I have already learned a lot throughout my first week in Gazipaşa. The town itself is much larger than I expected with more places to shop and events to attend than I expected. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to try new foods, (I love Durum), and to go to local activities like the jewelry market. Overall, the amount of walking and the intense heat has been a big adjustment, but I feel like I’m getting more and more accustomed to it with each passing day.
As for the dig itself, I have been surprised by just how much pottery we have been finding. On an average day, I am unearthing 200-300 shards. I expected the artifacts to be less frequent and more varied because I didn’t realize that the ancient inhabitants used pottery sherds for so many things beyond pottery itself. I have also been surprised by how slowly we are going down into the earth. This makes sense, however, because we don’t want to risk hurting the artifacts or taking them out of context.
For the labor aspect of the dig, I feel like I have been pushing myself as far as I can physically, but since I am not in the best shape, I still feel like I’m struggling to keep up with the pace set by others. I am hoping that as the weeks progress, I gain more endurance and strength, and I am better able to keep going through the heat without risking my health. However, I have been really enjoying the work we do in the afternoon. I find the pottery washing to be relaxing and the journaling makes me feel like I’m a part of something. I’m excited to continue honing my skills in these areas and being proud of the archaeological work that I am able to do off-site.
In terms of my thoughts about archaeology as a whole, I don’t think I’m considering archaeology as a career anymore (at least not field-work). Since I’ve been struggling physically this trip, I don’t think this would be a good choice for me. However, I am eager to continue exploring the skills and tasks that we do which might be applicable to other history-based careers like curation or archiving. One of the main take-aways I was hoping to get from this trip was a better sense of which historical avenue I want to follow for my career. I have decided that whatever it is, it needs to be indoors.
Finally, when it comes to our specific site, Antiochia ad Cragum, I feel like I’ve gained a lot of insight into the lives of the people who inhabited it. It was interesting to have to opportunity to work near the ancient gate at the beginning of the dig, and then in the Great Bath later on. This gave me a multi-faceted view of the city, making it possible for me to compare and contrast the different locations. It has been particularly impactful for me to consider the original function of the different rooms that I’ve worked in, and how we know what they once were. During the first day, I worked primarily in the wine-press, and it was interesting to imagine what it used to look like and the way that its function impacted the larger city. Currently, I am working in a room which has several burn marks on the ground, supposedly attributed to small cooking fires. It is one thing to read about an ancient cooking room, and another to stand inside of it and see exactly where the fires were by examining the black piles of charcoal on the ground.
I am eager to see how our excavation progresses next week and what other finds we are able to unearth.