Uncategorized – Page 3 – The Vigla Archaeological Field School

You Can’t Escape the Roman Empire

Riley Stockton

During our field trip to Paphos earlier this week, we visited the Nea Paphos Archaeological Site and it was an unforgettable place. The site was amazing to see and exhausting to walk through in the sweltering heat! This enormous site was the capital city of Cyprus for a period beginning in the 3rd century BCE, and continued to be when it became a Roman province in the 1st century BCE. Many of the buildings and art that we were able to see were Roman-period villas that contained some of the most beautiful mosaics I have seen.

We first went to the House of Aion, dated to the 3rd-5th c. CE. There was a massive mosaic depicting many different Greek gods and myths. Tom explained that although during this time Christianity was spreading throughout the Roman Empire after Constantine’s rule, the elite continued to showcase Greek mythology in their mosaics as a way of flaunting their high status (as if their huge villas were not enough to hammer this point in).

Reed students looking at the mosaic in the House of Aion, second quarter of the 4th c. CE

EU 30 Trench Update–12/7/2024

Ella Arnold

First pictures of EU30 before breaking ground on the topsoil.

This week, my co-supervisor Paris Cook and I began excavation on the trench EU 30 under the supervision of Dr. Brandon Olson. The level of responsibility of supervising an entire five meter by five meter trench is new–and honestly, quite daunting–for me; not only are we doing the physical work of excavation, but we are handling all of the notes, paperwork, elevation measurements, Munsell testing, and decision making in the trench. Though it is scary to take on a new level of authority within the project, getting the opportunity to learn the new skills involved with supervising an excavation unit has been beyond valuable and exciting.

In Defense of Anatomically Anomalous Lions

Parker Miraldi

Whenever I go to a museum, my favorite thing to look for is depictions of animals that the artist had obviously never seen in real life. There’s something about a bird with a neck that’s too long for its body or a dolphin with too many teeth that fills my heart with joy! Of all the disproportionate animals though, I see lions the most. I’ve noticed this phenomenon before at select museums back in the States, but without fail each one we’ve visited here in Cyprus has had a derpy lion proudly on display. And this made me wonder: why are there so many lions, and why are they all so strange looking?

Lunging lion at the District Archaeological Museum in Paphos. This one looks more scared than scary!

Excavation Unit 28 – Update 7/11/25

Mason Ross:

On our first official dig day on-site, Riley, Laila, and myself were drafted into the excavation of EU 28. Instead of the usual 5m by 5m square, our unit is a strip of dirt maybe 2 or 3 feet wide in between two stone walls. We started digging strong and determined under the supervision of Brandon Baker (aka Philly Brandon).

Excavation Unit 25 – Update 7/11/24

Kayra Lyons:

Image of EU 25 after two days of excavation

This week, we picked up where last year’s students left off, beginning excavations and getting the ball rolling. I have been working primarily in Excavation Unit 25, along with two other Reed Students, Emi Clarke and Parker Miraldi. Day after day, we have begun to uncover artifacts and special features like walls and basalt slabs that give answers, but also make our excavation more confusing. Although the heat has definitely been an adjustment, after a few days the excitement over the artifacts we begin to find makes you forget how hot you are.

We’re back!

The Vigla Archaeological Field School 2024 season is underway! Look here for student trench updates and posts about archaeology and life in Cyprus. We’ll be trying for each trench to do an update every week!

This year our students are Mason Ross, Riley Stockton, Laila Maidenberg, Emi Clarke, Parker Miraldi, and Ella Arnold (for a second time, having participated in 2023). The project, cosponsored by MSU Denver, also includes students from that institution, as well as from Boston University. Our staff are:

Tom Landvatter, Reed (co-director)
Brandon R. Olson, MSU Denver (co-director)
Melanie Godsey, Trinity University (co-director)
Brandon Baker, Elon University (trench supervisor)
Elise Poppen, Indiana University (trench supervisor)
Lex Ladge (’19), University of Chicago (registrar)
Justin Stephens, MSU Denver (senior staff)

Terra Ombra

(Guest post by Angie Guerra)

As we begin closing site this final week, I’d like to take a moment to write on one of the aspects of work we have done that hasn’t been covered yet this summer- Terra Ombra!

