japan: Archaeology & Tradition

ITINERARY Thursday, Friday, October 6 & 7: We depart from the US on Thursday arriving in to Tokyo on Friday.

Hotel: Marriott Courtyard Station, Tokyo Meals: Dinner Saturday, October 8: TOKYO We begin with a city tour of Tokyo. The remainder of the day will be at leisure.

You may wish to join Prof Thorp for an optional tour of Tokyo National Museum.

Hotel: Marriott Courtyard Station, Tokyo Meals: Breakfast & dinner Sunday, October 9: AOMORI A morning ‘bullet train’ takes us to Aomori. We tour Sannai Maruyama, where prehistoric dwellings and thousands of artefacts have been found.

We also visit the castle-town of Hirosaki.

Hotel: Hotel Aomori Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Escape into the past as you explore early castles, samurai mansions, and pleasure quarters.

• Visit the rustic mountain villages of Shirakawa-go in the gorgeous Japanese Alps.

• Explore famed temples, including Zenkoji in Nagano and Eiheiji in Fukui.

• Encounter the beauty of castle towns developed by the daimyo and the Tokugawa shoguns.

• Discover ukiyo-e, Edo-period wood-block prints translated as “pictures of the floating world.”

• Enjoy a tranquil afternoon in a traditional Japanese teahouse and garden.

This “off the beaten path” tour explores outlying areas like Tohoku in northern Honshu and the Sea of Japan coast on the north side of Honshu. We will experience Japan as it was in the 19th century before modernization forever changed its landscapes and cities.

44

Monday, October 10: HONSHU We travel to Lake Towada, Honshu’s largest volcanic crater lake. Continue to one of the best preserved Jomon megalithic complexes in the north east: the Oyu Stone Circles. We then visit the appealing old castle-town of Morioka, where the storehouses of merchants have been converted into art galleries.

Hotel: Hotel Metropolitan Morioke Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, October 11: HIRAIZUMI We spend the day touring Hiraizumi’s sites: the temples of Chuson-ji, renowned for extravagant gold and inlay motherof-pearl in its worship hall; and Motsu-ji, and its classic preserved Jodo garden.

Hotel: Hotel Metropolitan Morioke Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, October 12: KARASU-JO We explore Karasu-jo, one of Japan’s oldest intact castles. We stop at Nihon Ukiyoe Hakubutsukan, a museum devoted to a comprehensive collection of ukiyo-e, Edoperiod wood-block prints.

Hotel: Hotel Buena Vista, Matsumoto Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, October 13: NAGANO We explore Nagano, where we begin with a visit to the Haniwa terracotta figurines, housed in Nagano Museum. Continue to the 1,300-year-old Zenko-ji, temple. We also visit the small town of Obuse and Hokusai-kan Museum, dedicated to the leading ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai.

Hotel: Hotel Buena Vista, Matsumoto Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, October 14: TAKAYAMA We travel through the Japanese Alps and stop at the morning market in the picturesque village of Takayama. We continue to Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The traditional thatched houses stand here, preserved by their isolated mountain setting.

Hotel: Kanazawa Excel Tokyu Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Aomori Hiraizumi Takayama Nagano Kanazawa Karasu-Jo Umanoyama Honshu Tokyo Yakumotatsu

Japan

Osaka

Torihama

Saturday, Sunday, October 15 & 16: KANAZAWA We spend two days exploring the old quarters and museums of Kanazawa. We stop in Nagamachi, the Samurai Residence District, with its earthen walls, twisting streets and canals and Myoryu-ji, wrongly associated with Ninja assassins. We also explore the colorful Omi-cho Market and the Shima Chaya, an elegant geisha house.

Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to watch a Noh play or visit Kanazawa’s galleries.

Hotel: Kanazawa Excel Tokyu Hotel Meals: Breakfast & one lunch Monday, October 17: ICHIJOTANI We begin at Eihei-ji, founded by Dogen, an active Soto-Zen monastery.

This atmospheric temple has beautiful gardens that climb upto a thickly forested mountainside. At Ichijotani we see the excavated ruins of the castle-town ruled by five generations of the Asakura clan.

We continue to Fukui, to visit Maruoka-jo, Japan’s oldest castle keep.

Hotel: Fukui Washington Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, October 18: TORIHAMA We travel along the San’in coast of the Sea of Japan, stopping at the Mikata Jomon Museum and a shell midden at Torihama.

We continue to Obama, a small fishing village called the “Nara of the Sea” for its ancient temples. We tour Jingu-ji temple, in which Shinto deities are worshipped alongside Buddhist images.

Hotel: Hotel New Otani, Tottori Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday & Thursday, October 19 & 20: SHIOMI NAWATE We begin the day by visiting Umanoyama Kofun, five ancient burial mounds and the Hashizu tombs. We then explore

the Shimane Prefecture Buried Cultural Properties Center and tour historic Shiomi Nawate, where samurai warrior residences are preserved. The day ends on a tranquil note in Adachi Museum’s exquisite garden and traditional teahouses.

Hotel: Hotel Tokyu, Matsue Meals: Breakfast, lunch & one dinner Friday, October 21: YAKUMOTATSU FUDOKI-NO-OKA We travel south of Matsue, and see the keyhole-shaped burial tumuli rising from the rice paddies. We tour Yakumotatsu Fudoki-no-Oka and its museum, which displays fine haniwa horses and Yayoiperiod clay whistles. We continue to the imposing Izumo Taisha Shrine, the largest structure of its kind, which legend tells was originally built for the divine Okuninushi.

Enjoy a farewell dinner this evening.

Hotel: Hotel Tokyu, Matsue Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner Saturday, October 22: MATSUE This morning, we visit local sites associated with the expatriate writer Lafcadio Hearn, whose essays popularized a romanticized view of pre-modern Japan. After lunch we board the train for Osaka.

Hotel: Hotel ANA Crowne Plaza Osaka Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Thatched houses of Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

LED BY Prof Robert Thorp recently retired as Professor at Washington University. He specialises in the art and archaeology of early China and Japan. He has lived in Japan for extended periods, studying the temples of Honshu and Kyushu.

Detail from the Prayer Hall at Izumo Taisha Shrine, the largest of its kind in the world

Sunday, October 23: OSAKA This morning we transfer to the airport for flights home.

October 6 – 23, 2016 18 Days $8,450 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,165 45

Indonesia: Java & Bali

ITINERARY Monday & Tuesday August 1 & 2: Independent departures from home cities arriving on Wednesday.

Wednesday August 3: We meet with Professor Cooler for our opening lecture and dinner this evening.

Hotel: Melia Purosani, Yogyakarta Meals: Dinner Thursday, August 4: PRAMBANAN Touring begins at the 9th-century Hindu temple complex of Prambanan. We then continue to the classical Javanese court of the Sultan’s Kraton and the Sonobudoyo Museum, which houses a collection of the arts of Java, Madura and Bali. We also view a dance at Joyokusuman.

Hotel: Melia Purosani, Yogyakarta Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, August 5: YOGYAKARTA Our touring takes us into the countryside to visit Imogiri, a royal cemetery since the early kings of Mataram. As we climb to this venerated holy place, we find ourselves alongside pilgrims who have come to worship their ancestors. This evening we will have a special dinner and performance of the Ramayana.

Hotel: Melia Purosani, Yogyakarta Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Explore 3 islands, continuously occupied for the last million years; Java, Sulawesi & Bali.

• Discover the rarely visited temple complex of Gedung Songo.

• Enjoy special Ramayana dance performances in Yogyakarta and Wayang Kulit shadow puppets.

• Visit two unusual Bima cult temples known for their fabulous sculptures.

• View the Royal Temple of Mengwi, a picturesque complex surrounded by a moat.

• Spend three days exploring unique Torajan villages and witnessing their funerary rituals.

Stretching more than 3000 miles along the equator, the islands of the Republic of Indonesia are a medley of peoples, cultures and great traditions. The islands, continuously occupied since Java Man, about a million years ago, include cultural types from the tribes of Irian to the sophisticated temple societies of Java and Bali.

46

Saturday, August 6: BOROBUDUR We begin at Borobudur, built between 777 and 842 CE, this is the world’s largest stupa, and houses hundreds of statues of the Buddha. We also visit the smaller, older temple at Mendut. This evening we attend a performance of Wayang Kulit, a famous shadow puppet play.

Hotel: Melia Purosani, Yogyakarta Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sunday, August 7: WONOSOBO We make our way into the cool and misty mountains of the Dieng Plateau. “Dieng” derives from the Javanese for “Abode of the Gods”, quite suitable for this lovely place. Here within a volcanic crater we see the oldest temples in Java, dating from the early decades of the 7th century.

Hotel: Kresna Hotel, Wonosobo Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, August 8: JAVA We tour the Shivaite-Hindu temple complex of Gedung Songo. This ninetemple complex stands on top of six hills and is considered the most beautiful temple location on Java. We continue to Solo, the oldest center of Javanese culture.

Hotel: Novotel Hotel, Solo Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, August 9: SOLO We visit Candi Sukuh and Candi Ceta, two unusual 15th-century temples. These Bima cult temples are known for their fabulous sculptures, some of which were done in the Wayang puppet style. We return to Solo for a walking tour of the area.

Hotel: Novotel Hotel, Solo Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sulawesi

Tana Toraja Pare Pare Makassar

Jakarta

Java

Yogyakarta

Solo Bali

Wednesday, August 10: BLITAR We drive through the beautiful countryside to the Panataran temple complex, one of the largest temple sanctuaries in Indonesia.

This site took over 250 years to build and provides a good opportunity to study the evolution of sculpture in Balinese art.

Hotel: Tugu Hotel, Blitar Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, August 11: SURABAYA En route to Surabaya we stop at Singosari.

This ancient city had pools, palaces, Shivaite and Buddhist temples and lavish pavilions. Its museum contains a superb collection of terra-cotta figurines.

Hotel: Majapahit Surabaya Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, August 12: MAKASSAR We begin in Surabaya, visiting Surabaya Zoo, famous for its Komodo dragon and orangutans as well as the nearby Museum, we then fly to Sulawesi.

Hotel: AryaDuta Hotel, Makassar Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, Sunday & Monday, August 13, 14 & 15: RANTEPAO We travel north into the remote highlands of Tana Toraja. Torajans are known for their distinctive steep-pitched houses, spectacular funerary rituals and ancestor worship. We hope to see a ceremony as we explore burial caves and villages.

Hotel: Toraja Heritage Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, August 16: MAKASSAR We return to Makassar before our late afternoon flight to Bali. We visit the temples, artist villages, dance performances and shrines in the village.

Hotel: Royal Pita Maha Resort & Spa, Bali Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, August 17: GOA GAJAH We begin at Penataran Sasih Temple, with its ancient Balinese sculptural heritage.

We continue to Goa Gajah where we will visit the Elephant Cave and Samuan Tiga Pura, a unique temple that is believed to be a meeting place for gods and saints. This evening we will see the Kecak (Monkey) dance in a nearby village.

Hotel: Royal Pita Maha Resort & Spa, Bali Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, August 18: BANGLI After a morning performance of the Barong dance, a battle between good and evil, we continue to Bangli village, nestled in the foothills of Batur Mountain. We visit the magnificent Bura Kehen and Tenganan village, one of Bali’s oldest traditional villages and much studied for the prehistoric Aga people who lived here.

Hotel: Royal Pita Maha Resort & Spa, Bali Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, August 19: BALI: We travel north to explore areas of Bali not usually frequented by tourists. We begin at the Batukaru Temple, one of the largest Hindu temples on Bali. Crossing the Jatiluwih rice field, we reach the beautiful resort town of Bedugul. Our last visits are to Lake Bratan and the Temple of Mengwi.

Hotel: Royal Pita Maha Resort and Spa Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, August 20: BALI Our last day in Indonesia will be completely at leisure. We have a farewell dinner tonight.

Hotel: Royal Pita Maha Resort & Spa, Bali Meals: Breakfast & dinner Sunday, August 21: Depart for home.

Meals: Breakfast

Borobudur, Java - the world’s largest Buddhist Temple

LED BY Prof Richard Cooler is Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Center for Burma Studies at Northern Illinois University. He has lived, lectured, and conducted research in Indonesia, Burma and Malaysia for many years.

Floating Hindu temple on Lake Bratan next to Bedugul, Bali

August 1 - 21, 2016 21 Days $6,370 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,360 47

Balkans: Kosovo,Serbia, Montenegro & Croatia

ITINERARY Monday, September 5: Depart home cities on Monday evening.

Tuesday, September 6: PRIŠTINA The tour begins with Dr. Bianchi’s introductory lecture and dinner.

Hotel: Swiss Diamond Hotel, Priština Meals: Dinner Wednesday, September 7: PRIŠTINA Our walking tour of the old town includes the 16th-century Carshi Mosque and the Mbretit Mosque, known for its lovely blue and white paintings and cupola, as well as the Kosovo Museum and the Ottoman Emin Gjiku complex. Just outside of Priština, we visit the Church of Gracanica, housing several notable works.

Hotel: Swiss Diamond Hotel, Priština Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, September 8: PEC We visit the Patriarchate of Pec, whose jurisdiction once reached from the Adriatic coast to Budapest. There will be time to explore the old bazaar area, where Turkish houses and mosques still survive.

The day’s last visit is to Decani Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hotel: Hotel Tadz, Novi Pazar Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Discover a vast wealth of largely unknown artistic expression in Kosovo, Montenegro and Croatia.

• View an array of amazing artefacts - Palaeolithic stone sculptures, Neolithic clay figurines and exquisite Bronze and Iron Age metal vessels, tools and weapons are all waiting to be discovered.

• Explore Bronze Age Monkodonja, a site reminiscent of Mycenae.

• View notable works, including a beautiful painting of St. John the Baptist, at the Church of Gracanica.

• Enjoy ample leisure time, and a full day to explore wonderful Dubrovnik.

During the 1990s, the Balkans became home to several independent states, each with a rich artistic and cultural heritage.

Our exploration of the charming old cities and medieval monuments of Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb, nestled amid majestic mountains and along gorgeous coastal landscapes, will add to the pleasure of this unique tour.

48

Friday, September 9: KOLASIN We visit the Church of Sopocani, a masterpiece of the Raška school. Touring continues at Studenica Monastery, which has three churches within its walls. The biggest Church of Sv. Bogorodica is decorated with sculpted figures, animals, gryphons, birds and centaurs. We cross into Montenegro and continue to Kolasin.

Hotel: Hotel Bianca, Kolasin Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Saturday, September 10: DUBROVNIK We reach the old capital, Cetinje, and visit the museum and town, renowned for its elegant architecture. We travel down to the coast, across Kotor Bay to Dubrovnik.

Hotel: Hilton Imperial Hotel, Dubrovnik Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, September 11: DUBROVNIK We spend the full day visiting Dubrovnik, entering the old city through the Pile Gate. This brings us into the lovely Placa, bordered by the Franciscan monastery.

We continue into the heart of the old city, visiting major monuments, including the 14th-century Dominican monastery, with its rich art collection, the Gothic Rector’s Palace and the Baroque Cathedral of Our Lady. A full circuit of the city’s 10th century walls ends this lovely day.

