Professor Emily O'Dell with her AUB students on a field trip to Byblos in Lebanon
I took my students this past week-end to Byblos on an interactive field-trip to investigate Byblos’ cultural heritage…we started out in the legendary port, before hiking up the hill to the 12th century Crusader castle…
Professor Emily O'Dell with her AUB students in the Byblos royal tomb of Abi Chemu in Lebanon
In addition to our playful tomb-raiding, we deconstructed the site management planning, the area’s preservation status, and the ancient and modern landscape around us and beneath us…
AUB students in the tomb of Abi Chemu at Byblos in Lebanon on a field trip with Professor Emily O'Dell
The students, as you can see below, played the role of “tour guide” for different sections of the site–from the obelisk temple to the temple of the goddess Baalat Gebal and beyond. They became fully integrated into the site as producers of knowledge–not just consumers of knowledge…
AUB students in front of the Crusader castle at Byblos on a field trip with Professor Emily O'Dell
In the Roman theater, the students listened to a presentation about the history of the theater of Byblos, and learned about what made this theater different from other ancient theaters of the time–particularly the fact that it was not built on a slope. We’ll be viewing the missing theater mosaic of Bacchus in the National Museum in several weeks.
AUB students on a field trip at Byblos--where they "play" the role of tour guides for each other
The students were particularly intrigued by the site’s source well, which is surrounded by large sustaining walls of irregular stones.
Professor Emily O'Dell with her AUB students at Byblos
And our hunt for the elusive Persian lion, as you can see below, was successful–if you go to Byblos–we wish you luck in finding it–it’s well worth the hunt! While the Persian period is often neglected in the study of the history of Byblos, we weren’t going to have our delicious sea-side lunch without paying our proper respects to the lion, and studying the ruins from the Persian era which tourists often miss…
Emily O'Dell with the Persian lion at Byblos
Of course, how could I not but think of my other favorite Persian lion–the one that almost ate me for lunch at Persepolis in Iran…
Professor Emily O'Dell at Persepolis in Iran
Or my rendez-vous with that stoic-faced lion in the Egyptian desert near Medinet Maadi…
Emily O'Dell in Medinet Maadi in Egypt
Or the real lions I spotted this summer when leading a spirited safari through the savannah in Kenya and Tanzania…here, kitty, kitty…
Emily O'Dell leading a safari through Kenya and Tanzania--see the lion feasting on a bloody kill just outside the window?
After my students and I congratulated ourselves on finding the camouflaged Persian lion of Byblos, we called it a day, and dined on shish taouk and fresh fish near the port…what better way for students to learn, than on the stage of history itself? Perhaps it goes without saying that we’re already planning our next great escape…stay tuned to see where we end up…