During our first week, trench supervisor and resident pottery expert Dr. Melanie Godsey showed us how to differentiate the pottery sherds. We learned about the fabric of a piece, inclusions, and how to tell the difference between fineware, coarseware, and cookware. We also were instructed by Reed alum Lex Ladge ‘19 on how to properly clean pottery for later analysis and cataloging without damaging the surfaces. After the initial talk, we did an impromptu sorting challenge to apply what we had just learned (we got about a 92% accuracy) As time went on these differences became more clear, both from our trips to museums (One notable museum exhibit was the wall of amphorae at the Paphos museum) and also trench experience! I have lost count of the number of times I have asked “Is this a rock?” or “What type of pottery is this?”

Instruction on washing and ceramics analysis by Dr. Melanie Godsey, left. (Photo/Tom Landvatter)

Larnaca Life

(Guest Post by Basil-Anne Stackpole)

In between our time on site, at Terra Ombra, or on field trips, a great deal of the day is our own to enjoy in the city of Larnaca. We typically leave site around noon, however a particularly nasty heat wave has been forcing us to leave earlier and earlier. In the van on the way to the apartments we usually reach a consensus of whether it’s a beach day or a nap day. On the days when we don’t all immediately retreat to the air conditioning and a nap a contingent of us will trek the three blocks to the beach. Many of us have never swum in water so clear, and even though we have now been here three weeks and made many beach trips we still marvel at the clearness and lack of waves when we’re wading out.

Our Week of Travel Through Time and Space!

(Guest post by Faith Roche)

Despite our lofty excavation plans for the week being sabotaged by the sudden schedule change of the British military, our intrepid crew of aspiring archaeologists and lovers of humanity had an incredible few days– headed, of course, by our fearless and vigilant leaders. Instead of passionately toiling in the trenches under the oppressive heat wave, our weekdays were swapped with pottery washing endeavors at Terra Ombra and adventures around the island (previously scheduled for Saturdays, now jam-packed into this week of happy surprises). Our first, on-schedule day trip was to the Cyprus Museum in historic Nicosia, which Asta Rossi recounted wonderfully in her previous blog post.

Our first destination, on Tuesday, included archaeological sites and museum stops around the Paphos district of Cyprus. We began at the sprawling necropolis Tombs of the Kings, whose construction began in the 4th century BCE as a magnificent burial site for various aristocrats of the region and continued in activity through the Roman periods. Paphos was a cornerstone of Ptolemaic kingdoms in the Hellenistic age, and the fascinating range of architecture at the site certainly adds to its splendor. As we wandered through the many complexes built down into the earth, we encountered beautiful Doric columns and courtyards, scattered niches in the wall once reserved for extravagant grave goods and burial features, and frequent, haunting loculi– once homes to many sarcophagi and their well-to-do inhabitants– now hollow due to the moist sea-side soil that makes the preservation of human remains near impossible on the island. The site was astoundingly beautiful and extensive; it is still being excavated today!

Museums (and Lamps!)

(Guest post by Asta Rossi)

The museum promises education, excitement, and relief from the baking sun. Once we enter, we are transported into Cypriot antiquity with all of its wares, oddities, and artifacts.

The first museum we visited was the Larnaca Archaeological Museum. New to the island and the excavation processes, I was certainly overwhelmed by the number of artifacts surrounding me with helpful captions and signs to read more into. From small stone tools and pieces of jewelry to large ceramics and sarcophagi, this museum provided an important stepping stone in learning about Cypriot material culture, which put our excavation work into necessary context. I found the small figurines on pottery along with other unique Cypriot styles delightfully whimsical and special. However, my mini-mission throughout all the museum visits was to locate the lamps. I find them particularly interesting because of the central and intimate space they occupy in a home or a building, and seeing the burn marks on them adds another layer of reality, prompting me to imagine how they were used and handled in antiquity. I am also fond of their fun shapes and sizes.