2001 STUDENT DIARY Mónica Jiménez, Yale University Reagan Browning, Southern Methodist University Mary McClellan, Truman State University Caitlin Vacanti, Georgetown University Cam Le, Tulane University Joshua Moran, Beloit College Christel Veen, University of Amsterdam Keith Doherty, Boston University   Week 3: Mónica Jiménez Mónica Jiménez taking notes during trench tours inthe Podere Funghi. Trench Switching So, after nearly a week and a half of comfortable FOD living, the dreaded trench switcharoo day happened. It's not that the other trenches were "bad" trenches or that we disliked anything about them, it was just that the thought of leaving our home trenches made us all a little uneasy. We had all grown accustomed to the daily machinations of our home trenches and had gotten into a groove. So after much complaining and trying to wheedle out of it, the day finally arrived. We students lined up outside of the house at 7:00 a.m. resigned to the fact that for just one day we would have to leave our beloved trenches. For me that meant a day with out the Bum Bum Energy Network as well as a day without the sun and warmth of the FOD. I should have been thrilled, but I along with the rest of the students felt uprooted and displaced. After walking up the hill, the PF 7 trench crew assembled along the sides of Justin's trench and stared down into it in wonder. It looked so different from the last time I had been there. A series of walls all seemed to intersect inside his trench. So Justin directed us to clean up the stones around the walls a bit and we slowly began to do so amid exclamations of wonder at how soft this soil was compared to the near cement of the FOD. The morning did move a bit slowly without the fast-paced beats of the Bum Bum network urging us along, but sooner than we thought it was time for the much anticipated trench tours. Trench tour at PC 18. At 14:30 the whole of the excavation, staff and students alike, assembled at the top of the hill and made our way down the site trench by trench as each supervisor explained what was going on in his or her trench. We first heard from Gretchen and Justin who explained their theories on the strange architecture at the top of the hill. We then moved down the hill to Trench PC 18 where Kate told us about the interesting new discoveries occurring there on a daily basis. I was amazed when I looked down into the cavernous pit that T-18 had become; it had nearly doubled in size since the last time I had been there. We finally made our way down to the FOD where the two Robs explained all of the things that we had been doing and finding for the previous week and a half. All in all, the day wasn't all that bad. We didn't all spontaneously combust and we survived unscathed. It was actually a pretty constructive day despite all of the grumbling and complaining. I was really amazed to see all the progress that had occurred across the site in the short week I was in the FOD. Don't get me wrong, I would never give up my beloved FOD to join the hill-billies on the top of the site, but it was a worthwhile day.   Reagan Browning Reagan Browning cutting roots out of the Trench PC 23 extension. I must say that thus far, my experience on the dig has been a great one, however it is much different than I expected. During the first few days we removed the backfill. That was the hardest of all the digging, and also the most frustrating. All I wanted to do was to get to the sterile soil and discover something. The first nine days of digging, the groups moved from trench to trench to get a feel for each one, and to learn about its history and purpose for excavation. PC 18, a trench in which Reagan worked during backfill removal. Finally on the ninth day of digging, we were divided up and assigned to our permanent trenches. I am working in Trench PC 23 with Gretchen Meyers as my supervisor. This trench is on top of "the hill" and is a part of a series of other trenches that were dug and are being dug to unearth what we believe to be an Etruscan temple. Trench PC 23, which is cool in the morning and blazing hot in the afternoon, serves three purposes. One is to help excavate around a hole that was previously dug by a group of clandestini. The second purpose is to explore the interior space of the temple. In this interior, we have so far discovered roof tile, pottery, and a number of very exciting finds which are the highlight of my dig so far. The third purpose is to discover a cross wall in the interior. We have not found one yet, but an extension trench is being dug hopefully to make this discovery. Reagan Browning with Gretchen Meyers in Trench PC 23. In my opinion, the trenches on the hill and Trench PC 23 have the most promising possibilities for fantastic discoveries. I cannot say exactly what I expected, but my experience is very different than what I thought it would be. To my mistake, I would have been better prepared if I had read my field manual before coming. That is my advice that I would give to all those who are planning to come to Poggio Colla. Overall: Do you know what this experience is? (Dramatic Pause) Great!!! View of Trenches PC 22 and PC 23 on "the hill."   Week 4: Mónica Jiménez Mónica Jiménez excavating a large coarseware fragment in PF 7. The Daily Grind: PF 7 Woah! I can hardly believe that four whole weeks have gone by in such a flash; the time here is moving so quickly. It is kind of amazing to me how quickly and completely I have adapted to dig life. When I first arrived I was sure I would never be able to get myself out of bed by 6:00 a.m. and be ready to excavate by 7:00, but here it is a few very short weeks later and I have no problems being up and ready to go when the caravan of vans pulls into the drive at 6:55. I've become so used to it and enjoy it so much, that I actually miss it on the weekends. I know that sounds lame, what kind of person actually misses work on the weekend? But this is seriously unlike anything else I have ever done. I arrive on site in the morning ready to get on my hands and knees and dig. As tiring as the work might be and as hot as it gets out in the FOD, there isn't a day when I