by Ceren Ak

I am a winter person. I hate the sun, the burning and the heat. I can literally feel my skin cooking whenever I am under the bright sun light. However, whenever I am on an archaeological excavation site, I forget all of it.

After a bad experience with the excavations I went on last year, and problems at school, I wanted to treat my summer at Doliche this year as my last chance to do an excavation, to see if I really liked archaeology and wanted to continue with it. And the answer is yes! I have been on various excavations since 2017, but this campaign has been the most peaceful for me.

Many people believe that excavation is all about finding valuable artefacts and that archaeologists are essentially treasure hunters. However, this perception doesn’t accurately reflect what archaeology involves or what archaeologists actually do. In reality, archaeologists follow a series of meticulous procedures during an excavation in order to gain a deeper understanding of their site or context. These procedures can only be fully grasped through hands-on experience in the field, just as learning a new language requires real-life practice. Each site has its own unique system and principles, which can lead to new conditions that need to be adapted to. At Doliche, everyone has their own responsibilities and the things you need to look after are pretty clear.

A working day for a field archaeologist at Doliche begins with breakfast at around 6:10, and we leave the house for the field at 6:40. Work starts at 7:00 and we settle into our routine of documenting the units. The workers do the actual hard work in the field, digging with pickaxes and removing soil from the trenches, while we watch the work closely, take notes and fill in forms. If we notice a change, we clean up the area and get it ready for photography to document and then start new units. In between, there are trench drawings to be made and elevations to be taken. Work stops at 16:00 and you are back in the house by 16:30. After the first few days, this work becomes very familiar and you realise how easy it is to fall into this routine and make it a habit. The last few days of my excavation I worked from the excavation house to finish the documentation, and I felt far away from all the exciting things that might have happened there while I was away!

The site itself strikes a delicate balance with nature, set in fields with trees but not in the middle of nowhere. You might come across the occasional lizard or, more commonly, a spider or an ant. Findings can include pottery, roof tiles, glass, bone or metal, with metal being the rarest. It is this rarity that makes finding a piece of bronze or a coin so exciting.

What I enjoyed even more was the company I had. The team is incredibly diverse, allowing for conversations on nearly any topic. With students, professionals, locals, and foreigners all eager to learn and contribute, the friendly and professional atmosphere makes working and exploring even more inspiring.

After six weeks, when I looked at the photos of our first day, I was amazed at how much the site had changed and how proud we were. These weeks underlined the value of teamwork and communication between team members. I could feel the harmony between us as we worked, and our joy was palpable even from the outside. I’m thrilled with the results of our efforts and can’t wait to come back!