One of the most important lessons I learned here was how to apply conceptual knowledge to our real world finding in the field. At our professor’s request, my team and I all collaborated with each other to form our own ideas, theories, and speculations about our findings instead of asking him for the “correct” answer. For instance, we came to the conclusion that many of the small finds we found pressed into the soil against the North-facing wall were transported there via natural erosion. This hypothesis lends itself to the data we collected, as it explains the presence of predictable patterns of small debris in specific locations. I am incredibly proud of my teammates for collaborating so well on these and other ideas. Two other things I learned were that I have a clear eye for identifying remains, but cannot tell a piece of schist from a coin to save my life. I was overjoyed as a health sciences student to find out that I have a knack for bone typology; however, I was also fairly embarrassed not to have mastered pebbles. I just probably (hopefully) need more practice. Maybe I’ll get it next year!
My most memorable experience actually happened on the last day of excavation. First, I watched as my teammate uncovered a beautiful carved fragment from beneath our packed surface. It was pristine, perfectly preserved to the point where the craftsman’s individual chisel-marks could still be seen. As an artist, I tend to gravitate towards that small “human touch” in every find: fingerprints on pottery, chisel-marks on stone, a paw print on a roof tile, et cetera. There is something profound in finding bits of evidence inside the data, since it is like seeing the afterimage of real ancient people. I remember we argued about what the picture could be – settling on a cornucopia – only for the site organizer to stop by and effortlessly prove us all wrong. It was a horse! This was a lesson not to bring our own Eurocentric ideals of art and design into a different context. I will be more mindful not to superimpose my own ideas into evidence in the future.
This project was an amazing learning experience, and it fundamentally changed how I view myself in my own historical context. After working for so long to try and understand the lives of ancient people, it made me think: “wow, time sure is a flat circle.” Humanity grows and evolves, societies take shape, empires rise and fall. But people are so profoundly human. To study our site, I tried my best to place myself into the role of someone who called that place home, and it was an eye-opening experience. After doing so, I have the utmost respect for people who pursue a career in archaeology – they tell real peoples’ stories. The data isn’t found in a void, and it needs to be treated with the care and respect it deserves. I know saying this trip gave me an existential crisis sounds scary, but it was actually a very wonderful realization. Human beings have been human for thousands of years, and will likely continue being human after we are gone. So, my question was: who will tell our story? I don’t know the answer to that. All I can do is make sure to do right by the people of Gazipasa.
My biggest regret from the trip is not having learned enough Turkish before I came. One piece of advice I would offer to those who plan to join this trip is this: try to learn passable Turkish before arriving! I am incredibly grateful to my Turkish friends for teaching me Turkish, coaching me on pronunciation, and allowing me to pester them about song lyrics and slang terms. They were incredibly patient with me even as I unintentionally butchered the language, and for that I am most grateful. Please practice Turkish! It enhances the experience, and it’s a life skill you’ll always treasure.
I would definitely participate in another excavation. I had so much fun learning, working hard, and bonding with my classmates. The trip was mentally and physically tough, but it brought us all closer together, and I found so many new friends. The experiences I had, the things I found, and the people I met were all wonderful. I will treasure them for the rest of my life. I would love to come back and do even more: I’d be happy just digging dirt and chucking rocks off cliffs, but perhaps I can spend some more time in the technical drawing studio, or tour the bone lab too. There’s always next year!
Thank you for everything, I had the time of my life.
Her şey için teşekkürler, hayatımın zamanını geçirdim.
– Samantha Nelson