Category: Uncategorized

(Guest post by Amir Weksler)

On Saturdays we are all led on field trips to different archaeological sites on the island of Cyprus. This weekend’s trip was to Paphos, the mythological birthplace (or landing place, depending on your myth) of Aphrodite. Although the “Tombs of the Kings” were impressive and beautiful, and the black rock that is (supposedly) the incarnate and aniconic form of the goddess was certainly magical, the highlight by far was a restaurant called, simply, “Mother’s.”

After a long morning of hot bus rides, sunny hiking, sweaty exploring, and failed museum operations, we were all hungry and grumpy. Although the beach boardwalk and its many loud barkers were inviting, Michael promised he had found a restaurant on google maps. I had faith. One hot, sunny, sweaty walk into a more residential and less tourist-ridden neighborhood revealed a home, flanked by potted plants and flaunting a veranda full of set tables. Deserted. A few brave members of the party ventured into the kitchen to the pleasant discovery of a short and shirtless old man working a stone oven. He sat us down and took our orders recommending the lamb above all else. Half an hour later everyone was presented with a full plate: veggie moussaka, barbequed chicken, stuffed peppers, and lamb… heavenly lamb. After the meal, the man returned bearing homemade drinks – on the house! Everyone slept well on the bus ride home.

Two days later, after four hours of efficient digging, at 8:30 in the morning, second breakfast, the bees attacked. Remembering the coastal adventure in Paphos – the romance of Aphrodite, the delicious food cooked by the one old Cypriot, to lighten the mood at the dig site the students and supervisors had been singing along to the Mamma Mia movie soundtrack. The festivities were cut short by the attacking bees, driven to rage and stupor by their keeper. This attack came as a shock to many, but likely as a relief to the adults, sick of the ABBA, and many of the students, glad to escape the exposed glare of the sun in favor of pottery washing in Terra Ombra.

(Guest post by Rose Gatlin)

The Vigla site is an interesting one, an ancient military fort situated on the grounds of a modern  British military base. The excavation units of 2022 sit between a shooting range and a grenade  range actively used by soldiers—as a result, we work on the whim and schedule of the British  military, a schedule that is often subject to change. If the British soldiers decide they are  shooting that day, the students and faculty working at Vigla must be elsewhere. The British  military is indeed a strong presence, with about seven military helicopters flying over Vigla a  day and base police coming to check permits at unknown times. As we excavate the Vigla fort, we  view the consequences of thousands of years of military and colonial presence on the island of  Cyprus, reaching from the Hellenistic times to our own. Indeed, at the Vigla site you can find  both modern bullet casings and ancient lead sling bullets in the same twenty-foot radius.

However, perhaps unexpectedly for me, there is more to find at Vigla than objects of classic  military significance. The two excavation units open for the 2022 season appear to be a  domestic context, with both units yielding a plethora of objects. In only the first two weeks, six  coins, intact ceramic eating ware, a beautiful bead perhaps made of lapis, and a decorated  bread-stamp (we think!) have all been unearthed. In excavation unit 23, there were also enough ceramic  remains to suggest there being a high volume of carrying amphorae. These items, when  considered together, do not paint a picture of just simple military living. To me, it seems  whoever inhabited this area of the Hellenistic military fort lived a life where there was some  degree of abundance. It is a reminder that one could become a rich man in the military and find  a large degree of power. This message seems particularly powerful on Cyprus, an island partially  occupied by several foreign militaries.

(Guest post by Anna Wilson)

After adjusting to the timezone and the excitement of being in Cyprus last week, the second week has begun. Initially, we thought that our working hours would be scattered due to the shooting schedule of the nearby military base. But last Tuesday they changed their schedule. The new schedule allows us to dig five days a week, seven hours per day, until the last week of July; during which we will do lab work and process our findings at Terra Ombra (the name for the local archaeological museum’s off-site storage facility). We were all happy about this schedule change. The first week proved more fruitful than any of us could have imagined. Within the first four days, we rediscovered two sling bullets, two coins (one of which is an Alexander the Great tetradrachm minted in Babylon soon after his death), a small pendant, and an intact in situ bowl. On Monday, we all gathered around as the trench supervisor of EU 20 extracted the in situ bowl from the ground. 

