I’m not going to lie, the first few days in Gazipasa were a struggle; not a struggle in which one must cope with homesickness or culture shock, but rather a physical struggle; a product of bad luck. Details are of little importance, but the ailment not only restricted my physical movements (prohibited me from working the first two days), but took a toll on my morale. Nonetheless, I am near full recovery and am more than glad to get my butt into the trenches and start digging (not that I wasn’t before). The days in Gazipasa are long and adventurous. We wake up at 5, take a bus to the digsite at 5:30, eat breakfast, work until break (at 10), and work until lunch (around 1). This past Friday (the 18th of July) was my first day out on the job, so I cannot give worthwhile details about working after lunch since we finish early to go swimming on Fridays. Thus far I have worked in a small trench just Northeast of the large temple on the Antiocheia ad Cragum digsite. Our goal here is to figure out what this little walled structure’s purpose was in relation to the temple and to the site as a whole. In the trench, I have learned how to (bear with me) differentiate soils, distinguish roof tiles from rock, distinguish marble from rock, distinguish plaster from rock, fill out a Finds Sheet, and how to “dig” (more like “scrape”) like a true archaeologist and not like a giddy little schoolboy. Despite one’s potential to fall into a peaceful slumber when being lectured about different colored soils, when you take a simple trowel in hand and begin excavating in a location that has architecturally survived for for about 2100 years, a little weight begins to set on your shoulders. I am here. I am in Turkey. I am doing the job that I fantasized about since I was in elementary school. I tell myself these things everyday, fully expecting to wake up from a dream, yet I don’t, and it’s glorious. The food is spectacular and the landscape can only be described through picture (it is that uniquely beautiful). Every afternoon during the week, our professors give us interesting lectures that pertain to our assigned readings as well as the world around us. Some readings are more interesting than others, but all are worth contemplating (some topics have been Roman roads and colonies, piracy, and landscapes). Simply, I am beyond eager to see and experience the full realization of our hard work at the end of the month. It is still early, so we are all still hesitant and confused when we wake up in the morning and realize that we are going to work on an ancient cliffside, but I feel that in due time we will all find our comfy niche within the numerous opportunities that archaeology in Antiocheia has to offer. Everyday we contemplate the “why” question in hopes of pulling everything together. Why are we doing what we are doing? What is the point of our digging? So far I haven’t thought about these questions much, but instead taken my time to soak in Turkish culture. I’m nervous. I’m excited. But mostly I’m humbled to be a part of not only the St. Olaf Archaeological team but also of Turkish history; a rich history that has up until now existed only in my imagination.