am not totally pumped and psyched about digging. Even on the days when we move tons of dirt and find nothing but tile and little bits of indistinguishable crud, I still feel like I'm a part of something hugely exciting. There are very few of those days because there is almost always something new coming up in the trench. Mónica Jiménez helping Robert Vander Poppen (left) and crew take levels. While we haven't really found many artifacts such as pottery or bronze, we have found lots of architectural foundation stones. While its not as satisfying to find a big stone in the ground as it is to find a bronze coin; its almost better because you know that if you continue to dig you will eventually have something that resembles a building from which you can extrapolate so much more than a simple coin. So we have found some interesting wall in PF 7, one of which is a complete mystery and totally perplexing. It's awesome to see them come up and to know that if you keep going you will only find more. However it is frustrating to know that more likely than not I will not be around to see it in its entirety or even to see most of it. As we progress in the excavation I'm beginning to realize the frustrations that archaeologists face in excavating. This year's season, the longest in Poggio Colla history, is only seven weeks long. Seven weeks! You research and prepare all year and then only get seven weeks to excavate?! And then at the end of the season everything has to be covered up again before leaving. All of that work in digging up mountains of earth only to have to turn around and cover it back up. This experience has taught me a lesson in patience if nothing else. Mary McClellan Left: Mary McClellan triangulating points in PC 23. Right: Mary resting in a Poggio Colla hammock. After a long relaxing four-day break spent in Capri with some of my fellow diggers, it was nice to get back in Trench PC 23 on Tuesday. My trench has been expanded and doubled, which makes me wonder about how we are going to move all that dirt! However, we have gotten a new addition to our trench by converting former FODder, Cam Le, to a hill digger. This larger crew has definitely been covering some ground this week. Locus 8 of the extension has been opened and a good 15cm pass has begun, which has already yielded some interesting finds. Locus 4 has also been opened and should prove pretty vital in making some connections between Trenches PC 22, PC 19, and PC 23. Mary McClellan (left) with Gretchen Meyers in Trench PC 23. This week I have been working in Locus 3, and frankly I have become pretty territorial! We uncovered what seems to be a large tile fall, mixed with ceramics and other miscellaneous items, which have all been pretty badly burned. This is more evidence for the possible destruction theory, which Michael Thomas loves to emphasize. We have also finally gotten our locus down below the robber hole which has been plaguing us, and have begun excavation there as well. This will hopefully provide us with some more stratigraphic information as well as clues to what they might have stolen from our site. Overall this week has provided a large amount of contextual information for us to chew on, and theories are flying which is keeping me and my fellow trenchers entertained and curious. There are many debates over what our monumental building is, including the possibility of a temple, palace, or production area. There is also a potential drainage system which has been uncovered and could affect our theories after Locus 4 is fully excavated. I personally and humorously think we have a ritual underground spring, but I am being heavily over-ruled! I am extremely excited for the next few weeks and hope to contribute a few more plausible theories on what exactly our trench is telling us with the material it holds, while still keeping Gretchen entertained in the trench. Mary McClellan (left) and the rest of the Trench PC 23 crew at work. Mary McClellan working in her locus in Trench PC 23.   Week 5: Caitlin Vacanti Caitlin Vacanti during Week 5 trench tours. Week five, just like every week in Trench PC 22, can be summed up in four short words: a wild, wild ride. We have foundation walls, we have mud brick, we have many artifacts. However the one thing we no longer have, thanks to hard work, determination, and good use of a hatchet, is a single tree stump. That's right ladies and gentleman, as of Monday, Trench 22 has gone down in the official Poggio Colla record books as the first to be stump-free. This makes excavation a lot easier because it clears out the area and gets rid of many nasty roots that get in the way of an even pass. Every day when we find a new piece of architecture or artifact, a theory I have floating in my head about what the building may have been is thrown off. I learned this lesson the first week when we found two walls converging in the Southwest Locus. (Personally, I think Kirk's theory that it's an ancient Bowl-A-Drome is a bit overrated.) It is frustrating at times to deal with the new questions that arise, but in the end these puzzles are what archaeology is all about, and have come to be the most fascinating aspect of it for me. View from the north of Trench PC 22, with large stump still in place, while Alessandro La Porta, Kirk Nickel, Sarha Nessler, and Michael Joyce excavate. View from the south of Trench PC 22 completely stump-free! During times of confusion, there is always some type of relief provided through interaction with my fellow trenchmen. Our fearless leader, Mr. Justin Winkler (codename: Bobcat) kept spirits soaring early this week with his impression of "The Crocodile Hunter." Conversations among trenchmates included a whirlwind tour this past weekend of the Roman Capitoline, Forum, and Palatine hill courtesy of Mr. Michael Thomas, Field Director. The tour was very informative and gave us a better sense what we're dealing with here at Poggio Colla, as well as ancient Rome. Mr. Michael Thomas awes us with his ability to keep the mood light while maintaining concentration and focus. He'll swoop to the hill, have his say on what he makes of our finds, help out whenever