Week One

Ola from Redondo! I have officially made it through my first week on an archaeological dig. While I am excited to share the events of the week I will start by introducing the site where I am beginning my training in field work. Santa Susana is a Roman villa complex in Redondo, Portugal from the 1^st through 6^th century CE. There are two main sectors currently undergoing excavation and about twenty crew members working on site. As of now we are excavating what is believed to be the bathhouse and an older part of the site included in the pars urbana. The site will expand over time as excavation moves to areas that are being surveyed presently. My interest in this site is grounded in classics and the expansion of empire to neighboring territories resulting in the combination and transplantation of culture, and I am looking forward to getting up close and personal with material culture related to these topics.

Redondo, Portugal

This week was mostly spent cleaning the site. Unfortunately, during the winter the site was disturbed by cows and tarps were removed. This led to an abundance of weeds and a cleaning process that continued for a significantly longer period of time than anticipated. While this was at times exhausting, I was able to become very familiar with proper cleaning techniques. I learned how to use a trowel and brush to clear the loose dirt and distinguish surface dirt from the stratum below. Even though cleaning is tedious it was truly incredible to see how the site transitioned from overgrown and unkempt to defined and prepared for excavation. This is my first experience on a site, so all activities feel like monumental tasks, no matter how small. Everything from taking elevations and drawing the sectors to piecing pottery back together after washing reveals a new aspect of the past. The excitement is palpable among the crew as new features are revealed, regardless of how big or small. It keeps me enthralled with the work here.

As the week progressed, the site moved from cleaning to more diverse activities. Excavation began using hand picks on small areas of the site and enough pottery and tesserae were collected to start learning how to clean. On Thursday a geophysics team from a local university came to survey the site. As they ran the cart carrying a magnetometer and GPR over the ground to assess features underneath we aided them by removing rocks from their path and measuring stretches of ground in meters to be surveyed. The operator would occasionally call us over to show us features just beneath the soles of our shoes. It was fascinating to look onto a tiny screen and see the potential of the site.

Another very exciting aspect of the week was learning how to fly a drone. We will be doing aerial survey at the site this year, so crew members are practicing using a lighter and cheaper drone before we break out the drone that will be used for the actual images. I took my first try at flying our drone, lovingly nicknamed Charlie, on Friday. The winds and birds of the Alentejo region are not kind to the little 100 gram drone, but after a few runs and crash landings I was able to keep it in place, maneuver, and even take pictures. I am looking forward to going out into the rolling hills and using the equipment in the weeks to come.

Flying Charlie

The week culminated in a trip to a neighboring villa site, Sao Cucufate, a Roman city, Mirobriga, and the beach. At Mirobriga a bath complex extends over a large patch of land, the monumental architecture dominating a dip in the hills. Climbing among the ruins was a profound experience. I am finding that being at a site allows me to imagine the people who lived and died there in vivid detail. The material culture they left behind brings them to life and their world is made real.

The bath complex at Mirobriga

Among the hustle and bustle of the dig this week I've been thinking a lot about a conversation I had with a woman on my flight to Lisbon. After describing the type of work I would be doing on site she remarked that my generation was part of a global community, more so now than ever. I find a lot of truth in that, especially here where I am immersed not only in the culture of Redondo but the ruins of an empire that existed millennia ago and still remains a presence in my world and the world of others. I can draw parallels from my life to the culture of the town and the site every day while celebrating the differences that define us.

I am excited to see how the week progresses when we begin lab work and survey in earnest. Stay tuned to hear more from Santa Susana!