This trip has been completed. View photos of the trip.

October 16-28, 2007 with Molly Greene, Associate Professor of History. An optional post-trip extension on Malta will be available.

Important to both commerce and conquest, the Mediterranean and her sister seas are at the heart of the historic advance and decline of various civilizations and peoples. Sail through three arms of the eastern Mediterranean—the Aegean, Ionian, and Adriatic Seas—aboard the majestic Sea Cloud II with your fellow Princetonians October 16-28, 2007, and discover remote towns and lively cities that were once centers of the Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Renaissance worlds.

The journey begins with two full days in Athens for explorations of the ancient wonders of Athens, including the acropolis, the Benaki Museum, and the National Archaeological Museum. There is also free time to experience modern Athens, as well. Board the elegant Sea Cloud II in Piraeus and sail to the Peloponnesian peninsula. Wander among the ruins of the stadium, gymnasium, and Hippodrome of Olympus, where the first Olympics were held in 776 B.C. Continue around the southern Balkan region, arriving in Croatia's creamy-pink city of Dubrovnik and island town of Korcula, each surrounded by walled fortifications that encircle finely crafted churches, markets, and squares. Alight upon Italy's heel in Lecce, a Baroque city filled with exuberantly ornamented churches, palaces, and houses carved from the honey-colored local stone. Discover the archaeological zone of Syracuse, Sicily, with its Greek and Roman theaters, and enjoy a private visit to a palace overlooking the lovely Piazza del Duomo.

About the Study Leader
Molly Greene *89 *93, Associate Profesor of History, will lead Princetonians on this journey.

Professor Greene studies the history of the Mediterranean Basin, the Ottoman Empire, and the Greek world. Her interests include the social and economic history of the Ottoman Empire, the experience of Greeks under Ottoman rule, Mediterranean piracy, and the institution of the market. After earning a B.A. in political science at Tufts University (1981), Professor Greene spent several years living in Greece and then completed a Ph.D. in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton (1993), where she studied Ottoman history. Upon graduating she joined the Princeton faculty with a joint appointment in the History Department and the Program in Hellenic Studies.

Her first book, A Shared World: Christians and Muslims in the Early Modern Mediterranean (2000), examines the transition from Venetian to Ottoman rule on the island of Crete, which the Ottomans conquered in 1669. Professor Greene is currently working on a study of the relationship between Greek commerce and Catholic corsairing (piracy) in the 17th-century Mediterranean. The project fits into her larger interest in the conduct of business in the early modern Mediterranean. Future projects will study commercial fairs in the Ottoman Empire and the history of the Middle Eastern bazaar. Professor Greene has taught courses on Mediterranean history (16th century to 20th century); early modern commerce in the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean; national identity in the Balkans; Greeks and Jews in the late Ottoman Empire; and the history of Jerusalem. She is currently the Director of Graduate Studies for the History Department.

Download the 2007 pre-registration form [PDF] and fax the completed form to (609) 258-1281.