Hotel: Hilton Imperial Hotel, Dubrovnik Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, September 12: DUBROVNIK Today will be completely at leisure.

Hotel: Hilton Imperial Hotel, Dubrovnik Meals: Breakfast Tuesday, September 13: SPLIT We travel along the beautiful Dalmatian

Zagreb

Croatia

Rovinj Pula

Novi Sad Belgrade

Zadar

Serbia

Split

Dubrovnik

Montenegro Cetinje

Pec

Pristina

Kosovo

coast to Roman Narona, where excavations have revealed a temple dedicated to Augustus, and several fine statues which are now housed in the local museum.

Hotel: Hotel Cornaro, Split Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, September 14: SPLIT We begin at Diocletian’s palace, the medieval quarter, and his mausoleum, which was converted into a cathedral at the end of the 7th century. This amazing palace formed the basis of Robert Adam’s architectural style that greatly influenced Georgian architecture. After lunch, we continue at the Archaeological Museum and the Mestrovic Museum, dedicated to the works of Croatia’s famous sculptor.

Hotel: Hotel Cornaro, Split Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, September 15: SPLIT We spend the morning at Salona. This vast city began as a Greek colony in the 3rd century BC on the site of an Illyrian settlement. It later became an important Roman city and then a vital center of early Christianity. We continue to Trogir, renowned for its profusion of Romanesque and Renaissance architecture and its threenave Venetian Cathedral of Sv. Lovro.

Hotel: Hotel Cornaro, Split Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, September 16: ZADAR En route to to Zadar, we stop at Šibenik to visit the Sv. Jakov Cathedral, which rivals Sv. Lovro in beauty. On arrival in the bustling port city of Zadar, we tour the Archaeological Museum and the medieval city. Zadar was bombed heavily in WWII, the effects of this can be seen in today’s mixture of old and new architecture.

Hotel: Hotel Bastion, Zadar Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, Sunday, September 17 & 18: VRSAR We continue along the coast. The vista is dotted with pretty offshore islands and sparkling white beaches. Stopping for lunch in Opatija, we cross the Istrian Peninsula to Vrsar, a charming little port with a lovely historic center. Our seaside hotel is within walking distance to town, should you wish to explore independently.

We spend Sunday visiting the many archaeological sites on the peninsula, including Pula’s Arch of the Sergians, temples and the archaeological museum.

We also stop at the immense amphitheater, which is the sixth largest in the world, with a capacity for 22,000 people.

Hotel: Hotel Belvedere, Vrsar Meals: Breakfast, lunch & one dinner Monday, September 19: ZAGREB This morning our touring begins at the Bronze Age site of Monkodonja, which has many features reminiscent of Mycenae.

We continue to Porec to view beautifully preserved Byzantine gold mosaics at the 6th-century Basilica of Euphrasius. Our day ends in Zagreb, Croatia’s capital city.

Hotel: Esplanade Hotel, Zagreb Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, September 20: ZAGREB Our tour of the city takes in Upper Town, reached by funicular, the Lower Town, with its lovely square and wide, tree-lined boulevards, the Cathedral and excellent Archaeological Museum. The afternoon will be at leisure before our farewell dinner.

Hotel: Esplanade Hotel, Zagreb Meals: Breakfast & dinner Wednesday, September 21: Today we depart for home.

Meals: Breakfast

Church of St Mark, Zagreb, Croatia

LED BY Dr Robert Bianchi has received numerous academic awards during his career including a Fulbright Fellowship at the Egyptian Museum in Berlin. He has served as an advisor for the Learning Channel’s cable TV series, Archaeology.

Pula amphitheater, Croatia, one of the Balkans’ best preserved Roman monuments

September 5 – 21, 2016 17 Days We are still working to confirm the price of this tour You can still secure your place with a fullyrefundable $1500 deposit 49

Malta, Sardinia & Corsica

ITINERARY Wednesday, Thursday, April 27 & 28: We depart from our home cities on Wednesday arriving into Malta on Thursday. Transfer to our hotel in Valetta.

Hotel: Phoenicia Hotel, Valetta Meals: Dinner Friday, April 29: SKORBA Our tour begins at Skorba, one of the earliest continuously inhabited sites on the island. We visit the remains of buildings that may have been shrines or prototemples more than 5,000 years ago.

We continue to Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, a complex occupying a marvelous site above the sea. We conclude with a tour in the old city of Mdina, twin city to Rabat.

Hotel: Phoenicia Hotel, Valetta Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, April 30: VALLETTA This full day begins at the Archaeological Museum, which displays a wonderful collection of prehistoric material. We take a short walking tour in the old city, including a visit to St. John’s Cathedral and continue to Hal Saflieni, a vast rockcut catacomb for multiple burials. The last site we visit the temples of Tarxien.

Hotel: Phoenicia Hotel, Valetta Meals: Breakfast

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Explore islands which have their own characteristic geological environments and have developed their own cultural and political histories.

• Discover the megalithic temples of Malta, the nuraghes of Sardinia and the open-air sanctuaries and mysterious cult sites of Corsica.

• Visit the prehistoric temples of Ggantija, dating back to 3600 BCE in Gozo.

• Enjoy spectacular scenery, blue skies and delicious local food and wines.

• Visit the new Sartine Archaeological Museum.

The insular cultures that evolved on Malta, Sardinia and Corsica tell distinct tales but also show interconnections and early influences from as far east as the Aegean world. During our tour, you’ll discover more about the civilisations who fought over these islands, ruled over them and left their indelible marks in the monuments and cultures of the people living there today.

50

Sunday, May 1: GOZO We travel to the island of Gozo today. The well-preserved temples here have massive walls, some of which still rise to a height of 17 feet. They are as awesome today as they must have been in antiquity. We also visit the wondeful collections at the Archaeological Museum, and the Citadel in the old Norman town of Victoria.

Hotel: Phoenicia Hotel, Valetta Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Monday, May 2: CAGLIARI We depart Malta for Sardinia in the morning, flying via Rome. We arrive into Cagliari late in the evening.

Hotel: Hotel Regina Margherita, Cagliari Meals: Breakfast Tuesday, May 3: CAGLIARI Touring today is within Cagliari and includes the Archaeological Museum, the 13th-century Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral, the Roman Amphitheater and ends with a walking tour in the Old Town.

The afternoon will be at leisure.

Hotel: Hotel Regina Margherita, Cagliari Meals: Breakfast & dinner Wednesday, May 4: NORA Today’s itinerary will take us to several Phoenician sites, beginning with a scenic drive along the coast to the Phoenician town of Nora to visit its Punic temple, houses, Roman theater and baths. We then continue to the volcanic island of Sant’Antioco to see a fascinating tophet and lastly, at Monte Sirai, we will tour a Phoenician mining town.

Hotel: Hotel Regina Margherita, Cagliari Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, May 5: SU NURAXI Italy

Corsica Evisa Ajaccio St. Teresa

Bastia Corte Aleria

Sicily Tunisia

Bonifacio

Sassari Alghero

Gozo

Victoria

Ggantija

Sardinia Oristano

Nora S’Antioco

Cagliari

Skorba Rabat

Valletta Tarxien

Malta

During our stay on Sardinia, we examine the some of the island’s 7,000 nuraghes. It is believed that when the Sardinian people developed into a more complex society they began constructing these buildings as temples, fortresses and dwellings. We stop at the megalithic cult center and cemetery of Pranu Muteddu. We continue to the largest nuraghic village in Sardinia, Su Nuraxi. End the day at ancient Tharros.

Hotel: Hotel Mistral II, Oristano Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, May 6: SANTA CRISTINA Our touring begins at the nuraghic complex of Losa and the sanctuary of Santa Cristina and continues to the complex of Sant’Antine and the rockcut necropolis of Sant’Andrea Priu. We continue to Alghero and spend two nights in this lovely port city, which still retains its Catalan atmosphere.

Hotel: Hotel Catalunya, Alghero Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, May 7: SASSARI This morning we visit the Neolithic site of Monte d’Accoddi, a huge megalithic altar set on a base of over ten meters. We spend the rest of the morning in Sassari, a delightful medieval town nestling around its great cathedral. We visit the fine prehistoric Punic and Roman collections at the National Museum, before returning to Alghero for an afternoon at leisure.

Hotel: Hotel Catalunya, Alghero Meals: Breakfast Sunday, May 8: LI MURI We travel through mountain villages and along winding coastal roads, visiting the prehistoric cemetery of Li Muri and the giants’ tombs Li Loghi and Coddu Vecchiu.

We take a short ferry trip to Corsica where we spend two nights in the lovely port of

Bonifacio. This fortified town perched atop the chalk cliffs appears on the Corsican horizon as we approach the island.

Hotel: Hotel Solemare, Bonifacio Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, May 9: BONIFACIO This morning we will view Bonifacio’s old buildings remaining from the Pisan and Genoese periods, as well as its fortifications, built in 830 CE by a Tuscan margrave in order to repel a Saracen attack. The afternoon will be at leisure.

Hotel: Hotel Solemare, Bonifacio Meals: Breakfast Tuesday, May 10: FONTANACCIA Driving into the Tizzano Valley, we visit the megalithic sites of Fontanaccia, Stantari and Renaghju, the best-preserved dolmen in Corsica. We continue to the charming town of Sartine to visit the newly installed Sartine Archaeological Museum, which displays finds from the region.

Hotel: Hotel Marinca, Propriano Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, May 11: FILITOSA Touring today begins with Filitosa, Corsica’s most important prehistoric site.

Here menhirs, carved 5,000 years ago, represent the pinnacle of achievement for the megalithic artists. We then continue to Ajaccio, Napoleon’s birthplace, where a short walking tour will bring us to his house. Tonight, we meet at our hotel’s fine restaurant for our farewell dinner.

Hotel: Palazzu U Domu Hotel, Ajaccio Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, May 12: Depart for home.

Meals: Breakfast

The ancient Mnajdra Temple in Malta, built in the 4 millenium BCE

LED BY Prof Robert R. Stieglitz is Professor Emeritus of Archaeology at Rutgers University. He has excavated in the United States, Greece and Israel.

He has led tours to Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Malta, Sardindia and Corsica for Archaeological Tours.

Unique standing stones of Filitosa, Corsica, carved with human-like faces

April 27 - May 12, 2016 16 Days $7,615 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,095 51

Maya Mexico

ITINERARY Saturday, March 5: CANCÚN We arrive in Cancún.

Hotel: Omni, Cancún Meals: Dinner Sunday, March 6: CHICHÉN ITZÁ We begin at the Museo Maya de Cancún, which displays material from prehistoric stone tools to modern Maya life.

Hotel: Mayaland, Chichén Itzá Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, March 7: EK BALAM We tour the Maya city of Ek Balam, known for its unique sculpture, particularly the intricate Chenes-style doorway, which may have been the entrance to the tomb of Ukit-Kan-LekTok. We return to Chichén Itzá, to tour the amazing city after lunch.

Hotel: Mayaland, Chichén Itzá Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, March 8: NEW CHICHÉN We spend most of the day studying New Chichén and Old Chichén. Many of the buildings have been restored, giving us a wonderful picture of the splendor of the original complex. Later, we make our way through the verdant jungle to Uxmal.

Hotel: Lodge at Uxmal Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Encounter incredible sites, including the columned Temple of the Warriors, the dramatic Pyramid of Kukulkan and Kabah’s mask-covered palace.

• Take a picturesque river trip on the Río Usumacinta, surrounded by a forest of trees draped with vines and orchids.

• Discover Uxmal, the most spectacular ancient Maya city in the Yucatán peninsular.

• Be on the look-out for colorful parrots and macaws flying overhead and monkeys scampering through the trees of the nature reserves we pass through.

It is the blend, and sometimes the clash, of native and European heritages that makes Mexico such a fascinating place.

Although Maya civilizations have perished, the unique culture and traditions are still ever present throughout the region allowing us to take a journey through a land which oozes history.

52

Wednesday, March 9: UXMAL We spend the day in Uxmal, visiting the remarkable Pyramid of the Magician, Nunnery Quadrangle, a beautiful complex of four buildings from several periods enclosing a plaza, House of the Turtles, the richly decorated Great Pyramid and the ornately carved Governor’s Palace.

Hotel: Lodge at Uxmal Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, March 10: KABAH & LABNÁ We explore two major sites in the vicinity of Uxmal: Kabah and Labná. Each is unique: Labná for its fine arch, and Kabah for its unusual mask-covered palace.

Hotel: Hotel Del Mar, Campeche Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, March 11: CAMPECHE We visit the Archaeological Museum in Campeche, which houses the treasures from the tombs at Calakmul including two fabulous jade death masks, and the unique small Museum of Maya Architecture and Stelae. We then continue to Calakmul.

Hotel: Ecovillage Chicanna, Calakmul Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, March 12: CALAKMUL We explore the impressive city of Calakmul. The enormous acropolis, is larger in area than the Central Acropolis at Tikal. We climb the great pyramid to enjoy the spectacular view over the ancient landscape. We spend the remainder of the afternoon enjoying all of the wildlife and natural beauty the reserve has to offer.

Hotel: Ecovillage Chicanna, Calakmul Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Mérida Chichén Itzá Uxmal Kabah Sayil Campeche Labná

Mexico

Toniná San Cristóbal de la Casas

Palenque Yaxchilán Bonampak

Calakmul

Sunday, March 13: BECÁN & BALAMKU We begin in Becán. The ancient name of the site is unknown, archaeologists chose the name, meaning “ravine” after the site’s most unusual feature - a moat. We also visit Balamku, home to elaborate plaster facades dating back to the Early Classic period, and one of the largest surviving stucco friezes of the Maya world.

Hotel: Ecovillage Chicanna, Calakmul Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, March 14: PALENQUE We travel to Palenque. Set in the lush vegetation of Sierra de Chiapas, it is one of the most outstanding Maya ceremonial centers we will see. We will explore the magnificent structures of this large site.

Hotel: Ciudad Real, Palenque Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, March 15: PALENQUE We will spend the full day touring this magnificent city. At the day’s end we visit the local museum which exhibits many of the artifacts from the site.

Hotel: Ciudad Real, Palenque Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, March 16: YAXCHILÁN We begin our day in Frontera, where we embark on a river trip on the Río Usumacinta to Yaxchilán. From 600 to 800 AD, the rulers of Yaxchilán built dozens of elaborately decorated temples. This magnificent site sits on the banks of the river and is completely surrounded by a forest of a variety of trees draped with vines and orchids. Colorful parrots and red macaws fly overhead and monkeys and other wildlife scamper through the bush.

Hotel: Escudo Jaguar, Frontera Corozal Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, March 17: BONAMPAK Our day begins with a short journey to Bonampak, renowned for its murals depicting scenes of Maya elite dressed in jaguar-skin robes, prisoners and musicians.

These scenes of tribute begin on the doorjambs. As the visitor moves through the rooms, the theme of battle and victory over vassal states develops.

Hotel: Ciudad Real, Palenque Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, March 18: SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS We travel to San Cristóbal de Las Casas, stopping en route to visit the Classicperiod Maya site of Toniná. Its series of seven artificial terraces, each having numerous temples and tombs, were adorned with life-sized portraits of rulers in full battle dress. After visiting the extensive site, we wend our way up to San Cristóbal de Las Casas, known for its beauty and its fascinating Indian culture.

