2017 Season: Week 5
Hello world! Welcome back to the Stelida Naxos Archaeological Project. Yep—we’re still hanging around on Naxos! We’ve recently completed our 5th week on excavation, and are excited to share with you what’s been going on. Let’s go!
Long Weekend Extravaganza!
We had a long weekend right before this week began, which was a much needed break to rest our bodies and souls. Working on an excavation with the early mornings and hot days can be difficult, so a long weekend after Week 4 is often helpful in refreshing our team and preparing us for the last two week of excavation.
During the long weekend, team members travelled far and wide to relax and see Naxos as well as neighbouring islands like Koufonisia.
Feast of Klydona and St. John’s Celebration
On Friday night (June 23rd), our team members left the dig house on the way to dinner to find burning flames around the village. What was going on?!
It turns out that local residents were celebrating one of the largest summer festivals in Greece, Klydona (Feast of Klydona), which is on the 24th of June. This is the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist, so the night of the 23rd is also known as St. John’s Eve. The festivities that night included the burning of flower wreaths from May, and required everyone to jump over the fires three times to bring a kind of purification. It was an absolutely incredible experience to be welcomed by local villagers during our dinner to participate in this local tradition, and we could not pass it up.
Kouros Statues
Part of the team rented out a car and two ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) to drive around the island and see the well-known Kouros statues.
Trench supervisor Marie Pareja enthusiastically told us about these Kouroi:
Kouroi (the plural of kouros) are statues of young nude men from the Archaic Period that we think were often used as funerary markers or offerings or dedications to temples. They serve as prime examples of the ways in which Greeks modelled some of their sculptures after Egyptian artwork.
These pieces serve as stellar examples of early, stiff statuary that was adopted and adapted by the Greeks (some are even based on the Egyptian Canon!). Some of the latest versions of these statues begin to incorporate later stylistic traits that become characteristic of classical and hellenistic art, from the flowing form, balance and counter-balanced angles and planes, and more developed musculature.
The kouroi that you see fallen above were probably meant for export from the quarry. They met with an untimely end, possibly due to an imperfection in the marble or human error.
Naxos Boat Trip
Another group went on a fun boat trip around the west coast of Naxos. They got to jump off the boat and swim into nearby caves, like the ones you see in Hanna’s photo below!
Santorini
Others went to the famous Greek island of Santorini, which is known for its dreamy sunset views at Oia, volcanic landscapes, red and black beaches, as well as archaeological sites like Akrotiri (aka the Pompeii of Greece). Jealous!
East Side Renovations
Aaaand, back to work after a much needed long weekend. What’s more exciting than digging a trench? Throwing in some renovations for the trenches! This week, temperatures soared above 30°C and the sun was at its full power. As a result, many of our trenches had to set up tarps for shade, and it was beautiful sight. There are also now currently 6 active trenches on the East side. As the season heats up, we’re trying our best to stay cool and hydrated on and off the field. Make sure to keep commenting on our (and our team members’) social media to remind them to drink water and take breaks!
Trench Beginnings, Trench Endings
Some brand new smaller trenches (or test pits) were started up to help us answer one question: if survey data indicates there are no artefacts in an area on the hill, does it really mean that there are no artefacts? So, we decided to dig in areas where there would supposedly be no artefacts.
And while new trenches were started, others had to close. A trench is usually done when it hits bedrock, which is not a soil and will prevent an excavator to dig any further down. Sometimes, they are also closed for other reasons such as the fact that it has provided all the information and data possible, or if it becomes a safety hazard.
This week a few of our trenches have closed—including Trench 1, 18 and 29. It’s a little sad, but like they all say—all good things must come to an end!
SNAP Drone Footage
Earlier this season the amazing Doug Faulmann (from INSTAP) came by to help us capture some drone data as well as some beautiful footage, which we’ve edited into a short video below. Check out his awesome footage and see us in action on an average day in the field!
Special Guests
This week we welcomed Dr. Ciler Cilingoroglou of Ege University (Izmir) who studies the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic Western Anatolia. Thanks for visiting, it was great to meet your family!
