Personally, I like to picture myself stumbling into an interview room looking frazzled and dusty as I usually do when coming back from a day at site. I think that’ll really set the precedent for what we’ve been doing for the past few weeks, and I’m so proud of myself and the entire team for working so hard. It has been so rewarding to see the progress made in the time I’ve been here, both on a physical and mental level. After this internship and the many things it’s taught me, I’m sure I will be ready for anything a hiring manager throws my way.
A skill that I have been leaning on and learning to utilize is my social battery. When you’re stuck in a hole covered in mud and hauling buckets of rocks, it helps to have good conversations with your fellow workers! Whether it’s through inside jokes, a shared playlist, or cool bug viewing parties, connecting with the people around you does wonders for morale. Even during moments of physical and mental stress, humor and a good attitude keeps you going just as much as water breaks and shade. I’ve been really lucky to have worked with fun and easygoing people, both St. Olaf and Turkish students alike. Besides the fieldwork part, one of my biggest goals coming into these few weeks was to say yes to just about every opportunity that came my way. Go hike to the top of an ancient mountaintop city? Cold plunge into a pool of 40°F water? Sing really bad Beastie Boys karaoke in front of half the dig team? Might as well! This trip has given me so many opportunities to push myself out of my comfort zone and do it alongside a really amazing group of people. I’ve also gotten the chance to learn new technical skills that I hadn’t expected. The photogrammetry lab was particularly interesting to me and is absolutely something I would love to look further into. I’m excited for the chance to get some hands-on experience with the image capturing process and software pieces!
One of the biggest shifts in my time here has been having the opportunity to work in the Great Bath, where our timeline is a bit more rushed and different excavation techniques are used. On the bright side, I get to wield a pickaxe again! Unfortunately, there are so many things that I wish we had more time to explore further. Working in the Caldarium has made me a lot more interested in Cultural Resource Management as a potential career path moving forward. Much of the classes and readings I’ve taken on archaeological ethics have emphasized the importance of due diligence and respect for the stories of those whose past you are digging up. I think that it is incredibly important to have that duty of care in mind even when you’re rushed, and going into CRM would give me a way to put those skills and principles into practice. Even with a tight schedule, it’s been awesome to see people who are dedicated to doing the job well with the timeline we’ve been given. It’s been a great experience to work with the Turkish team members and learn from them throughout the week, and I can’t wait to see what the next few days bring! (They even let me onto their Spotify Jam, which I consider a pretty big deal and greatly appreciate.)
Working at Antiochia ad Cragum has most certainly cemented my love for archaeology and all the many shapes the field can take. I was pretty sure I wanted to stick with this as a career post-graduation, but having such an incredible first experience in the field has made me realize that this is something I could see myself doing long term. Even with the sweat and the dirt, the sense of curiosity and community here has been nothing short of amazing.