We gather tonight for our farewell dinner.

Hotel: Casa Mexicana, San Cristóbal de Las Casas Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, March 19: SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS Our full morning in the highlands will take us into the countryside to visit some of the region’s charming villages, including San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan. The afternoon will be at leisure to explore San Cristóbal de Las Casas on our own.

Hotel: Casa Mexicana, San Cristobal Meals: Breakfast Sunday, March 20 This morning we depart early for Tuxtla Gutierrez. We fly home from here via Mexico City.

Meals: Breakfast

The Kukulkan pyramid of the Chichen Itza, perhaps the best know of all Maya sites

LED BY Prof William Saturno is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Boston University. He discovered the remote site of San Bartolo and the oldest intact Maya murals. He has conducted research in Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala.

Vivid murals at Bonampak, depicting a procession of the Maya elite

March 5 - 20, 2016 16 Days $5,975 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $830 53

Oman & Zanzibar

ITINERARY Friday & Saturday, November 4 & 5: We arrive late on Saturday.

Hotel: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Muscat Sunday, November 6: BAUSHAR We travel along the Mutrah Corniche to view the residence of the sultan, Al Alam Palace. We visit the Bait al-Barandah, now a museum presenting the history of Muscat, and the charming Bait al Zubair, a private museum housing traditional Omani items. We end the day at the important Iron Age site of Baushar.

Hotel: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Muscat Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, November 7: AL-AYN We leave Muscat, stopping first at the pre-Islamic fort at Nakhl. Continuing through date palm oases, we view the fort of Rustaq, built over a spring and thought to have been founded by the Persians in the pre-Islamic period. We pass Mishkin Fort and continue to Al-Ayn to visit Bat’s beehive tombs and communal graves.

Hotel: Golden Tulip Hotel, Nizwa Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Explore the intriguing capital of Muscat, and its well-preserved and imposing fortresses.

• Visit the historic inland walled town of Nizwa, strategically situated at the end of Sumail Pass.

• Discover the lost ancient city of Ubar, whose riches were founded on the frankincense trade.

• Find diverse scenery - rugged mountains, sandy deserts and lush wadis of springs and palm groves.

• Tour the fabulous pre-Islamic port city of Sumhuram, founded by the rulers of Shabwah.

• Explore the romantic spice island of Zanzibar, once the second capital of the Sultan of Oman.

Oman, steeped in history and tradition, is one of the most fascinating and beautiful countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

From as early as 5000 BCE the region played a major role in the development of the ancient civilizations of western Asia, while its own numerous civilizations have left a rich and varied archaeological legacy.

54

Tuesday, November 8: AL-AYN We begin at Has’t bin Sult, a 20-foot rock covered with engravings of men, women and children. After hearing some of the folklore related to this site, we continue to the charming old town of Al Hamra, to walk among the old mud houses, and to Misfah, one of the most picturesque villages in Oman. We tour Jabrin Castle, an excellent example of Omani residential architecture, and view the huge fort at Bahla, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, surrounded by miles of mud-brick walls.

Hotel: Golden Tulip Hotel, Nizwa Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, November 9: NIZWA We begin at Nizwa souk and round tower fort. We travel north via Sumail Pass to Samali to examine its falaj and mosque.

We visit nearby Akdar, where weavers still use traditional methods of pit weaving.

We continue to Samad, a fascinating oasis town famed for its seven watchtowers.

Hotel: Golden Tulip Hotel, Nizwa Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, November 10: SUR This exciting day take us via Al Mudayrib, stopping to see its city gate and some of its beautiful old carved doors, into Wahiba Sands. The dune system here is believed to have existed before the last pluvial period in Arabia. We continue to Sur where you can visit Raz al Hadd Turtle Reserve.

Hotel: Sur Plaza Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner Friday, November 11: MUSCAT We visit the excavations at Ras al-Jinz and Ras al-Had. We return to Muscat stopping at the ruins of the Bibi Miriam shrine, described by Ibn Battuta as one of the most beautiful mosques he had ever seen.

Hotel: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Muscat Meals: Breakfast & lunch Dubai

U.A.E.

Sharjah Abu Dhabi

Al-Ain Al Ayn Ibri

Muscat Nizwa

Oman

Thumrait Salalah

Mirbat

Quriyat Sur

Saturday, November 12: SALALAH A spectacular flight over the Wahiba Sands brings us to Salalah, in the southern province of Dhofar. After visiting the Salalah Museum, we will visit the ancient city of Dhofar (Al-Baleed). We visit Old Salalah and some of its natural wonders.

Hotel: Salalah Marriott Hotel Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, November 13: SALALAH We drive into the Jebel Qara escarpment to Job’s Tomb. We continue through the “empty quarter” to Hanun, site of an ancient frankincense storehouse and a small temple dedicated to the moon god Sin. The site is an important transit point en route to Cana and Shabwah. Finally, we reach the lost city of Ubar, with its imposing architecture and vast orchards.

Hotel: Salalah Marriott Hotel Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, November 14: SALALAH We begin at the pre-Islamic port of Sumhuram, beautifully situated on the banks of the Khor Rawri. We will visit the picturesque town of Mirbat and explore Wadi Darbat, known to house prehistoric paintings in some of its caves.

Hotel: Salalah Marriott Hotel Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, November 15: MUSCAT Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore.

Hotel: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Muscat Meals: Breakfast Wednesday, November 16: ZANZIBAR We arrive in Dar El Salaam where our chartered flight brings us to the lush, romantic island of Zanzibar. We meet for an introduction to Zanzibar over dinner.

Hotel: Zanzibar Serena Inn Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Thursday, November 17: ZANZIBAR We take a walking tour of Stone Town and examines its unique architecture, influenced by a mix of Arab, Indian, European and African traditions. The marvelous Zanzibari carved wooden doors, no two alike, are a symbol of the once wealthy householders who lived within. We take a long break, but regroup in the late afternoon for a lecture by a representative of the Preservation Society.

Hotel: Zanzibar Serena Inn Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, November 18: ZANZIBAR We tour the old palace at Dunga and the oldest mosque in East Africa at Kizimkazi.

We also visit Unguja Ukuu, the oldest settlement on Zanzibar and the traditional seat of kings and queens. This evening we visit the ruins of Maruhubi Palace.

We enjoy dinner accompanied by Taarab music, amidst the ruins of the palace.

Hotel: Zanzibar Serena Inn Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, November 19: ZANZIBAR We travel north through the countryside, we visit Mtoni Palace and Persian Baths.

At Fukuchani we explore the remains of a Portuguese settlement and continue to the tip of the island, where traditional dhows are still being built. We will then visit a spice plantation to examine the bushes and trees from which nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, vanilla and Zanzibar’s famous cloves are produced. This evening we will conclude our adventure with a sunset sail on a traditional dhow.

Hotel: Zanzibar Serena Inn Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, November 20: After a day at leisure we depart for Dar el Salam and connect to our flights home.

Maruhubi Palace, Oman, built by Sultan Barghash in 1882 to house his large harem

LED BY Prof Trevor Marchand received his PhD from The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he is currently Professor in the Department of Anthropology. He specializes in indigenous architectures.

Fort al-Jalali in Muscat, built by the Portuguese in the 16th century CE

November 4 - 20, 2016 17 Days We are still working to confirm the price of this tour You can still secure your place with a fullyrefundable $1500 deposit 55

Peru

ITINERARY Friday, August 26: We arrive in Lima.

Hotel: Crown Plaza Hotel, Lima Saturday, August 27: PACHACAMAC Touring begins at pre-Inca Pachacamac, once an important ceremonial center. We examine some of the temples, pyramids and the House of the Mamaconas. We continue to the Hacienda Mamacona to see Peru’s famous “dancing horses.”

Hotel: Crown Plaza Hotel, Lima Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, August 28: LIMA Our touring this morning takes us to the Museo de la Nación, with a superb collection of artifacts. We continue to colonial Lima with visits to the area around the Plaza de Armas to see the Palacio de Gobierno, the Archbishop’s Palace and to visit the Cathedral.

Hotel: Casa Andina Select, Chiclayo Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Travel through breathtakingly beautiful scenery - llama herds and colorful stone villages to visit ancient fortresses, sacred ceremonial centers, colonial churches and vibrant local markets.

• Enjoy a two-day visit to the spectacular citadel of Machu Picchu.

• Visit Cerro Sechin, temple fortress of Chankillo and Caral, and the oldest city in the Americas.

• Watch a performance of the famous “dancing horses” in Hacienda Mamacona.

• Tour Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in the world, and the Moche tomb of Sipán.

At its peak, the Inca Empire stretched from central Chile north to the present Ecuadoran-Colombian border. Our tour will encompass the major pre-Inca and Inca monuments of the Peruvian coast and highlands. These legendary remains of the Inca Empire are the physical evidence for the most intricate and complicated society and state structure in the New World.

56

Monday, August 29: CHICLAYO Touring today will include Pomac where we see Batán Grande, a sanctuary of 50 adobe pyramids and five temples dating to 900-1100 CE. At Túcume we see 26 pyramids built by the Lambayeque.

Hotel: Casa Andina Select, Chiclayo Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, August 30: FERREÑAFE We begin at the site where the Sipán tomb was discovered. We visit the wonderful Sicán Museum in Ferreñafe.

The remainder of the day will be spent at the new Royal Tombs Museum, where the fabulous artifacts from Sipán are on view.

Hotel: Casa Andina Select, Chiclayo Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, August 31: EL BRUJO Our drive today takes us south along the Pan American Highway to Trujillo. We will stop en route for lunch and visits to the excavations at El Brujo, a ceremonial center for several cultures, including the Moche, and to Huaca Negra, one of the oldest middens in the world.

Hotel: Hotel Libertador, Trujillo Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, September 1: CHAN CHAN Our visit is to the Moche pyramids, known as the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon, and the imperial city of the Chumú, Chan Chan. We will also visit the “Rainbow Temple,” known as the Huaca Dragón for its dragon relief, and the Archaeological Museum.

Hotel: Hotel Libertador, Trujillo Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, September 2: CASMA Our scenic drive to Casma passes through the Virú Valley, famous for the 1940s Virú Valley Project, and the fishing port of Chimbote, scene of José María Arguedas’s last novel. We will visit the small Max Uhle Museum and the Initial Period site of Cerro Sechín, renowned for its unique Chicklayo Trujillo Caral

Peru

Lima

Machu Pichu Ica

Cuzco

Pisac Puno Juli

Bolivia La Paz

stone carvings. Our last stop will be the early temple-fortress of Chankillo.

Hotel: El Farol Hotel, Casma Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, September 3: CARAL This exciting day takes us to the newly excavated Caral, believed to be the oldest city in the Americas. Archaeologists were amazed at the complexity of the city, and have uncovered a huge staircase, pyramids, a large sunken amphitheater, residential complexes and countless artifacts.

Hotel: Crown Plaza Hotel, Lima Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday & Monday, September 4 & 5: THE SACRED VALLEY After a morning flight to Cuzco, we arrive in the Sacred Valley. During our two-day stay here we will visit the vast site of Pisac, which consists of three hill fortifications of exceptional masonry and is surrounded by extensive well-preserved terraces, and Ollantaytambo, a massive Inca fortress from which the advances of Hernando Pizarro were repelled in 1536. This site provides us with excellent examples of canchas and an intact irrigation system.

Hotel: Casa Andina Private, Sacred Valley Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, September 6: MACHU PICCHU We enjoy a spectacular journey through the Urubamba River gorge to Machu Picchu. Unknown to all but the local villagers until 1911, Machu Picchu remains a somewhat mysterious city. Its fine stonework and extensive ornamentation suggest an important ceremonial center.

The reasons behind its abandonment may well be lost in history.

Hotel: El Mapi Hotel, Machu Picchu Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, September 7: CUZCO This day is completely at leisure. The bus operates to Machu Picchu at regular intervals. You may wish to spend the morning climbing the peak of Huayna Picchu or hiking the spectacular Inca Trail to the Inca settlement of Wiñay Wayna.

Hotel: Casa Andina Private, Sacred Valley Meals: Breakfast & dinner Thursday, September 8: QENKO We visit the fortress or sanctuary of Sacsayhuamán, built from enormous stones fitted together with absolute precision. We continue to the ruins of Qenko, translated as “zigzag,” so named for the large rock that is completely covered with carvings and zigzag channels. Lastly, we stop at Puca Pucara (Red Fort), possibly a sort of inn for travelers and livestock, and Tambomachay, a lovely ceremonial spring.

Hotel: Casa Andina Private, Sacred Valley Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, September 9: CUZCO After a city tour we visit the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, which houses an excellent collection of material from the Larco Museum in Lima. The remainder of the day will be at leisure before we meet for a farewell dinner at one of Cuzco’s finest restaurants.

Hotel: Casa Andina Private, Sacred Valley Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Chimu capital of Chan Chan, one ofhte largest pre-columbian cities.

LED BY Prof John W. Rick is Chair of Anthropological Sciences at Stanford University. He has directed fieldwork at Chavín de Huántar, a monumental UNESCO World Heritage site dating to around 1000 BCE, for more than a decade.

Traditional Sunday market in the Andean town of Chinchero

Saturday, September 10: LIMA After a morning at leisure, we fly to Lima.

Hotel: Crown Plaza Hotel, Lima Meals: Breakfast Sunday, September 11: This morning there will be several transfers to the airport scheduled at times suitable for our flights.

Meals: Breakfast

August 26 – September 11, 2016 17 Days $6,595 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,180 57

Scotland & its Islands

ITINERARY Friday & Saturday, June 17 & 18: We arrive in Glasgow on Saturday.

Hotel: Royal Hotel, Oban Meals: Dinner Sunday, June 19: ISLE OF IONA We travel to the historically important Island of Iona, where we visit the Early Christian remains and the medieval abbey and nunnery. The Columban Church had a key role in the establishment of Christianity in Scotland until the Viking raids caused most of the community to move to Kells, in Ireland.

Hotel: Royal Hotel, Oban Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, June 20: ISLE OF SKYE We take a trip considered to be one of the most scenic journeys in Scotland, to the Isle of Skye. We begin by visiting Ben Nevis Distillery. We learn how single malt is made and taste their smoky, peaty single malt. We then visit the brochs of Dun Telve and Dun Troddan, two of the best-preserved and informative brochs in Scotland. Built by the Picts 2000 years ago, they demonstrate the defensive nature of these structures.

Hotel: Hotel Eilean Iarmain, Skye Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Discover stone circles, awe-inspiring tombs, remote Pictish stelae, towering brochs, stone-built villages amid mysterious landscapes.

• Journey through craggy hills and glacial lochs.

• Examine the National Museum of Scotland’s fine archaeological collection.

• Study the remains of Celtic cultures, the ancient Picts, the Romans and the Vikings.

• Learn about key figues and events of Scotland’s past: William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scotts, and the great battle that saved the honor of Scotland.

• Enjoy ample leisure time for your own exploring.

