Sunday, August 5, 2018

Field School: The Dig, Day 10 (Final Day!)

August 4, 2018

     Last night, someone had knocked Jenny's drink over onto my sandals, and I had to wash them when I went to bed, using Las Vegas logic of "they'll be dry in the morning" because we have no humidity.
     They were not dry this morning.
     A quick shower and walking downstairs in just my socks while carrying my shoes later, I ate breakfast with Ivan, who left shortly after I sat down (he was just done his breakfast and I was late to when I usually go, and, as a creature of habit, I sat at the seat I always sit at in the morning, where Ivan was sitting in the seat Mathilde is usually in when I'm down there). I ate a small breakfast and wrapped up some sausage to take to our site dog, Sharka (how it sounds in English because I don't know how to spell it in Bulgarian - it means colorful), which I forgot on the table before we left.
     It was my last day at the dig site and I was pretty bummed about it. I didn't want to leave the people I met behind at all and I definitely didn't want to stop digging before there was anything interesting or exciting found (which is why most people stay for four weeks, I guess). I'm partially happy it was my last day to dig because I'm tired and I miss Folklore FiancĂ© too much, but I really wish I could stay.
     I had made an offering of grape seeds to Dionysus, asking for him to let me find something, anything, interesting before I left. I kept digging and a little while later, I found a small knucklebone, which is a special find because they used these as game pieces when playing dice. Once I had taken the coordinates and filled out a tag for it and put it in its own bag, I continued to dig. Eventually, I uncovered some pottery, but it was too far down for me to get to, but next to it was a pottery sherd. When I picked it up, it looked like I have a black figure sherd with a distinguishable part of a figure on it. I asked Angela and she told me it was a knee and then I asked about another part of it, which looked (to me) like boxing gloves and she said it was possibly part of a garment. So, I was pretty pleased with that find, even though it's technically mass material and isn't "special" by archaeological standards, but I thought it was. So, see, the gods do come through!
     We came back for lunch and rest and went back for the finds processing and washing for the last time (for me). Linda, Jenny, and I were taken separately so we could learn how to fill out a context sheet for the archaeological sites. After discussing it and asking Angela questions about archaeology that I didn't know a lot about, we headed back to the barrack. She asked if I wanted to take the test for it, even though I wasn't doing it for credit, and I said yes. (Well, first I said can I just keep the paper and do it later, but Angela explained that it was a short test so I could do it now so she could go over it - it was only 13 questions, but I got 1 wrong and 1 kind of wrong).
     After that, I helped everyone get the rest of the washing done, and we finished our bags, but eventually were asked by one of our group about helping the rest of the people because we had a lot more to do. So, basically, we had to complete pottery washing, otherwise, the people who were staying for four weeks would have to deal with everything on Tuesday. We helped with another bag, and then I asked Cyrene and Madeline if they needed help because everyone else had cleaned up but they were still washing, so I took some of their material over to the tarp to dry. We all got on the bus and headed back.
     Got back, did this that and the other thing, dinner, blah blah blah, and then we all played Twister together shortly followed by a drinking game. It was amazing and fun and intense and I'm going to miss them all a lot.
     We have an excursion tomorrow.
     Hopefully I don't have a hangover.

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