Submitted by Dara McNally on the 2022 spring semester program in Athens, Greece…
This weekend was the trip to the nearby island of Aegina. There, we saw the ruins of the Temple of Aphaia and had lunch on the beach before exploring. While there, I was reminded of the fact that the ruins we see in all their white marble glory, are not at all what a lot of ruins looked like in their prime. They were originally painted with bright colors and patterns that were simply lost over the years due to exposure to the elements. Though some of that was preserved through being buried and away from harm. Some good representations of what ruins and artifacts sort of looked like are shown at the Acropolis Museum. It was fascinating to learn that these massive blank buildings were once very full of vibrant colors and patterns. It blew away all of my preconceived notions of their appearance.
