On Friday, August 15, 2014, Julia Marie Irons <irons@stolaf.edu>
I had no real idea, before Antiochia, of what it meant to look at a wall, or room, or soil, or piece of pottery, and see points of access for interpretation. It’s not as though I’ve become any kind of expert: I cannot, of course, explain or identify everything that I see. But what I have now, that I didn’t before, is the basic knowledge, as well as the self-confidence, to ask some of the right questions. What material is that wall made of? Are there pottery inclusions? Mortar? Do there appear to be multiple building phases? Am I holding a rock or a pot: does it have layers? inclusions? Is this large building oriented east-west? Such questions allow me to approach the puzzle: rather than being confused and overwhelmed, I build on what I see, and what I know about each of the pieces that I see, so that I can put together ideas and hypotheses about the big picture.
I have no insight, however, into the nature of bedrock as encountered in an excavation. Bedrock in this region is a multicolored schist (tends to contain gray, green and/or orangey brown), and is very friable. But the thing is that bedrock is bedrock except when it isn’t; what was bedrock yesterday may not be do tomorrow, as it dries and crumbles and is revealed to have been soil all along. Hours of carefully articulating the “bedrock” prove useless; closed sections are reopened as new loci to deal with all the “rock.” We at the temple were always very confused on the question. Don’t come to me with your questions about bedrock.
As regards to future participants, I would not venture to attempt a complete packing list, but I would say, besides dig clothes that might get trashed, to be sure to bring: a water bottle, work gloves, sunglasses, duct tape, ziplock bags, sunscreen, a hat, several bandanas, swim goggles, a tablet or laptop, laundry soap (for hand washing), and comfy yet sturdy sandals (Chacos recommended).
I also suggest to any future participants a few days in Istanbul prior to the dig. Istanbul is one of the world’s great cities, beautiful and incredibly rich in diverse cultural heritages, and no one should miss the opportunity to see it. Four days was perfect for my group.
This program has, of course, been full of incredible moments, and I certainly cannot choose one as definitively above the rest. However, I will say that the moment in which I uncovered and picked up a small clay lamp was truly incredible. I had cleared enough soil to see that there was something large, and maybe even mostly incomplete, sitting in front of me, and so I lightly tugged, to see if it was still covered by soil. It lifted with the slightest “pop,” as though gently being released by the earth, and then I was holding it in my hand. To me it was so very beautiful; cute, I suppose, would be more accurate, given its petite size, but also beautiful, asymmetry and all. I had found other artifacts before, and did again, but that experience, that little lamp, impressed upon me the thrill of holding an object, seemingly intact, which had been buried beneath the earth, and was for the first time in centuries held in human hands: my hands. That was an amazing moment.
Every morning, on our way to the dig site, we drove through thd small community of Güney. Our contact with that community was limited to a few individuals–until, on our final weekend, we were invited to attend a circumcision festival. The party itself was great fun, full of food and dancing. And in addition to our enjoyment of the festivities, everyone in our group was acutely aware of what an honor it was to be invited. It provided us, furthermore, with some insight into how the villagers view us: as guests, rather than invaders, in their home. As someone who had come with some concerns about the proper place of Americans students in Turkish archaeological projects, it reassured me that we, as archaeologists at Antiochia, are doing work that is valued by the community; that they are not only aware of us, but want to make us feel welcomed.
I would jump at the chance to continue doing archaeology, here or at another site. this has been an incredible experience, and I have loved learning so much and coming into such close contact (literally, physical contact) with history. it’s obviously an opportunity not to be missed by anyone with an interest in history and historical research, and also a wonderful chance for people with less developed interest in history to explore it in a tangible way, and to experience the excitement of finding clues and building hypotheses in a way that perhaps they never did in a classroom setting. I would love to come back; I would also love to explore opportunities to do archaeology in Latin America, with different kinds if structures and artifacts. In any case, I am confident that this will not be my last sojourn into the dusty, demanding, delightful world of archaeology.