As I am heading back to the States on Tuesday for my Ami’s wedding, this will be my final post for this trip. The last week of excavations at Vix (last week for me that is) was by far the best for me. I was talking to one of our field supervisors last Saturday night when I mentioned I have had quite a bit of experience in the field and was a trench supervisor at my last excavation. I also tried to phrase, in the most polite way possible, how much I hate cleaning postholes. My supervisor was quite pleased with this knowledge and said on Monday I would be working with the documentation team come Monday.
I’m sure after reading my post about cataloguing artifacts many of you realized how much tedium and organizing I can endure. Documenting a site is quite similar to this. You must make notes about every unique feature discovered on site, such as a posthole or a pit for example. Information collected varies, but often includes color of the soil, placement in the site and relationship to other features, a list of objects discovered there, soil composition, etc. as well as sketches of the feature from above and in profile or section. This is the sort of thing I have been doing for the past week. The first part of the week, myself and two to three others who also had previous excavation experience worked on documenting and measuring profiles of all of the postholes we had been cleaning. We did at least forty in one area alone and probably another twenty at least in another area of the site. I coordinated the work and did the official measurements of these features. After we finished this toward the end of the week, another student and I started the documentation for a group of new postholes discovered recently that had not yet been noted. Despite some rain and a few issues with a compass that didn’t point north (think ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’) the work moved along quite efficiently and I enjoyed helping to keep it all running smoothly.
I noticed I was in a much more cheerful mood doing this sort of work. I love excavating, but I don’t feel like I accomplish anything when I move maybe twenty buckets of dirt a day – this is much less than I am used to, but the site isn’t that deep meaning there isn’t as much dirt to move. I had a strong sense of accomplishment doing this work that others don’t like or can’t do quickly. The two supervisors I was assisting by doing this work appreciated it as well. They would like me to come back next year in a more official role on the documenting team, which would be fantastic for many reasons. This has to be discussed first with the site directors, but if they are ok with it, then I shall return to Vix again next summer!
Not much to share about the rest of the week. I’ve been trying to enjoy the time I have left with my new friends. While I hate having public co-ed toilets and showers, living with a large group of guys and girls my own age makes me feel like I’m back in freshman year at college. We do silly things, such as chasing each other around with mattresses, breaking into each other’s rooms in the night to tickle-and-dash, or hug mobs when someone looks like they need one. It’s all silly and fun and makes me forget I’m a grown up for a little while. Despite the language differences, we generally all understand one another and have shared so many laughs I can’t believe it. We are here in a different world for a short time without responsibilities and a fair amount of time on our hands to do what we want whenever we like. Many people here say they come to excavate at Vix as their vacation and I’m starting to understand why. There are great people here and unlike any other excavation I have been on, there is no drama – everyone just wants to have a good time eating, drinking, talking, and laughing with one another. I’m hoping I can bring some of these good feelings home with me and that I take time out to enjoy myself a little more, especially when life starts stressing me out. Aside from the many useful archaeological contacts and friends I’ve made, I think the best part of this trip for me has been retreaving some of my silliness and ability to relax and not take myself so seriously all the time. I see now that I can still get things done even if I take some time to enjoy life and the people I share it with.
Thanks for following along this summer! If all goes well, I will be reporting to you all again around the same time next year!
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