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 modern highway to Tripoli and Kalamata:
It involved some pretty serious climbing around in terraced (and not-so-terraced) fields with some extreme slopes.
In the meantime, Grace and Phil were leading a team on the slopes just above the acropolis that involved just as much climbing and hiking. I didn’t see anyone fall or falter. It was an impressive display.
As hard as fieldwork is — it leaves us with sweat-stained clothes, our hiking boots broken down from stepping on ancient limestone, our skin scratched by maquis, our noses tickled by wild sage, our knees sore from climbing — it is even harder to leave the field. We work in a beautiful landscape and in it we get to find new things every day. It’s really a lot of fun, so as glad as we all are for the rest, and as much accomplishment as we feel for working hard for six weeks, the last day isn’t really a day of celebration or triumph. It is a bittersweet feeling.
Here is one tired, accomplished, hard-working team leaving the field:
