Now that my month at Antiochia ad Cragum is over, can I call myself a ‘real’ archaeologist?
Ever since I was little, archaeology has fascinated me. I loved imagining how ancient peoples, with daily lives so different from mine, accomplished their daily tasks. As I got older, this interest only grew and deepened. I’ve known pretty much since beginning my college career that I wanted to study archaeology. And finally, in the summer before beginning my senior year, I had the chance to do it for real.
So now what?
I’ve spent a month sweating more than I ever thought possible, carrying rocks as large as my torso, and displacing about 12 cubic meters of soil. I found myself literally having dreams about my trench, dreaming of unearthing the next piece of our puzzle. I held pieces of pottery and glass that have not seen the light of day for at least a thousand years. My skin darkened, my muscles strengthened, my body adjusted surprisingly quickly to the hectic rhythm of life here in Gazipasa.
Looking forward from here, I’m optimistic. With any luck, I’ll be able to come back next year and continue to put together the pieces of the people of Antiochia. I hope to be able to transfer the skills I’ve picked up to other projects, and to infuse this summer experience with my educational pursuits back at Carleton.
My advice to those who are considering doing this program next year? Just go for it. Whether or not you’ve been a long-time ancient history nerd like me, or just are looking for an out-of-the-box summer experience, I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed. However, if you are looking for an easy or comfortable time, look elsewhere. You will be tired, hot, sore, soaked, and crowded most of the time. But if you can put aside the lack of basic creature comforts and delve down to the intellectually-stimulating components of the trip, you won’t even care about all of that. It has been endlessly rewarding to unearth the detritus of the Antiochians for the past month, and this experience will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life.