Kendall Christensen
I was told before coming to Cyprus that it would be hot out. I knew it would be hot out. I’ve been in hot places before. Well… turns out it really is warm here. So warm that all you really want to do is crawl into the deepest, darkest hole you can find, and take a nap. However, Cyprus is a wonderland of history, material culture, and geology. One might think that the exploration urge and the crawling-into-a-deep-dark-hole urge go perfectly hand-in-hand for archaeologists in Cyprus. Tragically, excavation is a rather time-consuming and meticulous process, and the trenches don’t get deep and dark (or even shaded) for a good long while. Luckily, Cyprus has a wealth of archaeological parks that have already been excavated, ready for exploration by overheated yet indefatigable young archaeologists.
It’s a unique opportunity to – in one day – find yourself at the bottom of three separate wells (although truthfully, it was two wells and another hole of some sort). The tomb of the Kings Archaeological Park and the Paphos Archaeological Park both catered to the two warring desires central in the minds of all of the Reed contingent – shade (“Crawling into a deep, dark hole and expiring quietly” – Dr. Tom Landvatter), and to satisfy our endless curiosity.
