My time in Turkey has been rather memorable. I have learned a lot here (like how to tell the difference between schisty soil and bedrock, which is harder than you might think sometimes), and although I am very excited to go home, I am sad to say goodbye. Over the last month I have managed to develop a surprising set of skills and can now do everything from articulate a wall, and identify pottery, to take points around the site using GPS in order to develop site maps.
My most memorable experience on the site was finding my first coin. It was one of the first things I had found that wasn’t a roof tile or a small pottery shard. Coins are also really useful finds because they can help date the site more accurately, as well as tells us a lot of other information on things like trade, language, and local identity. There are also a lot of little, round, flat, green rocks around the site that can get your hopes up for a minute, and it was nice to find an actual coin and not a rock in disguise.
I went on this program originally as a way to find out more about archeology and whether it might be something I would be interested in pursuing after I graduate. I am still processing all my thoughts and feelings about this experience, but for now I think that although I would go on another archeology program, I don’t think it is something that I would pursue as a career. I enjoyed being on hand as history was literally uncovered, and being part of forming the story of this place and the people that lived there, but the work itself was draining, and the moments of frustration were many. I do not think that I could handle it for an extended period of time.
For any students that might be going next year, my main advice would be to be prepared for many things not to go as expected, and for plans to change constantly. Archeology can be hard to plan because you are usually going in with no idea what you’re going to find, when you will find it, or even if anything will be found. Also time seems to move a little differently in Turkey. People are more ok with things like stopping the van for a cigarette break, or to take pictures of the view. It is expected that you will take the time after meals, or when you meet new people, to sit and drink tea and talk. It can be frustrating not always knowing what’s going on, or when things are happening, but I think if you go in expecting that, it will be easier to handle.