After reading more about the history and background of Antiochia, I became interested in numerous different layers of the story. First of all, I found the exploration of daily life under shifting empires and cultures immensely fascinating. I would love to find out more about the local identity and see how it remained present, while blending with Roman and Greek culture as the city and area changed hands. To that same extent I also wonder about how present the influence of various empires were to the inhabitants. Could the changing times be well marked in the lives and habits of the locals? And could the local culture also be seen to influence the conquerors in a different manner? These questions might be a bit broad, but in a more specific sense I hope to learn more about how people from a different era lived their lives while broad changes occurred around them. Focusing on one place is different to most of what I have done in relation to history and is something that I want to make the most out of. Usually when studying history, it seems so easy (at least for me) to get caught up in the large, sweeping actions of different empires and ignore the individual people who lived and were influenced by their actions.
I am most interested in learning about how an active dig site functions and what goes on in the day to day. Is the routine largely similar everyday? How do you choose to employ different techniques and tools for different challenges and times? These and dozens of other questions are in my mind. I have always been intrigued by the idea of archeology but I truthfully have little clue as to what to expect from this experience. I want to make the most of this opportunity and explore and learn as much as I can. More specifically, I wish to learn how to better interpret findings and how to think with actual physical material in front of me. Trying to decipher ancient texts and historians’ opinions is interesting, but taken in tandem with physical evidence, it seems to take on a stronger meaning. I also want to learn more about actual digging techniques and how they are selected and used in practice. I want to take what I learn here and either employ that knowledge in a similar capacity or at the very least, broaden my horizons and knowledge about an important part of learning history.
After reading more about ethics and the pros and cons to tourism, I believe that as an archaeologist working at Antiochia ad Cragum, I have a duty to work well and make decisions consciously. I will be handling the culture of those who lived prior and in doing so I must be respectful. Just because the inhabitants of the city lived in a far different time does not make them different from us and they require the respect we give each other. I am doing this work not just to satisfy my own curiosity but to preserve and explore the culture of those in the past, and learn not just for myself, but for others. With this in mind I must “do good fieldwork” and remain thoughtful and intentional about what I am doing while recording and thinking about what things may mean. My audience is everyone who may wish to engage with the material discovered, whether that be a sightseeing tourist, someone from nearby, or other students. Doing good work and being thoughtful about it is then important to me because I want to interest and show my audience the best work that I can.