After my return from the Avkat Workshop in Istanbul it was crunch time, the two week study season was well underway and there seemed to be an impossible amount of work to be done in such a small window of time. We had various visitors during the research season, archaeologists from the Sinope project who we visited earlier came down to see our collections for a day, and we had various specialists come in to go through our findings, including a Roman ceramic specialist who confirmed our original thoughts about the Roman and Late Roman presence and a local Roman ceramic tradition. I was told in the beginning that this part of the season was to ‘tie up all the lose ends’ and myself being a naive undergraduate believed it. These loose ends included finishing all the drawing that was left undone, finishing the scanning that was undone, finish the preliminary data basing that was undone, going through EVERY single ceramic sherd that was found in three years of surveying, studying it, matching it to the fabric collection, dating it, taking notes, and then imputing this information collected into an entirely new specialist data base.
Speaking of the word specialist, that is what I, an undergrad, who has never taken a class in Byzantine artifacts, material culture, archaeology, or hell, even a Byzantine history class, nor been to Turkey or seen firsthand any of the materials previously, was considered. I found it both quite laughable, but also a really great chance to prove myself and a huge learning experience. There is no better way to learn than to be thrown into something entirely. I had my own database for my own research, and was the only person at the project who had any dealings with the Byzantine materials, which they as prehistorians, lovingly referred to as post-interesting. I realised that I both loved having my own “research baby” of sorts, but that I was also way over my head and underqualified for the position. Luckily my professor back in Newfoundland was only an email away, as I had many questions for her. It was interesting being introduced as “our Byzantinist” and then having to explain that I’m still in my undergraduate in Eastern Canada.
I had mixed emotions about the study season; in the beginning I was in heaven, as research and study is really what I love to do. I spent my entire day looking through hundreds of bags, with thousands of sherds, examining each one, writing out data on each, questions they brought up, and potential patterns. I found it exciting, interesting, and it really got me thinking. The fact that I could tan in the sun on my balcony at the same time was just a plus. I especially loved 2009's ceramics as they were mostly decorative Byzantine ceramics that were easily diagnostic, compared to the current seasons finds which where undiagnostic late roman pieces. However, as the season began drawing to a close I realised just how much additional work was expected of me, and I found myself totally overwhelmed. I had just finished databasing nearly every single sherd found this field season, only to discover that there was a second database which needed to be done, not only on all of the same sherds, but for all of the sherds of every past field season. Three years in total. All I had to do was provide a date range in percentages for each sherd, but this still requires me to find each sherd and imput this data. Not to mention hopefully having the ability to date it. I have never been so stressed out in my life, and the fact that I had now been sick for weeks was not helping. Despite living in paradise I had almost forgotten the outdoors existed as I was living in the work room.
At the end of the season I still had not completed the final database, but I will continue this job in September from home as I have all of my notes with me. I visited the beach for a final farewell, and had one last epic bbq with the team, as we said our goodbyes to Cide and the project. In the morning we had hugs and goodbyes, I really loved everyone I worked with, and couldn’t have asked for a better summer or project to have been a part of. I was dropped off in Kastamonu with Michele who would be traveling with me as far as Ankara, and was then Pamukkale bound.
Aurora
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