Scattered across Scotland, between blue-hazed mountains, brilliant green valleys and rugged rocky shores, we find some of the oldest and most mysterious examples of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments. Our journey of discovery will be enhanced by visits to gardens of spectacular beauty, dramatic landscapes and brilliant blue seas.

58

Tuesday & Wednesday, June 21 & 22: ISLE OF HARRIS We spend two days on the Isle of Harris, one of the 130 islands of the Outer Hebrides. We explore the heather-covered moors and brightly painted villages and visit the Stones of Callanish. The site dates from the Late Stone Age and Early Bronze Age and has a central cairn.

Hotel: Cabarfeidh Hotel, Stornoway Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, June 23: ANTONINE WALL We travel to Cairnpapple Hill, where five phases of occupation can be seen, the earliest of the Late Neolithic period, a large burial cairn from the Bronze Age and lastly, four graves probably of the Early Iron Age. We also visit two forts along the Roman Antonine Wall: the well-preserved Rough Castle and Kinneil, a fortlet that has been excavated and partially reconstructed.

Hotel: George Hotel, Edinburgh Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, June 24: EDINBURGH Our tour begins with Edinburgh Castle and a walk down the Royal Mile past restored 15th and 17th century buildings, including Holyrood Abbey and Palace, an official residence of the Queen.

We continue to the National Museum of Scotland, where we see the fine archaeological collection. The remainder of the day will be at leisure.

Hotel: George Hotel, Edinburgh Meals: Breakfast Saturday, June 25: PICTISH STONES We enter the Pictish kingdom’s center, haunted by hill forts and mysterious stone circles. Our first stop is Dunning Shetland Islands Lerwick

Orkney Islands Stornoway

Kirkwall

Thurso

Inverness Aberdeen

Scotland Glasgow

Edinburgh

Church, one of Scotland’s earliest surviving churches. In Aberlemno and Meigle we see remarkable Pictish stones. Our last stop will be to the wonderful Dunnottar Castle.

Hotel: Hilton Inn Hotel, Aberdeen Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, June 26: BUCHAN We travel through Buchan, stopping to inspect the Maiden Stone, one of the finest Pictish symbol monuments. At Rhynie we see the Craw Stane still standing in its original position, other Pictish symbol stones and view Tap O’Noth, an Iron Age tribal center. We also visit Burghead, a spectacular Pictish fort and well with bull carvings. Our final visit is to one of the most important cairn groups on the mainland, Clava Cairns.

Hotel: Royal Highland Hotel, Inverness Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, June 27: SCRABSTER We go north along the coast to Scrabster, visiting some of the many prehistoric sites en route, including the Tarbat Discovery Centre, a spectacular series of Pictish cross slabs at Hilton and Shandwick and the Grey Cairns of Camster. We take a ferry to the Orkney Islands and its quiet little capital, Kirkwall, one of the earliest Norse trading centers.

Hotel: Ayre Hotel, Kirkwall Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, June 28: SKARA BRAE We explore the Stone Age settlement of Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness. We cross to Brough of Birsay to see the remains of Pictish and Norse settlements, which will give us a good picture of life on the island in the early 12th century.

Hotel: Ayre Hotel, Kirkwall Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, June 29: ISLE OF ROUSAY We visit the Iron Age settlement of Broch of Gurness, strikingly positioned beside Eynhallow Sound with views across to the island of Rousay. We take a ferry to Rousay Island to see Midhowe, a fabulous broch and cairn. In the same area a coastal walk, known as the Westness Walk, visits several archaeological sites.

Hotel: Ayre Hotel, Kirkwall Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, June 30: KIRKWALL Our last day on this island we stop at the Italian Chapel. We also visit Maes Howe, the most outstanding Stone Age burial cairn in Britain, and the Kirkwall Museum.

We enjoy an afternoon at leisure before we board our overnight ferry which takes us to the Shetland Islands.

Hotel: Overnight ferry Meals: Breakfast Friday, July 1: OLD SCATNESS Touring begins at Old Scatness, an Early Iron Age broch and village. We move on to Jarlshof, which has remains from the Stone Age through to the Viking period. A short boat trip takes us to the uninhabited island of Mousa, where we will see the most complete of Scotland’s brochs.

Hotel: Queens Hotel, Lerwick Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, July 2: CLICKIMIN BROCH We explore Clickimin Broch and the prehistoric sites of Staneydale. Our last visit will be to the Shetland Museum. We gather for our farewell dinner tonight.

Hotel: Queens Hotel, Lerwick Meals: Breakfast & dinner Sunday, July 3: We travel to the airport, to fly home.

The Callanish standing stones, typical of Scotland’s many prehistoric monuments

LED BY Dr Gordon Noble is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Honorary Curatorial Fellow to the University Museums at the University of Aberdeen. He is author of numerous books including ‘Neolithic Scotland’.

Iona Abbey, still a working charitable foundation to this day

June 17 - July 3, 2016 17 Days $6,990 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $950 59

Caves & Castles

ITINERARY Sunday & Monday, September 4 & 5: We arrive into Madrid on Monday.

Hotel: Hotel Abba, Burgos Meals: Dinner Tuesday, September 6: ATAPUERCA Touring begins at Atapuerca, Europe’s most important early human site. Many skeletons have been found here along with ancient DNA. We head north across to Cantabria, stopping for lunch at El Convento, a former Cluniac monastery in the Santiago pilgrimage trail corridor. Our day ends at Santillana-del-Mar, a small coastal city, rich from New World trade.

Hotel: Parador Santillana de Mar Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, September 7: EL PINDAL We visit El Pindal where a beautiful horse is depicted as well as fish and mammoth representations, infrequent in Palaeolithic art of the region. We continue to Ribadesella to visit Tito Bustillo, a vast alcove-rich cave and striking new museum. The day ends with a visit to the Altamira II replica cave and museum, which has excellent interpretive materials.

Hotel: Parador Santillana de Mar Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Discover the beautiful and hospitable Atlantic Franco-Iberia region.

• Uncover where Neanderthals once lived and how modern humans came to replace them.

• Take in the range of cave art, right across its 30,000-year evolution.

• View the most spectacular early sapiens imagery ever discovered within the Chauvet cave replica.

• Explore the Niaux cave and its Black Salon with renowned prehistorian, Jean Clottes.

• Enjoy lovely paradors, fine cuisine and excellent local wines.

Our Caves and Castles tour explores the depths of the early human mind and the turbulent flow of medieval life. FrancoIberia possesses an incomparable deep history. To our incredibly good fortune, the historical sites of our tour are found in an area renowned for fabulous food and wine.

60

Thursday, September 8: EKAIN We begin in Monte Castillo cave complex.

We see 130,000-year-old archaeological levels outside the cave. Inside there are bison, mammoths, and spots of atomized pigment. Some spots may be 40,000 years old. We drive east along the Cantabrian coast, known for its mountain-ringed estuaries. Entering the Basque country, we visit the replica cave of Ekain.

Hotel: Parador Hondarribia Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, September 9: PYRÉNÉES We begin our ascent into the foothills of the Pyrénées: land of cave art and Cathar castles. Our first stop is Saint-Bertrandde-Comminges, founded on an important Gallo-Roman city of the Pyrenees. We continue to Gargas cave, famous for its stenciled handprint alcoves and fissures evocatively drenched with red ocher.

Hotel: Hôtel Eychenne, St Girons Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, September 11: QUERCY We head northward across the luxuriant Garonne Valley to Quercy, land of oaks and spectacular caves. In Cahors, the Pont Valentré is a pilgrimage route and engineering marvel. After lunch, PechMerle cave gives us immense, flowstoneladen galleries and famous decorated alcoves, including the Spotted Horses.

Hotel: Château de Mercuès, Cahors Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, September 10: NIAUX Today renowned prehistorian, Jean Clottes, will be our guide at Niaux cave.

In Niaux’s cathedral-like Black Salon, we find alcoves painted with emotive figures of horse, bison and ibex. We move on to the incomparable site of Mas-d’Azil: Carolingian abbey, warm period bastide, and crucial Protestant stronghold. The local museum has a stunning collection of Magdalenian portable art. As the bus tracks along the Arize River, we plunge through the gigantic Mas-d’Azil cave.

Hotel: Hôtel Eychenne, St Girons Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, September 12: SOUILLAC We continue northward to the Santiago pilgrimage way-stop of Rocamadour. Here, cliff-side chapels preserve Cluniac frescoes and a famous black virgin. In Souillac, the Byzantine Romanesque Eglise St. Marie has a rare Cluniac sculpture of Isaiah. In Cougnac, we find a small gallery with wonderful flowstones as well as alcoves painted with Irish elk. Day’s end puts us in Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac, our base for the next four nights. Perched on the Vézère River cliffs, this small market town lies at the Périgord region’s geographic center.

Hotel: Hôtel Centenaire, Les Eyzies Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Paris

France Souillac Bilbao

Quercy El Pindal Niaux Ekain Pyrénées Atapuerca Madrid

Spain

Chauvet

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, September 13, 14 & 15: Three days to explore Paleolithic caves, important medieval fortifications and beautiful countryside. Our program includes: Abri Cro-Magnon, the famous burials found here date to about 27,000 years ago; Abri Pataud, the Upper Paleolithic rock shelter preserves Harvard’s 1960s excavation as a museum; La Roque-Saint Christophe, France’s most amazing example of a medieval troglodyte stronghold; Rouffignac, a miniature train ride to view mammoths, rhinos and the incomparable Grand Ceiling; Beynac, a Chateau briefly owned by Richard Coeur-

de-Lion and later a crucial Hundred Years’ War pinch point; Sarlat, a 9th-century abbey grown to Renaissance commercial center; Bernifal; Sergeac; Lascaux II/ Le Thot; and the National Museum of Prehistory. Within the museum, you will have the chance to get close to Neanderthal skeletons and grave goods. At Cap Blanc, a Rock shelter with a unique 16,000-yearold high-relief sculpted frieze of horde and bison, we will be accompanied by Christine Desdemaines-Hugon, an expert in cave art. We enjoy a farewell meal on Thursday.

Hotel: Hôtel Centenaire, Les Eyzies Meals: Breakfast, 2 lunches & 1 dinner Friday, September 16: DORDOGNE We complete our touring in Dordogne and drive to Vallon Pont d’Arc. Hotel: Le Clos des Bruyeres Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, September 17: CHAUVET Our tour will conclude with a visit to the Chauvet replica cave and museum. With its chance discovery in 1994, Chauvet revealed the most spectacular Paleolithic imagery-hundreds of animals of at least 13 different species including lions and hyenas in hunting stance. The renowned Jean Clottes began the studies now processed by a fulltime scientific team.

The paintings are at least 25,000 years old.

After this wonderful visit we will adjourn to one of the area’s best restaurants for a leisurely farewell lunch. The remainder of the day will be at leisure for your independent exploration.

Hotel: Le Clos des Bruyeres Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, September 18: There will be one group transfer to the Marseille airport for our departure flights.

The monastic complex and town of Rocamadour, above the Dordogne river

LED BY Dr Roy Larick is a veteran lecturer for Archaeological Tours. He worked in the Périgord region of southwest France for more than ten years as associate of the Direction des Antiquités Préhistoriques d’Aquitaine.

Cathedral of St Bertrand de Comminges, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

September 4 - 18, 2016 15 Days $7,790 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,120 61

Title Sri Lanka

ITINERARY Monday, February 8: Departures from our home cities.

Tuesday, February 9: COLOMBO We arrive into Colombo. Our tour begins with dinner in our hotel.

Hotel: Hilton Hotel, Colombo Meals: Dinner Wednesday, February 10: COLOMBO After an opening lecture we begin touring at the Gotami temple, which houses beautiful wall paintings. We continue to the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya, where, according to legend, the Buddha converted the inhabitants of Lanka to Buddhism.

Hotel: Hilton Hotel, Colombo Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, February 11: MIHINTALE We travel North to Anuradhapura. This afternoon we visit the mountain and pilgrimage site of Mihintale, site of the island’s first Buddhist sermon and first conversion of a long line of kings.

Hotel: Palm Garden Villa, Anuradhapura Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Discover 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

• Attend the annual Navam Perahera Festival featuring decorated elephants and performers • Climb Kasyapa’s citadel and enjoy the magnificent views and water garden terraces.

• Share the roads with elephants as we travel along Sri Lanka’s highways.

• Witness a colorful and unique evening puja ceremony at the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy.

• Enjoy ample leisure time for your own exploring.

Among the world’s first great Buddhist kingdoms, the island of Sri Lanka offers the traveler wonders far exceeding its small size. Our journey will take us to six World Heritage sites as well as tea plantations, colonial hill stations and monasteries resplendent with fabulous art, giving us an understanding of Sri Lankan culture and history.

62

Friday, Feb 12: ANURADHAPURA We spend a full day at the ancient city of Anuradhapura; royal capital from the late 5th century BCE until 993 CE. Here, we will be awed by the huge dimensions of the dagobas (hemispherical mounds) and charmed by the unique architecture of the monasteries and temples.

Hotel: Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner Saturday, Feb 13: HABARANA We travel to King Kasyapa’s retreat. The citadel took seven years to build and its spectacular gardens, pools and pavilions,

are designed to blend with the natural landscape. After visiting the Sigiriya Museum, we will have earned an afternoon at leisure. This evening we gather for a BBQ dinner and traditional devil dance performance at a local residence.

Hotel: Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Aluvihare. After viewing the cave temple, we have arranged an enlightening discussion about Sri Lankan Buddhism with the chief monk. This evening we will visit the Temple of the Tooth at the time of the puja, or prayer offerings.

Hotel: Chaaya Citadel Kandy Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sunday, Feb 14: POLONNARUWA We will spend the full day at the medieval capital of Polonnaruwa - a magnificent site with acres of unique architectural elements, delicately engraved columns and wonderful friezes. The new site museum will end this fabulous day.

Hotel: Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, February 17: KANDY Today we begin at three temples of the Kandyan era: Gadaladeniya Viharaya, with its strong southern Indian influences, Lankatilaka Viharaya, and Kataragama Devale, famed for its carved wooden pillars. We continue to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, before returning to Kandy to visit a batik workshop.

Hotel: Chaaya Citadel, Kandy Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Monday, February 15: DAMBULLA This morning we visit the huge Avukana Buddha and the massive 4th-century CE reservoir at Kala Wewa. We then continue to the great rock temple of Dambulla. The afternoon will be at leisure.

Hotel: Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, February 16: ALUVIHARE En route to Kandy we stop to visit

India

Sri Lanka

Bay of Bengal

Anuradhapura Habarana Dambulla Colombo

Polonnaruwa Sigiriya

Kandy Nuwara Eliya

Yala Kataragama National Park Galle Weligama Indian Ocean

Thursday, Feb 18: NUWARA ELIYA Before leaving Kandy we visit the lovely Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. Our drive to Nuwara Eliya is along the edge of a lush highland landscape carpeted with green tea bushes. We stop to sample the famed Ceylon teas and learn the secrets of tea making. Tonight we stay in a former British mountain resort, at the very colonial Grand Hotel.

