My curiosity towards the structure expanded last week because our group and other’s work has led to more definition of the structure. During the first week, I was more focused on the labor required in making the structure’s physically transparent, so I only had basic questions on the house. Now I have time to step back and analyze my group’s unit, so I can ask myself more intricate questions. Similarly to my evolving curiosity, my annoyance threshold has also evolved. I am perplexed by the oblivious nature of some members’ inability to realize when to stop talking. I felt concussed after the first day because of the amount of sound waves hitting my ear drums. To resolve this issue, I put my air pods in and listened to music to block out the noise. However, this gesture of “please stop talking to me” did not succeed as the babbling continued. Because the air pods were not as successful as I thought they would be, I am now curious if duct tape will do the trick for next week.
Since we are excavating a wealthy family’s house from the Roman Empire, this has led me to think about the dimensions of social classes. Social classes have always sparked interest within me because of how it defines individuals and groups. In our own country I think about the complexities of class and its influences on one’s daily life. I have usually thought about it in typical terms such as race, economic status, or gender. However, I have never considered one’s house and how it represents class. In America, I typically envision initial observations for identifying wealth like a fancy house on the beach or lake, but now I am considering more attributes of wealth when thinking about homes. Such as, what content is inside the house, and what type of features or belongings dictate and represent wealth? I am applying these same questions towards the Roman house we are excavating, and I am excited for what we will find.