The 4 am alarm was unwelcome at first, but now it spurs an excitement for what the day might have in store for us up on site (it’s still real difficult to get up though…). Living with others in my major, and those from other institutions, whom I do not typically interact with has given me the fun and unique opportunity to get to know them better. There is nothing quite like hitting the beach, going out to dinner, or exploring downtown Larnaca with those you just spent a full day of excavation. 

(Guest post by Celia Garb)

Several things, quickly, before I go to the beach…

Feral cats prefer meat over potatoes, and fish over chicken. There are more cats than humans on the island of Cyprus.

ΖΟΡΠΟΣ is an excellent bakery where we stop most mornings before driving East along the coast from Larnaca to Vigla.

There is no sand in Larnaca, only sandy dirt, which now coats the floors of our apartment, collecting in far corners and sticking to my feet, such that even after a shower, I always deposit a small amount at the foot of the bed, between the sheets. Speaking of which, our beds are made up with two top sheets. Waking up is like finding oneself in a confusing world of drapery and bare mattresses.

The greatest shock has been the humidity. Portland oscillates between dry heat and damp cold; Larnaca stays hot and begins and ends each day with a surprising amount of humidity.

I look forward to playing music for the group on site. Tom likes MF DOOM best.

There are no waves or fish. The beach is serene at night, the sky turns taupe.

Good-bye. 

After two missed years due to COVID-19, the Vigla project is excavating again this year! We’ve entered our second week of excavation, and we’re already coming down on some very exciting stuff. In addition to six students from Reed, we are joined by three students from Metropolitan State University Denver, co-sponsor of this excavation.

This year, we have two open trenches. The first is EU 20, which we were excavating in 2019, but were not able to finish. The second is EU 22, a 5x5m trench immediately to the east of EU 20. We hope to get a better sense of architecture in the “domestic” portion of the site, and to come down on preserved surfaces with extensive deposits of pottery and other artifacts.

This year, we’re turning the blog mostly over to the students so that they can update everyone on their experience. We’re hoping to update the blog three times a week!

Now that we’ve all left Larnaca and are strangely nostalgic about the past four weeks, we thought we’d reminisce about living in Larnaca. This will be our last post for this summer, but we’ll add occasional posts about the project during the year, so check back for updates. Information about next year’s fieldschool will be posted here in the winter. If you’re interested in participating or have any questions about the project, you can always contact Professor Tom Landvatter.

Continue reading “Living in Larnaca”

The end of an archaeological field season is a hectic time. In addition to trying to either finish trench excavation or leave the trench in a safe state for additional excavation next season, there is pottery to wash, finds to process, photos to take, and archaeological drawings to do.

Continue reading “Wrapping up”

Thursday and Monday were shooting days, so we spent Thursday exploring the many archaeological sites in the region of Paphos and Monday washing pottery.

Continue reading “Pottery and Paphos”

Yesim and Hayley

Many things are available along Larnaca’s turquoise seafront: martinis, phallic slingshots, and sketchy tattoos out the back of large white vans. But most notable, perhaps, is the small green corner shop offering udon noodles, ponzu sauce, and Greek fortune cookies. The best part of a meal from Wok in the Box, besides price, is always the small slips of paper that crumble from the insides of the cookies — equipped with glib sayings nearly as illegible in English as in Greek. Since we’re still waiting with bated breath to discover any inscriptions in the field pottery, we’re keeping our skills sharp by valiantly attempting translations. A Herculean task, since Ancient Greek never had much to say about computer science. Homeric couplets about toilet paper may not be very impressive, but we hope Ellen will be proud of us for practicing (with flash cards!) nonetheless… at least enough to avoid proskynesis.

[our commentary will be in brackets]

Continue reading “Deciphering our μοῖραι”

It’s only Wednesday, but it’s been an eventful week. We’ve opened a small new trench adjacent to the south trench, and we’re nearly ready to close that unit, the south trench, and the north trench. In the middle trench, we’re tantalizingly close to reaching the ancient floor level in what we think is a room.

Continue reading “Everyone gets a wall”