tragana

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Hello again,
it looks like i'm only going to be able to update this on weekends when we go into larger cities because the internet access we have in tragana is very slow and gets expensive....so keep looking out for weekend updates!

So week two has gone by rediculously fast.

Monday we opened up the trenches, took off the tarps and began to sweep up the site and get it ready for begining of season photographs. So lots of sweeping with tiny brooms....pretty mindless. Our field dierctor had also been discussing with one of the land owners on the island if we could open up a few older trenches on her land. We finally got permissions for that and began more back fill removal in the "olive grove". We are digging in two spots on the island. one area is an open abandonded wheat field and the other is in the olive grove between the olive trees obviously. most people think that because there is shade from the trees the olive grove would be cooler but it's not. it just stops any breeze from coming in. And the trees are small and don't provide much shade especially when the sun is directly above but i'm getting ahead of myself.
On monday when we finished sweeping i began excavating in a trench where a "penguin" was. Our code word for tombs and graves is penguin, because there are some people in the area who are really into grave robbing, so we have to e careful when we're talking aobut them. SO i began working in this area. it's a 4x1 meter section, we're taking down the baulk. the baulk is the area between the trenches that we keep to see the stratographic levels. and last year at the end of the season they found this penguin and couldn't open it because they didnt' ahve time..so now we're starting.

It took us a long time to go throught the top plow zone on tuesday and we only got half of it done. that night at dinner John (our field school director) asked for vounteers to work at the apothiki (the lab) for two days and no one was volunteering so I did. Figured I'd get my first few days out of the way before things really got exciting at the site. The only thing was the plan was to open the penguin I had been working on the next day. So i was a little sad.

So wednesday came around and off I went to the apothiki to wash pottery and shells....not very much fun. the temperature was well aove 40 degrees so it was kind of nice to be in the shade not doing alot of physical labour.. anyways, things progressed mush slower then expected at site so they didn't get to the penguin tuesday either.

Thursday i had another long day at the apothiki again washing atrifacts and trying to find lost items that had been put away wrong...and again they still didn't get the penguin opened. They olive grove trenches were both opened wednesday and were ready to go on thursday.

I was so excited to get back to site because we were all sure that we would finally open up our penguin.....So for the morning I was back in my 4x1 trench digging away, and Kerril came over andsaid that we had to stop because nick (a trench supervisor) had found a larger penguin that was more important then the one we were working on, and we couldn't open two in one day, so we were moved into the olive grove. Which I was happy aout because I was working with a few people who arent' my favourite at the moment. And in the olive grove tehre were lots of people who I ejnoy working with and being around.
So the new trench I went to also had up to three possible penguins and one of them is HUGE!!! we're very excited about that. So as the day kept going the temperature kept risisng and we were finally told that we wern't going to open the penguin becuase it was too hot and they didnt' think it would be good for us to be out there that long.

So now we are waiting until wednesday to do anything because our site photographer is gone until then. ARGH!!! so instead of that Christine and I worked in the olive grove and we opened, dug and finished our own small SU (stratographic unit) that was very exciitn and good experience. we didn't find anything overly exciting.

Each night this week we had lectures: Pottery, apothiki overview, flotation methods, stratography, and another that I aparently was not paying attention to because I can't remember it at all. (oups) We have lecture at 6:30 each night which is usually after our little siesta (naps) and alot of the time I'm still in a nap coma after waking up....

Friday night we had some free time because we wern't leaving for our field trip to Athens until saturday morning at 7"00/ So we all (staff and students) decided to go to the beach bar which turnes into the closest thing to a dance club tragana has. IT was so much fun. we had a great time, the DJ played some rediculous oldies and JT about 5 times through out the night....it was a long night but fun. Saturday morning however was not a happy time for any of us. Thankfully I had a 1 and a half hour drive into athens to sleep.

So this morning we arrived, and checked into our hotel and then off we went. John took us to the placka and let us go get some food and then we met up again at 11:00 to see the agora. The agora is ancient athens, the main area where much of the political and administrative things happened. John Kemp, the lead archaeologist at the agora met us and took us down to his new excavation sites and explained it all. It was facinating. I got to see the building where socrates would have been indited, we saw the royal stoas, you could see the panathenaic way that would have lead the people of athens up to the acropolis. It was just so interesting. then we went on our own to check out the public part of the agora. It was HOT! (poli zesty!). After lunch we made our way on the subway to the national museum. It was super intersting but we were so tired from all the sun and the night before that I was definitely ready to get back to our hotel.

Jamie, Christne and I got back to our room about 5:00, showered and got ready for a nap. I called Claire, Cara and Will who are friends from UW and are in athens at the moment. We made plans for dinner, and then I passed our for two hours...yummm it was a delicious sleep!

It was so wonderful to see those three, we had a great dinner, lots of laughing, sharing stories of drama and rediculousness that is excavating and now i'm here writing this email.

So overall it's been a great week. I am happy that i didn't miss any penguins with my two days in the apothiki, but I am also frustrated that we can't open any until wendesday now....we have 3 for sure and possible 5 that are just waiting for us...so we're all itching to see what's happening.
And the best part is that the basic field school students still haven't fully figured out that we the mortuary girls are the only ones that get to excavate penguins...hahaha yah i'm mean..but it's funny when they find out that once one is going to be opened we get in there and do all the work.

While i was in the apothiki Jodi (the mortuary assistant) got out two skeletons from last year. a premi and a 4 year old. That was very helpful because I could see what colours to look for and juvenile bones are much different then adult bones. So that was interesting...
anyways next week sould be very interesting..and next weekend we're staying around tragana and touring around the area instead of taking a long trip somewhere....should be a good time.

Well I miss you all, i'm trying to get some post cards ready, so send me your addresses and hopefully you'll be getting something in the mail!

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