The flora, vegetation and monuments of classical Greece

Abstract

Attica, Central Greece ("Roumeli") and the Peloponnese ("Morea") form the heart of classical Greece. In this area, the landscape, vegetation and human history are intimately associated and interwoven. All three will be given equal consideration during this excursion, where the visit of the sites of Greek Antiquity will each time provide insights into the flora of the past and present. Among and around the ruins, the different types of the characteristic sclerophyllous vegetation of the Mediterranean, including the products of its degradation by man, may be studied. The altitudinal zonation of the vegetation will also be demonstrated, e.g. on Mt. Parnassus and in the central Peloponnese where relatively undisturbed Abies forests still cover extensive areas.