By: Arthur Pino

Today was another hard but rewarding day. It was the first time I had worked in the trenches three days in a row, and I felt it. This day, in particular, revolved around hands. My hands themselves, and an accessory for hands.

            As usual, I did not wear gloves to start with. However, over the last three days, my hands had become sore, calloused, and raw. With every scoop, every swing of the ax, every bucket lifted and emptied, my hand felt incredibly sore to the touch. Halfway through the first half of the morning, I cut my finger, and every time I hit a rock with my scoop, my hand slid forward, coming into contact with the tool and touching the open sore; it hurt quite a bit. After our morning lunch, I got some gloves, which helped tremendously. No longer did I feel pain with every touch; it was a relief, to say the least, even though I do not prefer to wear gloves. Although, my hands appreciated the assistance they provided. After all the swinging, scooping, and bucket carrying, and only one bucket remained, I made an incredible find.

            As the day drew to a close, we began cleaning the area, gathering tools, and sifting through the remaining buckets of dirt. In the last bucket, Hoyt and Brandon discovered a sling bullet, which turned out to be in great condition after some washing. As Hoyt ran with his find, Brandon and I finished the last bucket. That is when I saw, clear as day, a circular shape distinct from anything I had seen yet. I grabbed it, confirming that it was what I thought it could have been—a ring. I took my glove off, asked Brandon if I could put it on, and, with approval, proceeded to wear this day’s amazing find on my pinky finger. Both of the Brandon’s and Tom approached quickly, once again confirming this was a Hellenistic Age ring. The ring was not damaged and was in its complete state, including a bezel. They were unable to confirm whether there was engraving on the ring or if this bezel was meant to hold a jewel of some sort, but it was packed and ready to be cleaned properly. My inquiries began immediately.

            Due to her ability to date and analyze the figurine head I had found earlier in the week, I went to Prof. Mel. She confirmed it was from the Hellenistic Age. Additionally, I asked whether ring-wearing was common among everyone or more fitting for those in positions of power, and she confirmed the latter. After hearing this, my immediate thought was of the photograph of the would-be president, Bill Clinton, shaking the then-president JFK’s hand, a meaningful and impactful moment in President Clinton’s life. I had worn the ring of someone who was likely a person of prestige and position; it felt amazing. When I got to the hotel, I researched a little information about Hellenistic rings. The article titled Hellenistic Jewelry in the “The Met” (short for Metropolitan Museum of Art) Magazine, authored by Collette and Sean Hemingway, informed me that typically, jewelry was passed down generationally, adding to the already present prestige I had felt.

            On the car ride back to the hotel, I was ecstatic. Brandon, my trench director, had remarked that I was on a roll and wondered what could be the reason behind it. He stated that I had made as many significant discoveries as whole teams have, which felt great. What felt better was that another person in the van had the same instinct I had, and the reason for this may lie in the fact that I have been attending church services every week at Agio Lazaros’ Church. I genuinely believe that. Maybe it will encourage others to do so, and if that happens, I find that even more amazing than all of the discoveries I have made in the trench. As I said, this day and trip have been incredibly rewarding and fruitful. I wonder what the next “Arthurian discovery” will be, and if there are no more, I am grateful for all I have found.