Hotel: Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, February 19: MULKIRIGALA En route to Galle we will stop at Mulkirigala Temples, nestled amid a tranquil forest of lush coconut trees. Here we explore seven cave temples decorated with beautiful Buddhist paintings, situated in five terraced areas. We then continue to Galle to the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel, our home for the next three nights.

Hotel: Lighthouse Hotel, Galle Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Saturday, February 20: GALLE Our touring today begins with a visit to the Martin Wikramasinghe Folk Museum for an excellent overview of traditional life in Sri Lanka. We continue to the historical center of Galle, including its ramparts and fort, the National Marine Museum and the Marine Archaeological Project.

Hotel: Lighthouse Hotel, Galle Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, February 21: WELIGAMA This morning we visit the fishing village of Weligama to see a megalith carved with a figure identified as Kushta Raja, the “leper king,� and the Purvarama monastery, whose image house is considered to be one of the jewels of Buddhist painting.

The remainder of the day will be at leisure before a private performance of the Kolam Dance and our gala farewell dinner.

Hotel: Lighthouse Hotel, Galle Meals: Breakfast & dinner Monday, Feb 22: AMBALANGODA We return to Colombo stopping en route at Ambalangoda, known for its wooden mask craftsmen. This evening we will attend the annual Navam Perahera Festival at Gangaramaya temple. The very colorful parade features fabulously decorated elephants, dancers and musicians.

Hotel: Hilton, Colombo Meals: Breakfast & dinner Tuesday, February 23: COLOMBO Today we will visit the small collection of archaeological and ethnographical material in the National Museum leaving the afternoon at leisure to explore the city.

Hotel: Hilton, Colombo Meals: Breakfast Wednesday, February 24: COLOMBO Depart for home.

Caption One of the goesgreat here stupas et platiatias at Anuradhapura, Description royal goes capital hereofetancient platiatias Sri Lanka

LED LEDBY BY B.D. Nandadeva is a Professor Prof B.D. Nandadeva is a Professor ininthe Department the DepartmentofofFine FineArts Arts at the atUniversity the University of Kelaniya of Kelaniya in SriinLanka.

Sri has an interesting HeLanka. has anHe interesting multidisciplinary multidisciplinary training which training which combines art history, combines art history, conservation scienceconservation and cultural management. heritage management.

Unique stone Caption goes here columns et platiatias at the city Description of Polonnaruwa, goes here used to listen et platiatias to the chanting of Buddhist scripture

February 8 - 24, 2016 17 Days $5,750 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1310 63

Vikings

ITINERARY Sunday, July 10 & Monday, July 11: We arrive into Stockholm on Monday.

Hotel: Clarion Sign Hotel, Stockholm Meals: Dinner Tuesday, July 12: GAMLA STAN We begin at the Museum of National Antiquities. We continue to Vasamuséet, home to the Vasa warship, built in 1628.

We walk through the old town known as Gamla Stan, comprised of the original site of Stockholm and the Swedish Parliament buildings. We stop to visit Riddarholmen Church, used for royal weddings and coronations, and the Great Square, scene of the “Stockholm Bloodbath”.

Hotel: Clarion Sign Hotel, Stockholm Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, July 13: UPPSALA We start the day in Gamla Uppsala, touring the three huge royal burial mounds that legend attributes to kings Aun, Egil and Adlis. In modern Uppsala we visit Sweden’s largest cathedral, Domkyrkan, and the manuscript room of the University Library.

Hotel: Clarion Sign Hotel, Stockholm Meals: Breakfast & lunch

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Travel through Scandinavia’s spectacular and varied landscape that shaped life in the Viking Age. • Explore the huge royal burial mounds of legendary Viking rules at Gamla Uppsala, Sweden.

• Visit the national museums of Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen.

• Stop in Birka and Sigtuna, the market towns where Vikings would trek to Russia and Constantinople.

• Stand where mythic Beowulf wrestled Grendel, and where the heroes of Hrolf Kraki made their last stand against the hordes the jealous god Odin.

• Explore the ship museums of Roskilde and Oslo.

This distinctive tour through Sweden, Denmark and Norway places the Viking Age in the wider context of European history, and in Scandinavian history, from the Bronze Age to the modern day. Through this tour of archaeological sites, objects and landscapes, Norse gods and Viking heroes will come alive once again.

64

Thursday, July 14: BJÖRKÖ We spend today on the island of Björkö.

Here we explore the Viking town of Birka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was founded in 750 CE. Birka greatly benefited from its strategic location and became an important Viking trading center until its gradual disappearance in 975, when the island of Gotland and Sigtuna took over the Russia-Byzantine trade.

Hotel: Clarion Sign Hotel, Stockholm Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, July 15: STOCKHOLM We tour the Ramsund carvings depicting several sagas about Sigurd today. Lastly, we visit Anundshög, the largest royal burial mound in Sweden where standing stones are arranged to represent two ships and a rune stone. The afternoon will be at leisure to visit more of Stockholm’s historic sites.

Hotel: Clarion Sign Hotel, Stockholm Meals: Breakfast Saturday, July 16: GOTLAND We travel to the ancient Baltic island of Gotland. We spend our day exploring Visby, its historic buildings and Gotlands Fornsal Museum. Most notable among the museum’s collections are the Hall of Picture Stones and the Viking Treasury.

This amazing collection includes a hoard of unique gold and silver treasures from as far away as Central Asia and Persia.

Hotel: Strand Hotel ,Visby Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, July 17: FROJEL We tour the town of Visby, including the excavations and church at Frojel. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to fully explore.

Hotel: Strand Hotel,Visby Meals: Breakfast Norway

Uppsala Sigtuna Björkö Stockholm

Oslo

Sweden

Denmark Jelling

Aarhus Lund Roskilde Copenhagen

Visby

Monday, July 18: LUND We enjoy a scenic drive to Copenhagen, stopping en route at Lund to see its magnificent Cathedral, considered to be a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture.

In the late afternoon we cross into Denmark via the Öresund bridge.

Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel, Copenhagen Meals: Breakfast & dinner Tuesday, July 19: COPENHAGEN We visit the National Museum, which displays material covering Danish prehistory, most notably the Gundestrup cauldron. The museum’s ethnographical galleries of non-European cultures are among the most important in the world.

After lunch we tour the city stopping to view Copenhagen’s most important sites.

Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel, Copenhagen Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, July 20: ROKSKILDE We begin in Roskilde and visit the fabulous Roskilde Domkirke, with its amazing royal chapels containing remains of kings and queens. We continue to the Viking Ship Museum, which houses five preserved ships excavated from Roskilde fjord. We also stop in Gammel Lejre, which holds the remains of a Viking ship burial.

Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel, Copenhagen Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, July 21: AARHUS We stop today at the huge Trelleborg Fort, one of seven Viking ring castles. We cross the Great Belt Bridge and continue to Ladby to visit the Ladbyskibet Viking Chief burial and museum. Our last stop is Jelling, where Viking king Gorm the Old’s burial mounds and two rune stones known as the Jelling stones are still visible.

Hotel: Royal Hotel, Aarhus Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, July 22: AARHUS Our walking tour of old Aarhus begins with the cathedral and includes the Viking Museum, housed in the basement of a bank. We then depart for the Silkeborg Museum, which houses the Tollund Man. Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel, Copenhagen Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, July 23: COPENHAGEN After a morning to explore the city on our own, we board an overnight ferry to Oslo.

Hotel: Overnight ferry Meals: Breakfast & dinner Sunday, July 24: OSLO We begin at the Kulturhistorisk Museum, which houses several magnificent stavechurch portals decorated with dragons and beasts. We spend the afternoon walking in the city center which is dotted with important landmarks, including the Rathaus, which is decorated with scenes from Norse mythology.

Hotel: Thon Bristol Hotel, Oslo Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, July 25: BYGDØY We stop at four museums in the Bygdøy peninsula. Vikingskipshuset was specially constructed to house three 9th century Viking ships; Frammuseet houses the Fram, the ship that carried Roald Amundsen to the South Pole; Kon-Tiki Museet holds Thor Heyerdahl’s famous ship; finally a fine Stave Church resides in the Folk Museum. We gather for our farewell dinner tonight.

Hotel: Thon Bristol Hotel, Oslo Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, July 26: Depart for home.

Meals: Breakfast

The fearsome prow of a Viking longship

LED BY Prof Kenneth W. Harl, is Professor at Tulane University. He is noted for his expertise on Medieval Scandinavia, especially warfare, trade and coinage of the Viking Age. He has produced lecture series on the Vikings for The Teaching Co. Characteristic colorfully painted houses on the waterfront in Copenhagen

July 10 - 26, 2016 17 Days $7,385 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,500 65

Tunisia

ITINERARY Friday, Saturday, May 20 & 21: TUNIS Independent departures from our home cities. We arrive in Tunis and gather for a lecture and dinner with Professor Stone.

Hotel: Tunisia Palace Hotel, Tunis Meal: Dinner Sunday, May 22: CARTHAGE The entire day will be spent at the site of Carthage. We begin on Byrsa Hill with its museum and Punic houses. The day continues with the Tophet, the ancient harbors and ship sheds, and the Punic fortifications in the “Quartier Magon”.

Time permitting, we will also visit the American military cemetery for North Africa, which is just outside the site.

Hotel: Tunisia Palace Hotel, Tunis Meals: Breakfast & lunch

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Explore the Antonine Baths, Roman villas and La Malga cisterns in Carthage.

• Venture into Kairouan, repository of Islamic culture.

• Receive a lecture by a noted archaeologist from the National Institute of Heritage in Tunis.

• Visit the tombs of the Numidian kings at Chemtou.

• Discover a splendid amphitheater, which could hold 30,000 people, in El Jem. • Enjoy a final gala dinner at a restored traditional house, Dar El Jeld, in Tunis.

Discover the major archaeological and historical sites of Tunisia on our adventure of ancient sites. From the vast site of ancient Carthage to the Roman city of Dougga, to the unique underground Numidian capital of Bulla Regia. Tunisia’s Roman conquerors bequeathed golden-stone cities and unrivalled mosaics to this lovely Mediterranean corner of North Africa.

66

Monday, May 23: SIDI BOU Touring of Carthage continues today the Antonine Baths, Roman villas, theater, odeon, amphitheater, the early Christian pilgrimage church at Damous el Karita and La Malga cisterns. We then drive to the picturesque 17th-century village of Sidi Bou Said, located on a promontory overlooking Carthage. The afternoon is at leisure. You may wish to continue exploring Sidi Bou or Tunis.

Hotel: Tunisia Palace Hotel, Tunis Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, May 24: KERKOUANE Today we will visit the Punic town of Kerkouane, the Archaeological Museum and the ancient fish processing pools at Nabeul (Neapolis). This evening we will have a lecture by a noted archaeologist from the National Institute of Heritage.

Hotel: Tunisia Palace Hotel, Tunis Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, May 25: TUNIS Our touring today begins at the Bardo Museum, containing the most important antiquities from the entire country.

Noteworthy are the spectacular Roman mosaics, Punic stelae and jewelry as well as marble statues of the Greek and Roman gods. After lunch, we explore the colorful medina and souks of Tunis. We then attend a traditional dinner show in the old medina tonight.

Hotel: Tunisia Palace Hotel, Tunis Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, May 26: OUDNA Today we drive south of Tunis to Oudna, recently excavated with a fine amphitheater and multi-story temple. We continue to the rosy-hued Roman town of Thuburbo Majus, founded as a colony for veteran Roman soldiers. Here we see the forum, palaestra, and peristyle houses with well-preserved mosaics. We continue to Zaghouan, with its monumental nymphaeum at the source of the 90-km aqueduct that supplied Carthage with water.

Hotel: Tunisia Palace Hotel, Tunis Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Bizerte Aïn Draham

Carthage

Tunis

Dougga Kairouan Kasserine Pass Tozeur

Gafsa

Sfax

Gabes Tataouine

Tunisia

Nabeul Sousse

Friday, May 27: DOUGGA Passing west through Testour, we spend most of the day at the magnificent hilltop site of Dougga, which flourished in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. The glory of Imperial Rome is evoked by its temples, baths, theater, streets, and arches. It also features a monumental Punic mausoleum.

Hotel: Hotel El Ein, Ain Draham Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, May 28: BULLA REGIA Today’s tour highlights the Numidians, local tribes allied to (or in conflict with) Carthage and Rome from the 4th - 1st centuries BCE. At Bulla Regia we explore baths, the forum, a theater and temples, as well as three underground villas housing beautiful mosaic-tiled floors. At Chemtou we visit the tombs of the Numidian kings, a Roman bridge, and a superb museum.

Nearby are famous quarries from which the Romans extracted the yellow marble used throughout the Mediterranean.

Hotel: Tunisia Palace Hotel, Tunis Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, May 29: AQUAE CALDEAE We visit the ancient Aquae Caldeae, a Spa center dating back to Roman times; today many Tunisians still come for its hot springs bursting into the Mediterranean.

We then drive to Hammamet and explore its Medina, the winding streets, its walls and the Arab fort. There will be time to visit the kasha, tomb of Sidi Bou Hadid, the exterior of the Great Mosque and the Museum of Traditional Dress in an old house. The residential quarter is also of interest. Then continue to the ancient site of Pupput. Here you will see some fine Roman mosaics. We arrive into Sousse this evening, with time to relax or explore.

Hotel: Movenpick Spa and Resort, Sousse.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Monday, May 30: KAIROUAN A short drive takes us to Kairouan, once the Moslem capital of North Africa and still a repository of Islamic culture. We will visit the 9th-century Sidi Okba Mosque with its columned prayer room, and the Mosque of the Berber, whose decorative tiling and carved ceilings rival those of the Alhambra. After a stop at the colorful souks of Kairouan we return to Sousse in time for a swim or a spa treatment.

Hotel: Movenpick Spa and Resort, Sousse Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tuesday, May 31: EL JEM This morning we return to Imperial Rome with our visit to El Jem (Thysdrus) to view the splendid amphitheater, which could hold 30,000 people. Though smaller than the Colosseum in Rome, it is in a better state of preservation; we will also visit the outstanding archaeological museum.

Hotel: Movenpick Spa and Resort, Sousse Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, June 1: SOUSSE This morning we will visit the medina and citadel in the old walled city of Sousse as well as the museum, rich in unique mosaics and sculptures. We return to Tunis and gather for our final gala dinner at Dar El Jeld, a restored traditional house.

Hotel: Tunisia Palace Hotel, Tunis Meals: Breakfast & dinner

The Roman city of Sbeitla, with one of the best-preserved Forums in the old world

LED BY David L. Stone specializes in ancient North Africa and the Roman empire at the University of Michigan, where he is Research Scientist at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and Lecturer in the Department of Classical Studies.

Odyessus sails in search of Ithaca... beautiful mosaic, now housed in the Bardo Museum

Thursday, June 2: We have a group transfer to the airport for flights home or onward.

May 20 – June 2, 2016 14 Days $4,980 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $525 67

Western Turkey

ITINERARY Sunday, May 22 & Monday, May 23: We arrive in Ankara on Monday. We meet Professor Harl tonight for dinner.

