The strongest piece of advice I would give to future interns is to try to get to know everyone. Everyone outside of you Oles are from across America and Europe. Their stories are amazing. They are all eager to talk about their research and daily site activities. Professors and volunteers alike are all fascinating people. Please please please honor yourself with their stories and knowledge. Who knows, you might even make some close friends along the way.
Other than that, it is imperative to pack gloves. I liked the gardening gloves I was so graciously given, but others like velcro-strapped gloves to prevent dirt from getting in. Those are also more nimble, but less durable I can imagine. A new or sharp trowel too is advisable. I personally wore the same clothes to work every day. your clothes will be ruined after every day, so I liked just reusing the same ones. I wore old sneakers but most everyone wore boots. If you know you can handle rough and rocky terrain in sneakers, I liked them because they were more comfortable, and steel toes are unnecessary on this site.
The best food is S.O.S Kebab next to Pizza Monkey Burger. It is super cheap, really tasty, and quite filling.
I probably would not participate in another archaeological excavation. My majors do not apply to Archaeology, and it is a lot of work that goes unpaid, so I probably would not do one again. If you do find yourself interested in anything remotely related to this, I think it is terribly advisable to do. It is real material work unlike most other kinds of historical or humanities research
I have truly learned a lot about national identity and politics. The effective history of this site (God bless Nietzsche) is truly fascinating and the circumstances of its existence are historically important but also presently important. I will avoid details, but understand my point, dear reader, this archaeology was deeply intellectually stimulating to even the most pretentious, egotistical philosophy major.
The most memorable moment in the research project for me was when I discovered two identical bones next to one another while digging. There were many bones here, and our team had considered it possible for these parts to be dumped here by butchers, or after meals, the scraps left behind. But this sealed the deal. The only way two slightly different-sized mirror-image leg bones would be right next to each other is if they were left there by human intervention. It still is likely wash, due to its proximity to the surface, but it confirms that somewhere up the hill was a dumping ground for after-meal scraps.
Working here has changed my perspective in a few ways. I have a new appreciation for Türkiye as a place on earth, as I had never been there, but I hadn’t understood its place in global politics. Türkiye is a fascinating place in this regard. Erdogan is a leader who aims to build a strong national identity, but also build ties with Europe, both economically and ideologically. This is a tough line to walk, given the history of Türkiye and Europe. The purpose of the site is part of his grand scheme. My perspective of the purpose of archaeology changed in this way too. It is deeply politically important and is always done for more than just research.