Category: Uncategorized
-
The People of Cyprus
Before arriving in Cyprus, we had been told numerous times by Dr. Olson and Dr. Stephens how welcoming and excited the people of Cyprus were to interact with Americans. I was a little skeptical of this. Over the last two weeks it has been abundantly clear that this is completely true. Cyprus is very…
-
Finding Bedrock
After the first few days on-site, I settled down in EU 23 under the watch of Dr. Mel. During our first few days, we spotted the very top of bedrock on the eastern section of the trench, just a small section that wasn’t even a foot in diameter. This would be the beginning of a…
-
Murex Shell
On Friday, July 7th, we were just about done with digging. Everyone was helping sweep out EU 24 and was excited to be done for the weekend. Then someone (Grace!) found an intact base of a pitcher. Of course, we had to take a point on it! Then the trench supervisor found a fully intact…
-
Waking to Sirens in Cyprus
Today I awoke to the distant sound of sirens. After a moment I recalled an interaction with a local who informed me that in recognition of the anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus some 49 years ago, the alarms would sound around 5 am. The droning noise faded and then slowly grew louder than it…
-
“Five Face to Face” at the Cyprus Museum
The “Five Face to Face: Meet an Ancient Cypriot” exhibit at the Cyprus museum immerses museumgoers into the life of an ancient Cypriot. The exhibit focuses on giving an insider look at these ancient Cypriots’ lives based on evidence left on their bodies. The exhibit does a breakdown of the area in which each ancient…
-
Healthcare in Nea Paphos
Hi all! We recently took a trip to the lovely city of Paphos. There we visited the Paphos Archaeological Museum, which was simple, small and truly wonderful! My favorite artifacts there were the clay hot water bottles, which were excavated from a building near the center of Nea Paphos. The building, though not completely excavated,…
-
Ideas for Sustainability in Cyprus
Cyprus is a beautiful country. There are mountains to ski in the winter, stunning beaches, amazing plants and some extraordinary wildlife. However, Cyprus is a small island and tourism has taken its toll. It is not uncommon to see plastic bags caught up in shrubs, juice containers along roads, cigarette butts scattered in the sand,…
-
Aphrodite’s Pomegranates
Pomegranate juice and pomegranate-based food are prominent across Cyprus. According to a new local friend named Christos, pomegranates are not only beloved for their flavor but for also for their cultural significance. Pomegranates in Cypriot culture are symbols of fertility. He demonstrated a sculpture of a woman’s torso where a pomegranate was placed where the…
-
Leda and the Swan
Alright, its Hunter Powell back with y’all sharing another mythological story based off our last field trip. On our previous field trip (yesterday, Tuesday the 18th) we visited two museums: the Archaeological Museum of the Paphos District and Aphrodite’s Sanctuary. There is one piece of art at both museums that I want to write about.…
-
Bedrock, the Bones of the Earth
Have you ever seen someone get really injured? Like working in the kitchen, cutting vegetables too fast, and their knife slips? The blade goes way too deep, and the wound doesn’t bleed right away? Have you ever seen bone showing through? To me, that’s how it feels to see bedrock. This surface, lightly colored, buried…
Vigla Archaeological Project 