Hotel: Hilton Hotel, Ankara Meals: Dinner Tuesday, May 24: ANKARA We begin at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. We stop to see the Roman remains of the Temple of Augustus, before travelling to Gordion. We enter the largest royal tumuli here, Midas’s tomb, and visit the acropolis of the Phrygian city.

Hotel: Hilton Hotel, Ankara Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, May 25: BOGAZKÖY We visit the Hittite center at Bogazköy, its famous Lion Gate, fortifications, temples and palaces of the city. After lunch, we continue to the cult center of Yazilikaya, with its reliefs cut into the living rock.

Hotel: Hilton Double Tree, Cappadocia Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Explore the famed Hellenistic cities of Asia Minor: Ephesus, Pergamon, Sardis, Priene, Miletus, and of course legendary Troy.

• Discover the “fairy chimneys” of the Göreme Valley, unusually beautiful rock formations.

• View beautiful Ottoman mosques and monuments.

• Visit Kültepe, one of the most important ancient settlements in Turkey.

• Receive an introduction to Anatolia’s GraecoRoman world in Perge and Aspendos.

• Enjoy ample leisure time, and two full days to explore the incredible city of Istanbul.

Our spring tour encompasses the entire range of Anatolian history. We visit the Hittite center at Bogazköy and continue through Cappadocia, with its wild rock formations and hidden Byzantine churches, to coastal Turkey. The profusion of flowers, gentle climate and lovely Mediterranean beaches will make this tour a fascinating vacation.

68

Thursday, May 26: KAYSERI In Kayseri, we explore the site of Kültepe, one of the most important ancient settlements in Turkey. We also visit the Göreme Valley, its unusual rock formations and Byzantine churches.

Hotel: Hilton Double Tree, Cappadocia Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner Friday, May 27: KONYA We stop in Kaymakli, one of the many underground towns hewn from the tufa.

En route to Konya, we find the Selçuk caravanserai Sultan Hani and Çatal Höyük. We also visit Konya’s Mosaic Museum, housed in a former madrassa.

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn, Konya Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, May 28: ANTALYA We make our way through the Taurus Mountains, to the beautifully preserved Graeco-Roman city of Sagalassos. We stop at Egirdir Lake for a seafood lunch on our way to Antalya. The old town is a very charming place to wander through, with its winding streets and Ottoman houses.

Hotel: Marmara Hotel, Antalya Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, May 29: PERGE & ASPENDOS The Hellenistic cities of Perge and Aspendos introduce us to Anatolia’s Graeco-Roman world. At Aspendos we visit the finest theater surviving from this period. We spend the afternoon exploring the Archaeological Museum.

Hotel: Marmara Hotel, Antalya Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, May 30: PHASELIS In the morning, we visit the ancient Lycian harbor city of Phaselis. We stroll its ancient streets and examine its theater, shops and aqueduct. The afternoon will be at leisure.

You can explore the old city of Antalya or relax and go for a swim at the beach.

Hotel: Marmara Hotel, Antalya Meals: Breakfast

Istanbul Nicaea Bursa Pergamon Sardes

Turkey

Bogazköy Ankara Kaymakli

Konya Ephesus Pamukkale Phaselis Tekstil Apollo’s Temple Antalya

Tuesday, May 31: HIERAPOLIS We visit Pamukkale, and see remains of the ancient city of Hierapolis, situated amongst pools formed by the calcium deposits from water flowing down the plateau.

Hotel: Dedeman Park Hotel, Pamukkale Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday, June 1: APHRODISIAS We tour ancient Aphrodisias, the site of a flourishing school of sculpture during the Roman Empire. Its museum houses a large collection of sculpture and statuary.

Hotel: Hilton Double Tree, Kusadasi Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, June 2: PRIENE & MILETUS We explore the Ionian cities of Priene and Miletus and the great temple of Apollo at Didyma. At Priene, perched high above the Maeander Valley, we visit its temple of Athena, agora and theater. During our stop in Miletus, we explore ancient Port Leonas.

Hotel: Hilton Double Tree, Kusadasi Meals: Breakfast & lunch Friday, June 3: EPHESUS We discover spectacular Ephesus, and the remains of the temple of Artemis, its library, agora, theater, and the newly excavated mosaic floors of private villas.

Hotel: Swissotel Efes, Izmir Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, June 4: SARDIS We tour the American excavations at Sardis, the capital of Lydia today. We find the temple of Artemis and a recently restored synagogue here.

Hotel: Swissotel Efes, Izmir Meals: Breakfast & lunch Sunday, June 5: PERGAMON We reach the famous Greek city of Pergamon and visit the Asclepion, one of

the most famous therapeutic centers in the ancient world. We continue to Troy, immortalized by Homer.

Hotel: Kolin Hotel, Çanakkale Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday, June 6: BURSA We visit Bursa’s beautiful Ottoman mosques and monuments and explore the local market. Tonight you may wish to enjoy a typical Turkish bath at our hotel.

Hotel: Marigold Thermal Spa Hotel, Bursa Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, June 7: IZNIK We explore Iznik, the site of two Ecumenical Councils in 325 and 787 CE. Hotel: Marmara Hotel, Istanbul Meals: Breakfast & lunch Wednesday, June 8: ISTANBUL We tour the Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. We visits Topkapi Sarayi Museum and the city’s ancient cisterns.

Hotel: Marmara Hotel, Istanbul Meals: Breakfast & lunch Thursday, June 9: ISTANBUL We begin at the Archaeological Museum, before touring the Turkish monuments of the city: Süleymaniye Mosque, the Church of Kariye Camii, and Rüstem Pasha Mosque. We gather to enjoy our farewell dinner and reflect on our journey tonight.

Hotel: Marmara Hotel, Istanbul Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, June 10: ISTANBUL Our tour ends with a full day at leisure.

Hotel: Marmara Hotel, Istanbul Meals: Breakfast Saturday, June 11: Depart for home.

Meals: Breakfast

The Hagia Sophia, built as a church and converted to a mosque by the Ottomans

LED BY Prof Kenneth W. Harl, is Professor of Classical and Byzantine History at Tulane University. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University. He has been interviewed for TV specials by the History Channel.

The amazingly complete Greek theatre at Aspendos, in the hills by the Aegean coast

May 22 – June 11, 2016 21 Days $7,595 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,595 69

Central Asia

ITINERARY Mon, Tue, Wed, April 25-27: TASHKENT We depart from the US Monday evening and arrive in Tashkent early Wednesday morning. After time to recover from the flight, we begin our touring in the afternoon with a walking tour in the Old Town. Visits include Barak Khana Madrassa, Tilya Sheikh Mosque and Kukeldash Madrassa.

Hotel: Lotte City, Tashkent Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Thursday, April 28: TASHKENT We start the day at Tashkent’s fine Archaeological Museum. We explore the Tashkent subway system, and view the art on display. We also visit the Institute of Restoration, which has an outstanding collection of archaeological material.

Hotel: Lotte City, Tashkent Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, April 29: SAMARKAND We travel by train to Samarkand. Our first visit is to the wonderful Registan, and its spectacular Shir-dar Madrassa.

The historic center of Samarkand is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hotel: Sulton Boutique Hotel, Samarkand Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Discover no fewer than 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites including ancient Shahr-i Sabz and the historic center of Samarkand.

• Travel to Ashkabad’s most colorful market, where villagers sell animals, vegetables, Bukhara-style rugs and traditional clothing.

• Visit one of the oldest Zoroastrian civilizations Gonur Depe.

• Explore Turkmenistan and find the resting place of the holiest man in the history of Gurganj.

• Travel with a Lecturer who has recorded for the History Channel and The Teaching Company.

The magical names of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva conjure up images of the ancient caravan routes and the monumental architecture of the cities of Central Asia. Viewing magnificent relics of the past and observing the emergence of new republics - makes our journey through these fabled lands one of such interest and wonder.

70

Saturday, April 30: AFRASIAB We begin at the Afrasiab Museum of History, housing material from the adjacent ancient site of Afrasiab. We move on to one of the earliest Islamic observatories - Ulugh-Beg. We continue to the Regional Arts Museum, housed in an old merchant’s house, and Tamerlane the conqueror’s tomb.

Hotel: Sulton Boutique Hotel, Samarkand Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, May 1: SAMARKAND We will complete our touring at BibiKhanum Mosque and the gorgeous lane of mosques and mausoleums known as Shah-i Zinda. The remainder of the day will be at leisure to visit the market and revisit this wonderful town on our own.

Hotel: Sulton Boutique Hotel, Samarkand Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, May 4: VARAKSHA We make a short journey to the ancient city of Varaksha, famous for its wall paintings, now on view in the Hermitage.

We return to Bukhara, for an afternoon at leisure to stroll along the winding streets of this ancient and beautiful city.

Hotel: Omar Khayyam, Bukhara Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Monday, May 2: SHAHR-I SABZ We travel over the Takhtakaracha Pass and through land terraced in prehistoric times, towards ancient Shahr-i Sabz.

After examining the remains of the city’s monuments, we travel through the plains and fields of Uzbekistan to Bukhara.

Hotel: Omar Khayyam, Bukhara Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, May 5: PAIKENT We visit the ancient city of Paikent, before returning to Bukhara, to visit the palace of the last emir, Alim Khan and the tomb of Bakhautdin Naqshband, the 14th-century founder of the Naqshbandis. This is a highly revered place of pilgrimage and has two lovely restored mosques as well as a simple tomb and small museum.

Hotel: Omar Khayyam, Bukhara Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Tuesday, May 3: BUKHARA We tour the historic center of Bukhara, beginning with the museums and mosques in the Ark Citadel and the Samanid Mausoleum. We continue to ChashmaAyub Mausoleum; Kalyan Minaret and Mosque; Bala-Hauz Mosque and the wonderful bazaar below the city walls.

Hotel: Omar Khayyam, Bukhara Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Uzbekistan Tashkent

Khiva Sofia

Turkmenistan Bukhara Ashkabad

Samarkand

Charzhou Mari

Friday, May 6: OLD KHIVA We rise early, to cross the Kyzyl-Kum Desert into Khiva. We spend the afternoon in Old Khiva, where we find the palace, with its 18th-century harem and open courtyard, and the 9th-century Dzhuma Mosque, with its unusual wooden ceiling and 115 carved wooden columns.

Hotel: Malika Khivaek, Khiva Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, May 7: KUNYA URGENCH We cross into Turkmenistan to visit Kunya Urgench, a major city on the northern caravan route until it was razed to the ground by Tamerlane. After visiting the Turabeg Khanym Mausoleum, we fly to Ashkabad. This former garrison town, is situated in the center of the Akhal-Teke Oasis, surrounded by the Kara-Kum Desert and the Kopet-Dag Mountains.

Hotel: Oguzkent Sofitel, Ashgabat Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, May 8: ASHKABAD Every Sunday morning the villagers come to sell their animals, vegetables and other goods at the Ashkabad Market, the most colorful market in the region. We spend the afternoon out of the city visiting Nisa*, a capital of the Parthian empire, and then 4th-millennium Anau.

Hotel: Oguzkent Sofitel, Ashgabat Meals: Breakfast & lunch Monday, May 9: GONUR-DEPE We fly to Mary in the morning, on our way to Gonur-Depe, one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Zoroastrian civilization.

Hotel: Hotel Mary, Mary Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Tuesday, May 10: MERV We visit ancient Merv, capital of the Parthian province of Margiana. Among its ruins are the tomb of Sultan Sanjar and the Erk-Kala Fortress. We return to Mary to visit the Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum, which houses a particularly well designed ethnological display as well as a collection of archaeological artifacts from the ruins of ancient Merv.

Hotel: Oguzkent Sofitel, Ashgabat Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Characteristic blue-tiled Madrasa in the Old town of Khiva on the silk road.

LED BY Prof Craig G.R. Benjamin is an Associate Professor of history at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, where he teaches Eurasian history. He has recorded lectures for the History Channel and The Teaching Company.

Colourful traditional weaving by the women of Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Wednesday, May 11: ASHKABAD Our last morning brings us to the National Archaeological Museum, which houses among its treasures a fabulous collection of ancient drinking vessels. The afternoon will be at leisure. This evening we will meet for our farewell dinner.

Hotel: Oguzkent Sofitel, Ashgabat Meals: Breakfast & dinner Thursday, May 12: Transfer to the airport for our flights home.

Meals: Breakfast

April 25 – May 12, 2016 18 Days $6,480 (exc. international airfare) Single supp: $1,120 71

Vietnam & Cambodia

ITINERARY Thu & Fri Nov 17 & 18: HANOI We arrive in Hanoi on Friday evening.

Hotel: Sofitel Metropole Hotel, Hanoi Saturday, November 19: HANOI We begin our exploration of the city at the Museum of History, which displays large bronze drums from Vietnam’s Dong Son culture. We also visit the One Pillar Pagoda, Sword Lake and Quan Su Pagoda.

Hotel: Sofitel Metropole Hotel, Hanoi Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sun, Nov 20: QUAN THANH TEMPLE We explore Quan Thanh Temple and the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 as the official temple of the Le dynasty. We end the day with a walking tour of the old quarter and the market. We attend a Roi Nuoc water puppet performance tonight.

Hotel: Sofitel Metropole Hotel, Hanoi Meals: Breakfast & lunch Mon, Nov 21: HALONG BAY We travel to Halong City and board a private wooden junk in time for lunch on board. During our cruise through the bay, we visit several spectacular caves and the famous Hang Dau Go where General Ngo Quyen stored his stakes.

Hotel: Paradise Luxury Cruise Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Enjoy an in-depth exploration of the extraordinary Angkor Wat complex.

• Discover marvelous remains of the Nguyen kings in the imperial city of Hue. • Visit the temples and relics of the ancient Cham peoples - fierce adversaries to the Khmers.

• Take a cruise along Halong Bay, on board a private 18-cabin wooden junk.

• Walk through the temple of Ta Prohm, cradled in the tendrils of strangler fig trees.

• Experience traditional music and dance, sample the local foods and explore lively markets.

Begin your journey in Hanoi, rich in museums and ancient pagodas, and delve into its heartland, where many still follow the traditional way of life of their ancestors. Continue to Cambodia, a country of contrasts which perfectly complements a tour of Vietnam - explore temples, spectacular palaces and the incomparable Angkor Wat complex.

72

Tue, Nov 22: HANOI We cruise to Man’s Head and Tortoise Islands, Bai Tu Long Bay, Toad Island and Bai Tho Mountain. There will be time to visit the bustling Halong Market before disembarking at Halong pier. After lunch, we return to Hanoi, stopping at Bat Trang pottery village on the way.

Hotel: Sofitel Metropole Hotel, Hanoi Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wed & Thu, Nov 23 & 24: THE IMPERIAL CITY We fly into Hue to find the tombs of the 13 Nguyen rulers, along the banks of the Perfume River. We visit the tombs of Khai Dinh and Tu Duc, with its Triumphant Way of human and animal figures. Today we also visit the Imperial City, modeled after Beijing’s Forbidden City.

Hotel: La Residence Hotel & Spa, Hue Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Fri, Nov 25: THE PERFUME RIVER After exploring the morning market, we cruise on the Perfume River, and watch the animated boat traffic. We stop to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda and the Forbidden Purple City. We will attend a traditional music performance tonight.

