The end is nigh

The end of the season, that is. Tonight was our last regular group dinner at Γραμμές, after which we took a group photo with the Argolic gulf as our backdrop (we’ll post that later). Bill told everyone to pick up a rock, and that led to skipping stones. Even Lena gave it a go. It… More The end is nigh

The last day

Today was our last day in the field. We ended our fieldwork on the slopes above and below the acropolis site above the village of Lyrkeia that was, in many ways, the epicenter of our work in 2014. Alyssa and Melanie led a team in a ravine below the acropolis and right next to the… More The last day

The apotheke

We have an apotheke now. Apotheke (αποθήκη) is Greek for storage facility, but for most archaeologists working in Greece, it means a place where you store and study the artifacts that you collect from the field. Up until today, we were getting the apotheke ready. That meant renting the space, having security measures installed, getting electricity, water, and… More The apotheke

Five things

1. A mid-morning blow out On Wednesday Bill and I hiked up the side of the mountain on the southern end of our survey area. We wanted to make sure that we hadn’t missed any major features. The result of our efforts was that we confirmed that we hadn’t missed anything, but in the process… More Five things

Sweeping

Sweeping is a big part of archaeology. Some would say that 90% of archaeology is sweeping. In an excavation, it’s really important to keep your trench clean. In a survey, it’s important to keep your apotheke (storage space) clean. We’re hoping that our apotheke will be approved for use soon, so we took the opportunity to… More Sweeping

Week Two Field Trips

Today was our third day of field trips. We hit a series of minor and major sites on the Argive plain. Just like last Saturday, we started local, with the pyramid in the village of Elliniko and the church of the Zoodochos Pigi at Kefalari. Both are within 10 kilometers of our home base of… More Week Two Field Trips

“Ignorant farmers”

This morning, I got all riled up about a comment on the blog for Bryn Mawr Classical Reviews in which an anonymous Briton decried the “ignorant farmers” who, by plowing their own fields (imagine the gall!), have destroyed ancient and Ottoman roads. I know that such things shouldn’t upset me, but they do. The comment appeared… More “Ignorant farmers”