The past month has flown by at an alarming pace. It’s been an amazing experience in so many ways, and I’ve learned so much. Working on the acropolis I’ve learned more than I ever knew about building techniques and the motivations behind the use of these different techniques, as well as learning which plants to avoid (ALL of them) and that donkey bees are a real (and truly horrifying) thing. One of the highlights of this month was when Kirby and I first found floor in our trench and, after finding one paving stone, the rest just leapt out of the dirt at us (fortunately not literally). I never would have thought that finding a collection of stones could be such a proud moment in my life.
Throughout the month my view of archaeology and what we are doing here has changed. Coming in at the beginning of the month I think my motivations were primarily selfish: I wanted to be a part of history and do whatever I could to personally contribute. Now, at the end of the month and everything we have found and all of the stories that we have been working together, our job here definitely feels less about us and so much more about the people who once lived at Antiochia ad Cragum. These people, who have been gone for so long, are finally able to contribute their own stories to the overall story of this region and, more broadly, the world. There’s something amazing and empowering about knowing that you have helped make that happen.
Another highlight of this program has been visiting other sites. The field trips are cool, but last weekend a few of us rented a car and went to two different sites (Laertes and Syedra) which we didn’t visit as a group. This was one of my favorite parts of this month and I would definitely suggest excursions like this to anyone coming to hang out in Rough Cilicia.
This month has been so amazing and I would gladly participate in a project like this again. Archaeology isn’t the romanticized adventure of Indiana Jones, but rather an opportunity to learn real things about the daily lives of real people. It’s a chance to have a tangible and unique connection with these people. Digging up something that hasn’t been touched in so long gives you a feeling of understanding of the people who last touched it that you simply cannot find by looking at an artifact through the glass of a display case in a museum.
