I am most excited to see the floor mosaics of Antiochia. The detail and richness of Roman mosaics amaze me, so it will be a treat to see some in person, on site. I remember from a few years ago reading about the discovery of some of the bathroom mosaics at Antiochia that showed off dirty jokes, so I would say this is another reason for my excitement. People have long found vulgarity funny, and these mosaics clearly represent one of our most essential qualities as humans: humor.
Buildings divide off the world into ordered parcels, both physically, with walls and roofs, and conceptually, organizing space by what is done there. To us, for example, the word “house” suggests a place where people live. This, of course, includes different tasks – cooking, eating, sleeping – which in many houses of today have individual spaces. But as Lisa Nevett’s chapter on ancient Greek houses suggests, ancient houses were often far less clearly defined. People and animals lived together under the same roof and different tasks were carried out in the same space, which I think forces us to think, even beyond what Nevett examines, about what a house is. I look forward to exploring this idea during our program, on site and in the readings and conversations to come over the next few weeks.
We’ve read about ancient Antiochia in our assigned readings, but I’ve also learned some about modern Gazipaşa on my own time. I found that the area is known for its fruit – bananas and oranges in particular – and there’s even a place south of Gazipaşa called Muzkent, or Banana City! Needless to say, I’m excited to try some of the local produce before we get started with the dig on Monday.