2017 Season: Week 3
Can you believe we’re halfway done our season already? From the island of Naxos in Greece, welcome back to another weekly update from the Stelida Naxos Archaeological Project. We’ve just completed our third week and things are exciting as ever!
Trench Updates
Our team has been working incredibly hard to dig deeper every day. Excavators are peeling back contexts (layers) and documenting everything carefully to ensure they aren’t just going recklessly fast. (It’s not just about digging, but the careful recording of digging.)
It can be a little hard to see our progress when we’re looking at the same trench every day. However, when we take photos spaced out every week, we can more clearly see how much we’ve really dug. Case(s) in point:
Trench 3
Trench 18
Trench 24
Trench 25
Trench 26
Trench 27
Who went down the most? Who do you think will go down the most? Cast your votes in the comments below.
Missing Graduation to Dig
One of the most important moments in university is the graduation ceremony—but few of our team members gave that up in order to work on the project this season. While friends from home have been posting photos of striding across the graduation stage this week, we have been striding across a mountain, covered in dirt and sunscreen instead of graduation robes, and holding our trowels instead of our diplomas.
While attending convocation was originally a part of the plan for our grads, their passion for archaeology and fieldwork was far greater—and it’s that passion that bonds them all together. Congrats again, grads!
Meet the Anthropology Grads
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Natalie: I have an honours degree in Anthropology and a minor in Archaeology. I’m from North Vancouver and have moved back there now. I was only introduced to anthropology after being recommended the class in second term of first year and fell in love in my first class. When Jane Goodall came up on the slides I knew this was the field for me!
Laura: I am a mature student with an Anthropology major and Archaeology minor. I am also interested in Earth Sciences and their application to archaeological practice.
Jason: I am a double-major in Anthropology and Multimedia, as well as a multimedia artist. So, I’m interested in how Multimedia technologies and creative practices are applied in archaeological contexts, such as with practicing public engagement and cultural heritage. Majoring in Anthropology was a total accident, but the best thing to have ever happened to me.
How was it like to miss convocation to be here?
Natalie: At first I was sad I would be missing convocation. Being from Vancouver, it was an opportunity to go back and see friends from Mac. But now I’m happy I was here in Greece. Instead, convocation became an opportunity not only to celebrate what I had accomplished, but also, after a work day in the trenches, it became a celebration of (hopefully) what was to come.
Laura: No big deal! I am not big on ceremony. Being in the field, exploring and traveling for 8 weeks is my take on the graduation celebration. I am not a traditionalist—I am an anthropologist!
Jason: On Tuesday, I was seeing posts and messages from my friends back home asking to meet up at graduation. It didn’t hit me until I realized I couldn’t actually meet up with them! In all honesty though, there is nothing more important to being a part of something larger than a ceremony. I think convocation is ultimately a mindset and a time for reflection, and that can happen anywhere!
What have you found most interesting about this project?
Natalie: I think the most interesting thing I’ve noticed being a part of this project is how many people and their unique skills are a part of the team. All different type of knowledge each play an important role that together explain maybe one or two research questions. It just goes to show how collaborative archaeology is and how interesting a field it is to work in.
Laura: Theory is essential, I realize here how that knowledge facilitates a structure of practice that enables effective research methods. Advancing the discipline through ethical and scientific methods.
Jason: It’s absolutely amazing how so many people from all over the world can come together because of a powerful research question, which has changed and continues to change our human story. More inspiring would probably the sheer determination and hard work that every single team member puts in — starting from 5am every morning.
So, what’s next?
Natalie: No idea. But I doubt I’ll wander far from anthropology.
Laura: No idea either. I am happy to take things as they come.
Jason: I’ve got to say I’m the same as Natalie and Laura on this one. While I have always wanted to go into the design or creative industry, I don’t think I’ll be able to stay away from Anthropology for long…
Special Guests on Site
This week, we welcomed David Rupp to our site, the director of the Canadian Institute in Greece (CIG)—one of our partners for the project.
The Institute advances knowledge of Greece in all periods by sponsoring and promoting archaeological fieldwork, providing resources for scholarly research, and disseminating results. The Institute is also charged by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture with primary responsibility for all Canadian archaeological fieldwork projects, and seeks to support the investigation, preservation, and presentation of Greece’s cultural heritage.
We also welcomed Panagiotis (Takis) Karkanas, from the M. H. Weiner Laboratory of Archaeological Science and American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Takis is helping us look more closely at our geology, soils and dating on site to see how we can gain more information about the past at Stelida. Here he is explaining some of his preliminary findings to the team:
Archaeologist Dr. Vasif Şahoğlu (from Ankara University) and his friend, Sefat also popped by the site on Friday and were both very excited to look around.
We were happy to catch up with Lynn and Gerald Batist, before discussing with them about different types of lithics (stone tools) that we are uncovering throughout our site.
Instagram Updates from the Team
Sure, we’re on a dig and live in a small Greek village—but that doesn’t stop our Instagram game when we get the occasional (slow) WiFi, like when we go to the port (Chora) two days a week. Below is a curation of some of the most *fire* posts of the week:
Who wins the award for the most *on fleek* Instagram post of the week? Comment below to cast your vote.
Follow Us
Lastly, to keep up with the remaining half of our excavation, please do keep in touch here:
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Have an awesome weekend!
