It's been a tough week of digging, troweling, pick axing, wheelbarrowing, hoeing and brushing for five hours per day in the scorching sun. It's only week one of four, and I can already see the dirt settling into my pores, despite how hard I scrub in the shower.
We are currently working on two 12 x 2 meter trenches, about a quarter of a meter deep so far, in the area of the harbor. Our crew is split into two groups (S1 and S2), and then each digger is paired off and works on their own 4 x 2 meter section of whichever trench they arassigned (mine is S2C).
So far, my trench partner Anne and I have found hundreds pottery shards, limestone floor tiles, stones from a Roman road, numerous animal bones and teeth (including a goats's jawbone with all teeth in tact) and glass. Other trench sections have yielded arrowheads, Roman blades, nails and imitation Greek pottery. We are still hoping to find more valuable things as we dig deeper, like Roman coins and "dolia" (large clay pots used to store perishables; also called "pythoi" in Greek).
During our snack break, we all walk back to the excavation house, a two-story red farmhouse with a tin roof that sits next to the site. Mihail and John use it to store all their tools, and there's also a working fridge in there and a skull which sits atop the fridge. There is a well in the back of the house that has really good quality water that's very cold. Everyone fills up their water bottles there, pours water over their heads (or on John...) to cool down. Our break last about 30 minutes, but sometimes longer on really hot days.
We also play with a stray dog who has found a home here at the site and with us. We named him Charlie, after a character from the TV show It's Always Sunny in Philedelphia. He is still very young, perhaps not even a year old, and he looks like a mix between a jack russel and a chihuahua. At first, he was very timid, maybe even a little bit afraid of us. But now he sits on the porch of the excavation house each morning, awaiting our arrival. As we open the van doors, he runs over to greet us. He is the sweetest dog, with lots of energy but when you pick him up he just completely collapses in your arms.
There are hundreds of stray animals here in Murighiol, and it breaks my heart to see how skinny some of them are. But I will be particularly heartbroken when we have to leave Charlie here. He too is quite thin, but we have been feeding him. We have really taken him as our own. When we first saw him, he had ticks all over his face and body and was pretty dirty. We took off the ticks and gave him a bath with well water and baby shampoo we bought from the general store. Allison and I just bought him a small sack of dog food while here in Tulcea. My trench partner Anne is really trying to arrange for Charlie to come home with her. But there's a process that requires a visit to the vet, and two weeks quarantine after he's in the US. We all have agreed to chip in as much as we can toward any expenses, so that Charlie can have a good home. It's quite possible he will die here otherwise. The odds are against him.
Our day usually goes as such: wake up around 6:45 a.m., eat breakfast at 7, take a quick van ride to the site at 7:30, fill up on water and put on sunscreen and bug spray at the house, then walk to the site carrying all tools and wheelbarrows, work till 10:30 (taking water breaks in between), break for snacks, then work till 1 p.m. Our van comes to pick us up at 1:30, lunch is at 2, dinner at 7:30, time in between and after is free.
I'm really enjoying working with everyone. The labor isn't easy, but we are encouraged to take water breaks whenever, and it feels so satisfying to see the hard work you've done (even if it has transmitted itself onto your skin and clothes). For those of you who are wondering, I have yet to go for a run or do any other exercise besides what we do on site. And, to be honest, I haven't felt the need (nor the energy) to do so. Everyone takes naps between lunch and dinner, and I've been sleeping like a baby at night.
Weekends are generally free but we have a few things planned this weekend. Tomorrow (Sunday) is the pilgrimage in celebration of the two saints which were found on site at Halmyris, so we all want to go to that. Instead of digging on Monday, we are all taking a two hour cruise to a beach resort across Purple Lake. I can't wait to go swimming!
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