An Adventure From the Beginning

Me and Steve at the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion
Sunset at Sounion

Dwanna, myself, and Caroline sporting our great archaeology hats...



the commercial rooms where I'm digging in BZ

view from the amphitheatre between Athens and Corinth

our Greek workmen moving a massive stone by hand from our trench so we could dismantle a wall

Mount Lykavettos- my flat is located on the side of the mountain

Me with my lykothos, my pick, and my archaeology hat

I arrived in the Athens airport last Sunday, June 7, safe and sound only to start my summer with a small adventure. I boarded a bus bound for the HILTON HOTEL stop in the Kolanaki district in Athens, which is located near my flat. I had my laptop case, my purse and my 46 pound mountaineering backpack that contained all of my belongings. I’d never been to this district before, but I had confidence that I could find my apartment without a problem because it’s on the slopes of Mount Lykavettos, so I thought that if I walked uphill, I could eventually find it. Unfortunately, the busses in Athens don’t announce or display which stops they are arriving at, so I missed my unmarked stop. I eventually realized that I had gone too far and got off the bus at Syntagma Square because I’m familiar with that area. (I later discovered that Syntagma is a 30 minute walk from my flat, and that’s without a 46 pound backpack). I stood at the bus stop and watched the bus drive away, wondering how I could ever find my way to my apartment alone. I soon found some American tourists looking at a map which I borrowed so I could find the Hilton Hotel, and between them and a friendly Greek taxi driver, I was able to start off in the right direction. Along the way, I made several wrong turns and attempted to use my patchy Greek to ask for new directions from at least 3 friendly locals and another group of American tourists. Thank goodness most people in Athens speak English! I finally arrived at the American School of Classical Studies and found a security guard who gave me a mysterious envelope that contained a hand-drawn map of Kolanaki, a set of keys, and a rooming list. He then told me to walk up the street and find my flat, “It’s very easy,” he said.
That’s what he thought.
I had to ask for directions to my flat from 3 more Athenians along the way, and when I finally found my building, I couldn’t find the right door! Even an older Greek man (with very limited English) tried to help me for 10 minutes, but in vain. Somehow I ended up trying my key in the right door and climbing up the 4 flights of stairs to my flat only to realize that Athenian locks are incredibly stubborn, and I couldn’t get in the door. I walked up and down the stairwell in dismay, sweating profusely, emitting horrible body odor from the 13 hour journey and the 1 hour uphill hike, still toting my 46 pound backpack, not knowing what to do, until I heard American voices coming from within a room on the first floor. Praise the Lord! I knocked on the door to discover that the voices belonged to a group of excavators that I’d be working with all summer. What a first impression.
After I got settled (and had a shower), things started to calm down. I met my roommates, Alicia and Kelly, who are a few years older than me but very friendly. This is their first season at the Agora excavations, just like me. I also got acquainted with the girls who helped me get into my flat- they live downstairs in my building. That night we all went to John Camp’s Athenian residence (he is the director of the dig) for pizza and to meet the rest of the excavators. They are wonderful people! The majority of us are American grad students, but there are also a few other American undergrads and several international student from Sardinia, Tunisia, Canada, England, Korea, Norway, and several other countries. Everyone is very welcoming and outgoing- we’ve had a great time together so far. There are about 45 of us, so if feels much like the first few days at camp usually feel. We’re all trying to get acquainted and find out who has similar interests, etc.
On Monday we got to sleep in and then had a tour of the 5 different trenches within the Agora, where we’ll be digging all summer. Then we were dismissed a group of us went up to the Acropolis. It was very good to be back, and I don’t think I could ever get tired of looking at the ancient monuments of Athens. Then my roommates and I went and got groceries, napped, and got comfortable with our new surroundings. Kolanaki is the posh district in Athens, so everything from the food to the clothes is ridiculously overpriced. But we’re within walking distance to some great (cheaper) districts such as Monastiraki and Plaka, both of which I’m very familiar with.
On Tuesday we got our trench assignments and I started working in a trench called BZ (or beta zeta), which is across the street from the Agora proper, and I’ll be working there next week as well. My supervisors are Marci and Katherine, and they are wonderful. They answer all of my many questions and are great about teaching me. This is my first dig, so I’m grateful for their patience and teaching ability! We rotate trenches every 2 weeks so as not to get burned out, but I’ll be sad to leave my area and my supervisors. A typical workday looks like this:
5:30am: Rise and Shine!
7:00am: Start digging
9:00am: Cookie time (a wonderful thing)
11:00am: Lunch
11:30am: Back to the trenches
1:00pm: Water break
2:00pm: Quitting time
By the end of the day, the temperature this week has been around 37 degrees Centigrade (about 98 degrees Fahrenheit), and we’re exhausted from squatting, digging, and standing in the hot sun. Our workday is definitely long enough! Then we have our evenings free for dinner, exploring, and my favorite time, the Greek siesta.
Most of Tuesday and Wednesday we spent cleaning the dirt, grime, and garbage of the past 2 years off of our dirt so we could start excavations. I’m famous in my trench for my ability to get my dirt very clean. An Italian excavator in my trench, Elizabeta, compared me to the “Cleaner Bear”, which I’m assuming is the Italian version of a cross between Mr. Clean and the Energizer Bunny…
Thursday and Friday we spent actually excavating! It’s hard work, but it’s a true surprise when you use your pick to loosen the ground and then sweep away the loose ground to reveal a pot sherd (broken piece) or a coin! The area I’m digging in is bursting with pottery pieces, which makes digging very fun. My most exciting find so far has been a perfect half of a 6th century BC lekythos (a small vase used for perfume in ancient Greece) with part of a black figure painting on one side. Very exciting stuff! I’m digging in a sort of ancient garbage pit, so it’s unlikely that I’ll find any complete pottery in my area, but I will find lots of pieces and parts of artifacts.

All the excavators usually get together for pizza at John Camp’s on Thursday, but this week myself and 5 other diggers opted to take a bus to a production of Alcestis that was being put on at a resort between Athens and Corinth. The production was decent, especially considering the fact that one of the actors vomited on stage during her opening lines, and the scenery around the modern amphitheatre was amazing. It was right on the sea. Beautiful! And we also had a delicious 5 course Greek meal afterwards. The best part- it was all free because the American School paid for us and their summer session students to enjoy an evening of entertainment.
This weekend has been very restful. Yesterday about 20 of the diggers in our crew got a bus to Sounion and visited the Temple to Poseidon. We went swimming there and lounged on the beach. It was a very much deserved day of rest after our exhausting first week of excavations.
Between excavations, getting to know my fellow diggers, and traveling around Attica to take in the Greek culture, this week has been absolutely wonderful! I’m exhausted and I fear that my digging clothes are permanently stained brown from the dust of excavating, but I am truly enjoying being back in this incredible city! Hopefully this week I’ll be making some more finds in BZ and I’ll get used to the physical aspect of excavation. I’m looking forward to many new adventures!