Introducing Antiochia

Each day we leave for the site at 5:30am and split into our teams after breakfast. The excavation at Antiochia ad Cragum is run by St. Olaf and University of Nebraska, and Turkish college students work with us as well. For the first three days, the four of us from St. Olaf were pretty much on our own on the acropolis, our area of the site. Our research goal this summer is to gather data on the domestic lives of the common people, since the focus up until now has been on areas that are likely to yield great works of art like baths, churches, and temples.

The lintel from the temple depicting Apollo in a wreath held by two winged victories.

The St. Olaf team at this point in the summer is made up of myself, Clara, John, and Leah, and our professor Tim (not pictured). We'll be joined in mid-July by eleven St. Olaf interns. John is a senior History major, Leah is a junior studying English and Religion, and Clara is a senior Ancient Studies and Archaeology major. Yesterday we took a break from clearing brush to hike down to the sea cliffs below the acropolis. It's a bit of a scramble to get down, but thankfully no one fell! This selfie shows a bit of the incredible view behind us. We really do have the best workspace of anyone on the dig.

Left to right: John, Clara, Leah

Our first few days before Tim arrived have been focused on clearing and prepping the area we will excavate this summer. We took a scouting hike on Tuesday and found a promising structure on the base of the acropolis. The area was so overgrown that John had to crawl his way into the interior (he was the only one wearing long pants that day). Now after two full days of clearing we have a path, cut down the trees and undergrowth, and have revealed four distinct walls. Based on the location and size, we suspect that it is a domestic dwelling. Next week we'll finish tidying up, and then start digging for real.

Tim arrived on Thursday, which was a relief to all four of us. While we had a great few days on our own, it's reassuring to have someone around who actually knows what they're doing. That afternoon we all drove out to Tim's favorite secret beach to swim and catch up over drinks. To get there, you drive down a dirt road, park in front of someone's house, walk through a banana field, and then emerge suddenly onto the sand.

Floating in the ocean and talking about everything we're going to do this summer relaxes all of us. The salt water soothes our cuts and blisters from this first week of work, and the sun warms the water to the perfect temperature. The work is exhausting and my aching muscles make that clear, but moments like this make it feel easy to get up at 4:45 on Monday and do it all again.