Dickinson students from the Department of Classical Studies/Archaeology Program are spending the summer in Mycenae, Greece participating in the excavations, archaeological survey, investigation and research of the legendary Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae and its surrounding area in the region of Argolid, Greece. Student Alison Cuneo '07 sent an update to vice president Robert Massa, who had visited the site earlier in the summer.
Hello from Mycenae! Things have been progressing quite rapidly since you've helped kick off our excavation. We've finished excavating wall "A" all the way to Sector I, the deep trench at the far end of the site by the cliff, and we will begin to dig up the interior of the buildings next week. It's amazing to see how much the site has transformed with just two weeks of excavation.
We have also began preparing for next year's new site that will eventually become Dickinson's main excavation after we finish up on the Citadel. The team spent an entire day clearing the land, which included building rock walls, pulling weeds, and raking the entire length of the field. The reason the field needed to be cleaned was to prepare it for surveying and GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar), which require a flat, even terrain in order to obtain accurate results. Full scale excavation of this new site is anticipated to begin in the near future.
After all of that hard work the team was due for some down time. Prof. Maggidis gave us an extensive sunset tour of Mycenae the other day, which included a trip to the underground cistern, and we've taken trips to the ancient sites of Epidauros and Delphi. Next weekend we plan on visiting Pylos, Deuros cave, and Sparta, then Corinth, Tiryns, Lerna, and Nemea in the evenings during the few weeks.
For me personally the most interesting aspect of the dig this year is watching the new students apply the skills they've learned in the archaeology department's dig simulator to a real excavation. I was one of the teaching assistants for the class, and I and the other supervisors have seen how well they've done in the SEF, but working in the field is much different than working in the protective bubble of a classroom. Learning how to draw tiny fragments of obsidian in gale force winds or sifting tons of soil for hours at a time are typically not covered in the course syllabus.
Archaeology is more about organization, accuracy and sweat and less about treasure - it's not as glamorous as Indiana Jones makes it out to be. The initial shock has worn off and the students realize that all the skills and knowledge they applied to the SEF are basically the same in Mycenae barring the change in climate. Yes, the team seems to have adapted to life as an archaeologist... well, except the part about getting up at 5 am. But we're constantly reminded of how incredibly lucky we are to be working on the legendary citadel of Agamemnon during our daily hike through the Lion's Gate on the way up to the site. No experience can ever compare to watching the sun rise over the Argolid every morning while sitting on the ancient walls of a city made immortal by Homer. Nothing.
Read the next update from Mycenae.
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