Archaeology is a small field, and archeology on Cyprus is even smaller. Archeology has always seemed quite large to me, possibly due to my own feelings of intimidation about the field. I was particularly struck by this when I came across Terra Ompras for the first time. I had been told it was “a museum” which made me think of the Denver Art Museum or the Colorado History Museum. I had thought it would be a crisp, modern-looking building that had air conditioning blasting a bit too cold for my taste. Terra Ompras is not like any of those museums: it’s small, old, and doesn’t have air conditioning. However, I was not disappointed by it by any means. There was an open excavation in the middle of the complex and dozens of stone sarcophagi everywhere, both of which made me very excited. Although air conditioning would be nice, Terra Ompras was better than I expected in many ways. 

One element that I liked about the place was rubbing elbows with people whom I could have never expected to meet. Once, while we were diligently scrubbing away at pottery, an elderly woman pulled up to the Terra Ompras. She came over to our little corner of Terra Ompras and said good morning. We all said good morning and asked her what she was doing at Terra Ompras. Most of the archaeologists we had seen had been focused on their work, only sparing time for a quick “good morning.” She introduced herself as Maria Hadjicosti, the former director of the Department of Antiquities, and explained that, though she had been retired for ten years, she still liked to be involved in the digs around Cyprus. She asked about our dig which we were pleased to tell her all about (or as much as we could). She was too busy to sit a chat for long, but her quick visit made a college kid from across the world feel a bit more connected to the archeaological community on Cyprus. 

Terra Ompras is a place of community whether it’s the community between my classmates, peers, trench supervisors, professors, or other archaeologists. Sometimes it’s frustrating to be in such close quarters, but often it’s rewarding. I have enjoyed the conversations I’ve had at Terra Ompras about fields of study and academic passions. I’ve learned more at Terra Ompras just from conversation than I could from some textbooks and much of that learning was done slumped over a bucket of muddy water. Many blog posts have noted the importance of community in archaeology and nowhere is that lesson more clear than at Terra Ompras. It may not be fancy but there’s a lot of good work being done at Terra Ompras and that is more valuable than air conditioning

audrey