Hotel: La Residence Hotel & Spa, Hue Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, November 26: HOI AN We travel via the Hai Van Pass and along the famed National Highway One, which winds along the coast linking Hanoi and Saigon. Used by every possible means of transportation, from bicycle to bullock, the road is often covered by the farmers’ unhusked rice and colorful market stalls.

Vietnam Hanoi

Halong Bay

Hue Danang Bangkok

Cambodia Siem Reap Phnom Penh

We then continue to our hotel in Hoi An. We spend the afternoon here visiting the merchant houses and public buildings displaying the varied architecture styles of Chinese and Japanese merchants.

Hotel: Anantara Hoi An Resort, Hoi An Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sunday, November 27: HOI AN We arrive in My Son, a Cham complex designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My Son’s monuments date to several periods, and provide an excellent introduction to Cham architecture. We stop at Tra Kieu Church, where a collection of Cham artifacts found by the local people are displayed. The afternoon is at leisure to explore the town independently.

Hotel: Anantara Hoi An Resort, Hoi An Meals: Breakfast Monday, November 28: DANANG We will spend the morning in Danang visiting the Museum of Cham Culture.

After lunch we fly to Siem Reap.

Hotel: Sofitel Royal Hotel, Siem Reap Meals: Breakfast & lunch Tue & Wed, Nov 29 & 30: SIEM REAP We enjoy an in-depth exploration of the extraordinary Angkor complex. During our temple visits, we will retrace the historical development of the architecture.

We tour the older temples of the Roluos group and the magnificent sanctuaries and temples of the Angkor Wat complex. In Angkor Thom we visit the city square and elephant terrace, the cremation platform and royal palace compound. We also visit Prasat Kravan, guarded by elephants. We enjoy a performance of Khmer classical dance during Wednesday’s dinner.

Hotel: Sofitel Royal Hotel, Siem Reap Meals: Breakfast, lunch & 1 dinner

Thursday, December 1: PREAH KHAN We visit temples built by Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan and Ta Som, which are now under the auspices of the World Monument Fund. As we tour Preah Khan we discuss the professional restoration of the monuments. Ta Som is an intimate structure, its monumental four-faced towers are encased in living foliage. We spend the afternoon in the countryside visiting the lovely little temple of Banteay Srei, so beautifully decorated - its surface resembles carved sandalwood or ivory.

Hotel: Sofitel Royal Hotel, Siem Reap Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Friday, December 2: TA PROHM This morning, we walk through the temple of Ta Prohm, a magically overgrown temple inhabited by green parrots. We continue to the new Siem Reap Museum in the afternoon, and also stop at the school and workshops of the Artisan d’Angkor, which teaches traditional Cambodian crafts. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Hotel: Sofitel Royal Hotel, Siem Reap Meals: Breakfast & lunch Saturday, December 3: PHNOM PENH We arrive in Phnom Penh and visit the National Museum, where much of the sculpture and small objects from the temples at Angkor are displayed. In the afternoon, we explore the Russian market.

We gather for our farewell dinner at one of Phnom Penh’s fine restaurants tonight.

Hotel: Cambodiana Hotel, Phnom Penh Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Sun & Mon Dec 4 & 5: BANGKOK We visit the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, before flying to Bangkok to prepare for our flights home on Monday.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch Hotel: Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel

Pagoda in the lovely Forbidden Purple City of Hue, Vietnam

LED BY Prof Richard Cooler is former Director of the Center for Burma Studies at Northern Illinois University. He has lived, lectured, and conducted research in South East Asia for many years. He has led AT tours for more than 15 years.

Fishing boats in Halong Bay, Vientnam

November 17 - December 5, 2016 19 Days We are still working to confirm the price of this tour You can still secure your place with a fullyrefundable $1500 deposit 73

Expert Scholars Noted archaeologists and professors from renowned institutions Prof Lanny Bell received his Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Pennsylvania, where he taught Egyptology and was curatorial assistant at the University Museum for 12 years. During that time he was also Field Director of the University’s Theban Tomb Project in Luxor.

In 1977 Professor Bell began to teach at the University of Chicago and became Field Director of the Epigraphic Survey of the Oriental Institute. For the next 12 years he spent nine months a year at Chicago House in Luxor.

The activities of the expeditions under his direction have ranged from epigraphy to excavation and conservation.

Since his early retirement, Professor Bell has been teaching at Brown and Columbia Universities. An expert on the Luxor area, his publications include articles on divine kingship and temple and society in Ancient Egypt, as well as a ground breaking chapter on Luxor Temple in Temples of Ancient Egypt published by Cornell University Press.

An experienced lecturer, Professor Benjamin is the author of numerous published articles, chapters and books, and is editor of several volumes in the Brepols Silk Roads Studies series. His most recent book (published by Brepols in 2007) is “The Yuezhi: Origin, Migration and the Conquest of Northern Bactria”. He is currently under contract to co-author three new world history textbooks for McGraw-Hill and Facts on File, including the first ever “Big History” textbook. Professor Benjamin is a dynamic lecturer who specializes in placing local and regional events and material cultures into the broader context of inner Eurasian history.

Dr Robert Bianchi received his Ph.D. in Egyptian, Greek and Roman Art from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts and served as a curator for 15 years in the Department of Egyptian, Classical and Ancient Middle Eastern Art at The Brooklyn Museum.

He has received numerous academic awards during his career including a J. Clawson Mills Fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Bert H. Hill Fellowship at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens as well as a Fulbright Fellowship at the Egyptian Museum in Berlin. Author of numerous articles and books, Dr. Bianchi has mounted international loan exhibitions of ancient and modern art in America, Europe, the Caribbean and Japan.

Dr Bianchi has served as an advisor for the Learning Channel’s cable TV series, Archaeology. Dr. Bianchi is a popular lecturer and has led tours for Archaeological Tours to Greece, Sicily, Egypt, Syria, and the Balkans for more than 25 years.

Tours in 2016

Tours in 2016

Tours in 2016

Egypt | Nov 4 - 20

Central Asia | Apr 25 – May 12

Balkans | Sep 5 – 21

Led by Prof Lanny Bell.............................p16 74

Prof Craig G.R. Benjamin is an Associate Professor in the History Department at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, where he teaches courses in ancient Central and East Asian history, and on the Silk Roads. Professor Benjamin received his PhD from Macquarie University in Sydney, where he studied nomadic confederations of ancient Central Asia and their impact upon the Chinese Han dynasty and Greco-Bactria.

Led by Prof Craig G.R. Benjamin............p70

Led by Robert Bianchi..............................p48

Prof Richard Cooler is Professor of Art History and Director of the Center for Burma Studies at Northern Illinois University.

He has lived, lectured, and conducted research in Thailand, Burma and Malaysia for many years. An accomplished lecturer, he received a Fulbright to develop a curriculum in Southeast Asian art and archaeology while teaching at the University of Sains, Malaysia. Professor Cooler recently published his book, “The Magic Pond: The Karen Bronze Drums of Burma”.

In 2013, Professor Cooler assisted with establishing the provenance of a 1000 year old rare standing statue of the Buddha from Burma. The statue was stolen from a remote temple, but, thanks to the valiant efforts of the Professor and his colleagues, it was eventually returned to its rightful home.

Tours in 2016 Burma & Cambodia | Jan 29 - Feb 17

Led by Prof Richard Cooler......................p10

Prof Charles Doherty Charles Doherty recently retired as senior lecturer in Early Irish History at University College Dublin. Since 2009 he has been president of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. He has written numerous articles on the cult of St. Patrick, the concept of the monastic town, the impact of the Vikings upon Ireland, the evolution of settlement in early Ireland and on the kingship of Tara. His work on kingship has focused on the archaeology of Tara, Emain Macha, Dún Ailinne and Cruachan from the Neolithic to the later Middle Ages, interpreting the monuments in the light of kingship ritual.

Professor Doherty has lectured at the international medieval congresses at Leeds and Kalamazoo, at the University of California Celtic Studies Conference. In 2008 he was the B.K. Smith Lecturer in the University of St Thomas, Houston. In July 2012 he gave the keynote address at the International Congress of Celtic Studies in Dublin. Professor Doherty is looking forward to introducing us to the history of his beautiful island.

Dr Norma Franklin is a Research Associate at the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa and Associate Fellow at the W.F. Albright Institute for Archaeology. She received a BA in Classical Archaeology and a PhD in Archaeology of the Near East from Tel Aviv University and holds a guide license from the Ministry of Tourism since 1988.

Dr. Franklin describes herself as a field archaeologist who is happiest with a complex stratigraphy. She is particularly interested in ancient building techniques, water systems and technology – old and new. Her research has focused on three key cities: Samaria, Megiddo and Jezreel. She was part of the Tel Aviv University team that excavated Jezreel in 1990 and 1992 was a founding member of the Megiddo Expedition until 2011. She is currently co-director of the Jezreel Expedition. Among her many published academic paper, her works include “Jezreel: Before and After Jezebel” and “The Tombs of the Kings of Israel”.

Indonesia | Aug 1 - 21

Led by Prof Richard Cooler......................p46

Tours in 2016

Tours in 2016

Vietnam & Cambodia | Nov 17 - Dec 5

Ireland | Sep 7 - 22

Israel with Optional Jordan Extension | Oct 24-Nov 9 or 13

Led by Prof Richard Cooler......................p72

Led by Prof Charles Doherty...................p36

Led by Dr Norma Franklin......................p38

75

Expert Scholars Noted archaeologists and professors from renowned institutions Dr Martin Goldberg is Early Historic and Viking Curator at the National Museum of Scotland.

He studied at the University of Glasgow, and in 2009 was awarded a PhD for his thesis: “Divinities and Ritual Sites of Rivers in Northern England and Southern Scotland”. He is also the co-author of “Early Medieval Scotland: Individuals, Communities and Ideas”. In addition to his academic research, Martin has excavated all over Scotland. He has previously worked for GUARD (Glasgow University Archaeological Research), participating in community archaeology projects in the remote Shetland Islands off the North coast of Scotland.

Now based at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, his work includes overseeing the conservation of a recently discovered hoard of late Roman and Pictish silver coins, found in North East Scotland. Dr. Goldberg hopes this find will enable us to shed new light on the interaction between the Picts and the late Roman world.

Dr Roy Larick has worked in the Périgord region of southwest France for more than 10 years as Associate of the Direction des Antiquités Préhistoriques d’Aquitaine. is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Iowa. He is currently Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Iowa.

A distinguished scholar, he has received fellowships in Germany and Turkey, sat on editorial boards and directed the graduate seminar of the American Numismatic Society. Professor Harl regularly travels in Turkey, where he is publishing the coins from the excavations at Gordion and Metropolis. He has won numerous teaching awards at Tulane, and the national David Cherry Teaching Award granted by Baylor University.

In France, Dr. Larick’s research has focused on the role of artists and other specialized craftspeople during the European Upper Paleolithic period. He is interested in climate science, and how climatic changes caused the wax and wane of communities from Ice Age hunters and High Medieval farmers.

Professor Harl has led excursions of Tulane students to Turkey. He has also produced six courses in video and DVD with the Teaching Company, and he has been interviewed for specials by the BBC and History Channel.

He has carried out research among contemporary herding and hunting societies of East Africa related to arts and crafts. He is currently exploring early sites in East Asia for evidence of the first human inhabitants outside Africa.

Tours in 2016

Tours in 2016

Western Turkey | May 22 – Jun 11

Brittany & Stonehenge | May 4 - 18

Tours in 2016

Led by Prof Kenneth W. Harl...................p68

The Borders: England & Scotland | Jun 4 -17

Vikings | Jul 10 - 26

Caves and Castles | Sep 4 - 18

Led by Dr Martin Goldberg.....................p18 76

Prof Kenneth W. Harl Professor of Classical and Byzantine History at Tulane University, received his B.A. from Trinity College and M.A. and PhD. from Yale University. He has published on the history and coinage of the Roman world with an emphasis on the Greek cities of Asia Minor (modern Turkey).

Led by Prof Kenneth W. Harl...................p64

Led by Dr Roy Larick...............................p20 Led by Dr Roy Larick...............................p60

Prof Trevor Marchand received his degree in Architecture from McGill University and his PhD at The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he is currently Professor in the Department of Anthropology. With a specialization in indigenous architectures, he spent the spring of 2001 in Djenné, Mali, and 1996/97 in Sana’a, Yemen, working with traditional builders. Dr. Marchand has received numerous awards and fellowships, including the Canadian CIDA Award for his fieldwork in West Africa and study of earthen architecture at the prestigious CRATerre Institute in France. He has also worked as an architect in India and has traveled extensively in West Africa, studying indigenous building practices. Dr. Marchand has lectured at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria on Islamic secular and nonsecular architecture in Yemen, Mali and Nigeria.Fluent in French and Arabic, Dr. Marchand’s knowledge and enthusiasm have made him a popular lecturer for Archaeological Tours’ Mali, Yemen, Oman and Central Asia tours.

Prof B.D. Nandadeva is a Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka. He has an interesting multidisciplinary training which combines art history, conservation science and cultural heritage management. Professor Nandadeva received his PhD in Art Conservation Research from the University of Delaware and also holds a degree in Rock Art Conservation from the University of Canberra, Australia as well as M.Sc. in Architectural Conservation from the University of Moratuwa.

He spent two years attached to the University of Thessaloniki and the British School of Archaeology in Athens where he studied Greek and Byzantine art and held the prestigious Caroline Villers fellowship at the Courtauld Institute of the University of London in 201112. Professor Nandadeva serves as Consultant Director on wall painting conservation projects of the Central Cultural Fund, which is the custodian organization of the World Cultural Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.

In 2012 Dr. Noble’s team launched an important new research project on the northern Picts, the post-Roman kingdoms of northern Scotland. He has also undertaken excavation and research projects across Scotland, working on landscapes and sites from the Neolithic to Medieval periods. From 2006-12 he was director and co-founder of Strathearn & Royal Forteviot, an archaeological project researching the prehistoric and early historic landscape at Forteviot. Dr. Noble has also been director of the Rhynie Environs Archaeological Project that has uncovered evidence for an undocumented royal centre in northeast Scotland. He is author of books including “Neolithic Scotland: Timber, Stone, Earth and Fire”.

Tours in 2016

Tours in 2016

Tours in 2016

Ghana, Togo & Benin| Jan 26 - Feb 12 | Nov 3 - 20

Sri Lanka | Feb 8 - 24

Scotland | Jun 17 - Jul 3

Led by Prof Trevor Marchand..................p26

Led by Prof B.D. Nandadeva...................p62

Dr Gordon Noble is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Honorary Curatorial Fellow to the University Museums at the University of Aberdeen. He has lectured at the University of Durham and did postdoctoral research at the University of Glasgow on the Neolithic of northern Europe.

Led by Dr Gordon Noble..........................p58 77

Expert Scholars Noted archaeologists and professors from renowned institutions Prof John W. Rick is Associate Professor and Chair of Anthropological Sciences at Stanford University, Curator of Anthropological Collections, and past Director of Stanford’s Archaeology Center. His teaching concentrates on South American archaeology.

