Over the last three weeks, every new day has been an adventure for a group of University of Missouri–St. Louis students in Greece. And each of those days starts at the crack of dawn.
“This is my very first dig, and let me tell you, it’s no walk in the park,” said senior Valentina Emiliani, a participant in this summer’s under the direction of Professor . “Our days here begin with a wake-up call at 5 a.m. and departure to the site at 6 a.m.”
Emiliani, a transfer student who was drawn to UMSL’s strong archeology program, said the excavation work continues until early afternoon, when the students get a brief respite before the night’s lectures begin. Then, following a late-evening four-course meal, the students hit the sack by 10 p.m., “and the day repeats itself.”
Emiliani and fellow students took a few moments within that intense schedule to reflect on their overseas field-school experience so far and share some thoughts with UMSL Daily readers.
“The excavation itself is difficult work, and I am definitely building muscles,” said Corri Mader, another senior anthropology major at UMSL. “Even so, it’s such fun. I’m having a wonderful time with my trench-mate and roommate, Jessica Engel.”
Mader and Engel helped uncover a variety of artifacts in just their first week of work at the excavation site of the Mycenaean settlement at Iklaina, once an urban center.
“We are trying to find where the rubble for the collapsed building ends,” said Engel. “So far we have found bronze nails, charcoal and mountains of pottery.”
Courtney Hayden, who expects to finish her anthropology degree at UMSL this December, said she’s learned how to distinguish various kinds of materials from rock and dirt.
Reviewed 2015-07-06