Living in a hotel-turned-dormitory within walking distance of olive groves and the Aegean Sea, Jonathan Thompson of Searcy (72143) spent the summer semester traveling around the Mediterranean area from a home base in Athens, Greece.

Thompson was one of nearly 30 Bible majors enrolled in Harding University’s international program in Greece, residing in the Artemis Hotel located within the Athens suburb, Porto Rafti. Students spent the remainder of their visit touring areas including Egypt and Israel, where they participated in an archaeological dig.

They then traveled on to Turkey, where the group toured the Seven Churches of Asia, the Peloponnese and other Biblical regions. Their tours took them to places of rich Western civilization history, such as the Agora, Acropolis, Parthenon and many other monumental structures of the ancient world.

The students’ accompanying professors emphasized studies in Bible courses in addition to archaeology in its immediate significance as the group traveled to areas of biblical interest. The students were also able to buy homegrown foods from the streets of the colorful local marketplace and explore the surrounding Grecian landscape and harbor in their free time between travel and study.

The Artemis Hotel was purchased in 2001 by Harding to accommodate students participating in the one-semester Greece programs. It provides furnished, apartment-style dorms and ample living space, including classrooms, a library, a 200-seat dining room, fitness area and swimming pool.

Harding also maintains international campuses in Australia, Chilé, England, France, Italy and Zambia. Nearly 50 percent of recent graduating classes have spent a semester at one of Harding’s international campuses.