Dr. John Camp and George Orfanakos present ancient Agora excavations in California

For the past 50 years, Dr. Camp has been involved at the Agora excavations under the Acropolis where he began as a Harvard volunteer in his teens. ASCSA is a consortium consisting of over 200 US colleges and universities that have been involved in the archeological and classical studies in Greece since the late 1800s.
 
The NHS sponsored one of the world’s leading classical archaeologists, Dr. John Camp, who was joined by George Orfanakos, Executive Director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) in a series of presentations that included Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego, California.

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Dr. Camp’s presentation offered a rich visual tour through the Agora excavations. He shared how digging a well is a big job and can require a lot of volunteers.  The students also covet the opportunity to be in the well as it also offers a cooler option from the 100+ degree weather outside.
 
“The other reason they want to be in the well is because those are time capsules,” he said. “People drop or throw things into the well. It hits the water and does not break. It sinks quietly to the bottom and it waits until we come to dig it 1500 years later.” In addition to finding items in excellent condition, it tells a story about what’s going on, on the surface.
 
NHS Executive Director Art Dimpopoulos also featured episodes from The Greek Guide to Greatness, of which Dr. Camp is also a prominent contributor of this National Geographic/NHS co-production.
 
For more details about the Agora Excavations, visit www.agathe.gr. For ASCSA, please visit www.ascsa.edu.gr.