For the last 13 years he has directed fieldwork at Chavín de Huántar, a monumental World Heritage site dating to around 1000 BCE. His interests there concentrate on understanding how early religious cults strategized the beginnings of political authority in the Andes. A previous long-term project focused on early hunter-gatherer cave sites in the grasslands of Peru, but he has also done archaeological fieldwork throughout South America and the American Southwest; he is also currently co-directing a major fieldwork project on Preclassic sites near Lake Atitlán in the Guatemalan highlands. He has written and published numerous works in his area of expertise. He has led more than 25 university travel groups to Peru as well as five tours for Archaeological Tours.

Prof Calogero M. Santoro is Professor of Archaeology at the Universidad de Tarapacá in Arica, Chile and editor of Chungara Revista de Antropología Chilena published by the same university. He received his MA in archaeology at Cornell University and his PhD at the University of Pittsburgh. He has taught courses on South American Prehistory, Archaeology, as well as Peoples and Cultures of World Prehistory and has done archaeological research along the dry valleys, the Pacific coast, and the highland of northern Chile for over 25 years.

Professor Santoro has directed excavations focused on late farming societies related to the Inka state and early highland hunter and gatherers at Lluta and Azapa Valleys near Arica. He also participated in field work in the Orongo Ceremonial Center, Easter Island in 1974, under the leadership of William Mulloy. His work, which is supported by grants and fellowships from national and international institutions and foundations, has been published in various books and journals.

Prof William Saturno is Assistant Professor of Archaeology at Boston University.

He received his BA from the University of Arizona and his PhD at Harvard University. Prof.

Saturno has conducted research in Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. From 1994 to 2000 he was the field director of the Rio Amarillo Archaeology Project, studying the ancient sociopolitical relationships between Maya cities in western Honduras.

In 2001 Prof. Saturno discovered the remote archaeological site of San Bartolo and the oldest intact Maya murals found to date. Since then he has directed the San Bartolo Regional Archaeological Project, dedicated to understanding San Bartolo’s role in this largely unexplored region during the period when Maya civilization was forming. His academic interests include the evolution of complex society, particularly among the ancient Maya, Mesoamerican religion, iconography and epigraphy. Professor Saturno has led tours for Archaeological Tours for over seven years.

Tours in 2016 Guatemala | Jan 1 - 15

Tours in 2016

Tours in 2016

Led by Prof William Saturno...................p32

Peru | Aug 26 – Sep 11

Chile & Easter Island | Nov 6 - 19

Maya Mexico | Mar 5 - 20

Led by Prof John W. Rick.........................p56 78

Led by Prof Calogero M. Santoro............p12

Led by Prof William Saturno...................p52

Prof Gerald Schaus is Professor of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Wilfred Laurier University, Canada, where he began teaching in 1978. He has a BA and MA from Dalhousie University in Halifax, and a PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania, with a dissertation on the Archaic pottery from Cyrene, Libya. He spent two years at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens as a student, and a year as the Whitehead Visiting Research Professor.

Prof Ori Z. Soltes is Professorial Lecturer at Georgetown University and has also taught in the Classics Department at Johns Hopkins and Cleveland State Universities.

Professor Soltes’s areas of specialization include Jewish, Christian and Muslim art and religions, classical philosophy, linguistics and IndoEuropean philology and Greek and Roman art.

Prof Robert R. Stieglitz is an Professor Emeritus of Archaeology at Rutgers University. He has excavated in the United States, Greece and Israel, surveyed throughout the Mediterranean world, and is currently excavating on the Mediterranean coast of Israel.

Professor Stieglitz is the recipient of numerous academic honors and awards, and author of over 100 articles on the ancient Near East and Mediterranean. He has taught at universities in Greece and Israel, and was formerly Curator of the National Maritime Museum, Haifa.

Professor Schaus has excavated at Cyrene in Libya, as well as at various sites in Italy and Greece, and is currently working on the publication of seven years of excavation in the Sanctuary of Athena at Stymphalos in Arkadia, Greece. Besides the study of Greek pottery, and Archaic Greek history, he has an avid interest in Greek and Roman sports. Professor Schaus is presently the President of the Canadian Archaeological Institute in Athens. His publications include: “Onward to the Olympics: Historical Perspectives on the Olympic Games”.

His many academic honors include an NEH Fellowship in Syro-Palestinian Archaeology at ASOR. Professor Soltes has published over 150 books, articles and exhibition catalogue essays on a wide range of subjects including the recently published, “Our Sacred Signs: How Jewish, Christian and Muslim Art Draw from the Same Source and Jewish, Christian and Muslim Mysticism: Searching for Oneness”. He is a very popular speaker and has given lecture series at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution. Professor Soltes regularly leads tours throughout the Mediterranean basin. He has led numerous tours for Archaeological Tours.

Tours in 2016

Tours in 2016

Classical Greece | May 8 – 23

The Great Museums: Paris | May 6 – 15

Led by Prof Ori Z. Soltes..........................p22

Tours in 2016

Sicily & Southern Italy | Sep 3 - 18 & Oct 11-16

The Great Museums: Berlin & Vienna | Jun 1 - 11

Malta, Sardinia & Corsica | Apr 27 - May 12

Led by Prof Gerald Schaus.......................p28 Led by Prof Gerald Schaus.......................p40

Led by Prof Ori Z. Soltes..........................p24

For over fifteen years, Professor Stieglitz has led tours to Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Malta, Sardinia and Corsica for Archaeological Tours. Interested in ancient metrology and shipwrecks? “Classical Greek Measures and the Builder’s Instruments from the Ma’agan Mikhael Shipwreck”, by Robert R. Stieglitz, published in the American Journal of Archaeology and online at: www.ajaonline.org.

Led by Prof Robert R. Stieglitz.................p50 79

Expert Scholars Noted archaeologists and professors from renowned institutions David L. Stone specializes in ancient North Africa and the Roman empire at the University of Michigan, where he is Associate Research Scientist at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and Lecturer in the Department of Classical Studies.

His fieldwork has included documenting and synthesizing evidence from Leptiminus, an important yet previously poorly known port city on the east coast of Tunisia, which was investigated by the University of Michigan from 1990 to 1999. Rather than simply presenting the data gathered at the site, the publication aimed to chronicle the “biography” of Leptiminus, demonstrating phases of expansion and decline over 1200 years of Punic, Roman, Vandal, and Byzantine rule.

He currently serves as Director of the Field Survey for the Olynthos Project, a collaborative venture of the University of Michigan, the University of Liverpool, and the Greek Archaeological Service.

Prof Nikola Theodossiev is senior assistant professor in the Department of Archaeology, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.

Professor Theodossiev has directed excavations at various Thracian sites since 1990. He participated in the foundation of the American Research Center in Sofia and served as its Associate Director, is on the Editorial Board of Ancient West & East and is Bulgarian Editor of Fasti Online.

Professor Theodossiev has published numerous articles and books including “Celtic Bulgaria. A Select Bibliography” (St. Petersburg 2010). Among Professor Theodossiev’s numerous fellowships and awards are Getty and Mellon fellowships at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, American Academy in Rome, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Professor Theodossiev’s broad knowledge and enthusiasm make him a wonderful lecturer for this exciting tour.

Prof Robert Thorp recently retired as Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology at Washington University. Professor He is a specialist in the art and archaeology of early China, and has taught courses on Chinese archaeology, painting and architecture, and Buddhist art.

He is a member of the United States team that, together with the Institute of Archaeology, Beijing, is surveying the Anyang region, the location of the Shang capital.

Professor Thorp recently published his book “Chinese Art and Culture”, with Harry N. Abrams, New York. Previous works include “China in the Early Bronze Age - Shang civilization”. He was a collaborator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Great Bronze Age of China” exhibit and the American curator of “Son of Heaven: Imperial Arts of China”, a loan exhibition from China.

Tours in 2016 China: Sacred Landscapes | May 15 – Jun 4

Led by Prof Robert Thorp........................p14 Ancient Japan | Mar 31 – Apr 14

Tours in 2016

Tours in 2016

Led by Prof Robert Thorp........................p42

Tunisia | May 20 – Jun 2

Bulgaria | Sep 15 - Oct 1

Japan: Archaeology & Tradition | Oct 6 - 23

Led by David L. Stone..............................p66 80

Led by Prof Nikola Theodossiev...............p8

Led by Prof Robert Thorp........................p44

Dr. Jo Anne Van Tilburg is a Research Associate of The Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she also directs the Rock Art Archive.

She is director of the Easter Island Statue Project (EISP) (www.easterislandstatueproject.org), an island-wide inventory of the famous monoliths, and has recently completed the GPS mapping of the ancient statue quarry.

Dr. Tilburg has worked on Easter Island for over 30 years and is widely considered to be one of world’s leading experts on the Easter Island statues. “Doctor Among Stone Giants” (Scribner’s 2003) is her biography of Katherine Routledge, the first woman archaeologist in the Pacific. Dr. Tilburg is strongly committed to conservation and public outreach, and has worked with Easter Island local communities throughout her career.

She has published extensively and her work has been featured on PBS Nova, the BBC and elsewhere. She has led several tours to Easter Island for the British Museum and Archaeological Tours.

Prof J. Daniel White has been Professor of South Asian Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for over three decades.

He earned his PhD in Indian Religions, Languages and Literatures from the University of Pennsylvania.

His present projects include editing a five-volume encyclopedia on the Middle East and South Asia, the translating of several western Indian Sanskrit manuscripts, and a study of one of the most significant royal temples in Rajasthan. Professor White has published scholarly papers and books on topics as diverse as South Asian medicine, religion, disease, advertising, politics and architecture. He has also been an adviser on Indian and South Asian affairs to the State Department and multinational corporations. Professor White has visited India numerous times over the years for research, lecturing and consulting. He has led several study tours to India and Nepal for educational institutions.

Tours in 2016

Tours in 2016

Chile & Easter Island | Nov 6 - 19

North India | Feb 20 - Mar 8

Led by Dr. Jo Anne Van Tilburg..............p12

Led by Prof J. Daniel White.....................p34 81

Booking Conditions Please read these carefully before booking with us on tour THE TOUR RATE INCLUDES: Transportation: Surface travel by bus as indicated in the itinerary.

Transfers: Arrival transfers on tour date and one group departure transfer.

Hotels: In twin-bedded rooms with private bath as listed or similar.

Meals: All meals are included table d’hôte as listed.

Baggage allowance: One checked suitcase and one carryon bag that will fit under your seat.

Tipping: All gratuities to guides, tour managers, drivers, waiters and porters are included.

NOT INCLUDED IN THE TOUR RATE: International airfare, passport fees, airport taxes, visas, excess baggage charges, insurance, beverages (in some countries) and items not on menus.

TARIFFS: Based on rates and airfares in effect May 2015 and subject to change. Rates are based on a minimum of 18 tour participants. A $300 supplement will be added for groups under 20 participants.

DEPOSITS & PAYMENTS: A deposit of $1500 per person is required to book. Final payment is due sixteen weeks before departure.

A NOTE ABOUT SINGLE ROOMS: For those traveling alone but who prefer to share with another, we will endeavor to work out congenial rooming arrangements.

If impossible, or if a single room must be assigned due 82

to the roommate’s canceling or incompatibility, or for any other reason, even if at the last moment or while on tour, the single supplement or prorate thereof must be collected.

TOUR MEMBER RESPONSIBILITY: Archaeological Tours, by their very nature, should be considered moderately strenuous. These tours require walking over sandy or rocky terrain, steep climbing and some long driving days. All participants are expected to be physically active and able to walk independently throughout our full touring days. Only those willing to accept these conditions should consider taking these tours.

CANCELLATIONS: In the event of cancellations the charge which will be made varies with the amount of time between Archaeological Tours receiving your written cancellation and the tour departure date. The charges made for our tours are as follows: · Up to 112 days before departure date: $1500 · 111 - 84 days before departure date: 35% of tour cost · 83 - 56 days before departure date: 55% of tour cost · 55 - 22 days before departure date: 75% of tour cost · 21 days before departure date: 100% of tour cost.

Penalties are also levied on the single supplement.

Insurance is available and is recommended. By purchasing trip cancellation insurance within 21 days of your initial deposit, Travel Insured International will waive the usual exclusion for preexisting medical conditions.

RESPONSIBILITY: ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOURS, a division of LINDSTONE TRAVEL, INC., in accepting bookings for the tour, clearly stipulates that it is not liable for the faults or defaults of other companies and persons that may be used in the carrying out of the tour services; also for accidents, baggage losses, delays, strikes, political unrest, riots and acts of God and war.

In the event it becomes necessary or for any reason whatsoever, to alter the itinerary or arrangements, such alterations may be made without penalty to the operator.

Additional expenses, if any, shall be borne by the passengers.

The right is also reserved to withdraw this tour; also to decline to accept or retain any persons as members of the tour.

No refunds can be made for absence from the tour unless arrangements are made at the time of booking.

IATA carriers concerned are not to be held responsible for acts, omissions or events during the time passengers are not on board. The contract in use by the companies concerned shall constitute the sole contract between the company and the purchaser of these tours and/or passengers.

Late Availabilty in 2015 Why wait for 2016? We still have spaces on our fall & winter tours...

Bulgaria

Sicily

Israel

An introduction to the rich and often turbulent past of this verdant land. We discover hordes of silver, painted Thracian tombs, the oldest golden jewellery in the world and the abundant treasures of some of the countries fabulous museums.

Sicily is truly one of Europe’s most magnificent locations for archaeology; with the golden pillars of Grecian Doric temples set within scatterings of wildflowers and well-preserved mosaics of often surprisingly familiar scenes.

We will take in the many marvels of the Holy land, discovering the marvellous kaleidoscope of Israel’s archaeological riches from the Neolithic Revolution and the Bronze and Iron Ages to the Classical and Medieval Periods.

September 24 – October 10 2015

October 17 – November 1 2015

October 24 – November 9 2015

Egypt

Ethiopia

Cyprus, Crete & Santorini

There is more to Egypt than just pyramids and mummies. On this tour we will not only take in some of the countries signature sites such as Giza and Luxor but also lesser known wonders such as the exceptional Temple at Kom Ombo.

Discover the ancient origins of Ethiopia from the fabled land of Punt to the powerful kingdom of Axum - rock cut churches to the castles of Gondar. Undisturbed by colonialization, we will explore the unique culture of this beautiful country.

From Neolithic villages to Classical cities, our Aegean adventure unfolds at legendary sites – Knossos, Paphos, Akrotiri – against the backdrop of the ‘wine dark’ Mediterranean sea.

November 6 – November 22 2015

November 7 – November 24 2015

September 29 – October 17, 2015

With Prof. Nikola Theodossiev

With Prof Lanny Bell

With Prof. Gerald Schaus

With Dr Jacke Phillip

With Dr Norma Franklin

With Robert R. Stieglitz

83

archaeological tours Led by noted scholars | superb itineraries | unsurpassed service

GET IN TOUCH

271 Madison Avenue, Suite 904, New York, NY 10016 212-986-3054 / toll-free: 866-740-5130 www.archaeologicaltrs.com / info@archaeologicaltrs.com