help is needed, give Mike Joyce his Italian-word-of-the-day, and remind everyone I love to dig. Then, as suddenly as he appeared, BANG he's gone--just like that--off to leave yet another crowd of people laughing. Field Director Michael Thomas (left) with Justin Winkler, a.k.a. Bobcat. Now I must mention the sifter because it is an essential part of everyday life in Trench 22. As we dig we sift, which is good for two reasons: 1) we find anything we overlooked while excavating, and 2) it gives us a break from digging and the opportunity to stretch. For some reason (most likely pertaining to sun/heat exposure) conversations at the sifter tend to be a little less ordinary, usually focused on music and/or movies. This week we covered such topics as scary movies, the GI Joe movie, Voltron, and whether or not Richard Gere is mentioned in the song "Crying at the Discotech." The sifter is also the place Sarah and I tend to get a little more riled up about wanting yellow man (our radio) to play Super Compilation, an acquired taste in Italian techno music provided by Catherine. Justin Winkler (right) contemplates while Caitlin Vacanti digs. In conclusion, although finds and therefore theories change as we slowly move our way through strata each week, certain things have gotten into a rhythm that makes my experience here all the more fun. Kirk's fun fact of the week: Utah is The Beehive State. Cam Le Cam Le before dinner at Vigna. For most people, week number five was a week of routine: same trench, same trenchmates, etc. My routine, however, was disrupted permanently (as permanently as three weeks could be) when I was uprooted from the FOD to the hill. Until Wednesday, I was a FODder working under the blistering sun, enjoying prolonged cookie breaks, and listening to the musical stylings of Tom Jones. At the end of the workday on Tuesday, our trench supervisor, Base (a.k.a. Robert Belanger) pulled the entire trench PF 6 aside and solemnly asked one of us to volunteer to move to trench PC 23. At this point of the excavation season, trench loyalties had formed and no one wanted to leave our trench. Though the degree to which my trenchmates rejected the idea of moving from the FOD to the hill varied, I do recall Greg Stone vehemently proclaiming that he would "kill someone if removed from the FOD." Anyone, who knows me well, can attest that I am not an altruistic person by nature. Since I do not condone physical violence (though the verbal kind is fine by me), I thought it best that I move to the hill instead of my trenchmates. Cam Le's former Trench PF 6 and her teammates in the FOD. Initially, I thought that the transition from PF 6 to PC 23 would be a simple one. After the first day on the hill, however, I felt like a foster child shuffled from one home to another. Granted, no matter where one works on an excavation, whether FOD or hill, the job is the same-move dirt. A trench change so late into the excavation season, however, was a bit more difficult than I had expected. The FOD people (Monica especially) didn't understand why I would voluntarily leave the FOD. The hill people of trenches PC 22 and PC 23, on the other hand, didn't understand why more people would stay in the FOD rather than move to the hill. In fact, I think that I am the first person in the entire history of Poggio Colla to voluntarily move from the FOD to the hill. It seems like everyday that I am approached by people who want to know about the move to the hill and my thoughts on hill life versus FOD life. Truthfully, there really aren't that many differences between working in the FOD and working on the hill. Even though the hill trenches have much shorter cookie breaks (only 5-10 minutes?!) and there is no Tom Jones blaring in the background, I am beginning to get adjusted to hill life. I think it helps that I am no longer the only one sleeping during our lunch breaks. One advantage of changing trenches is the supervisor treat from both of my supervisors. After my first day on the hill, my former trench supervisor, Base, and my new trench supervisor, Gretchen Meyers, jointly gave me a Magnum ice-cream bar. Cam Le and Kelly Hayes working in Trench PC 23 on Poggio Colla. In other news, a large contingent of students went to Rome this past weekend for the Michael Thomas tour of the Forum and Dr. Warden's tour of the Villa Giulia. For me, the weekend was jam-packed with activities: the Vatican museum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Colosseum, the Gallery Borghese (my all-time favorite museum), and St. Peter's Basilica. For a normal person, any of these would be a highlight of a trip. Since I am a little different, the highlight of my trip was a visit to the restaurant Oliphant, where I yielded to my cravings for good ole southern fried chicken. As much as I enjoy our spectacular three-course Tuscan dinners prepared by Vilma, Bruno, and Bepina, I am still a Southern girl who needs her fried chicken every so often. The fried chicken at Oliphant's wasn't as good as Bac Ba's or Popeye's famous fried chicken, but it was good enough to satisfy my craving. My only complaint was that Oliphant's didn't have buttermilk biscuits, mashed potatoes, or red beans and rice, but I'll take what I can get.   Joshua Moran Joshua Moran during a visit to Katherine Blanchard's trench in the FOD. It's incredibly difficult to believe that this is the midpoint of the fifth week of excavation. Apparently it's just been that much fun, or maybe that much work. Probably a healthy combination of the two, because we've been busy. Time in general seems to go so much quicker here. There are only seven days of excavation left and it seems like we just started. I am truly amazed that so much (or little, depending on your point of view) is learned in just 30 days of excavation. Opinions regarding the site information change daily. This certainly shattered my preconceptions about an archaeological dig. My picture of years of pouring over mountains of information to form even the most vague of hypotheses seems so unrealistic now. Maybe not. I guess what they say is true about finding the balance between expediency and caution in excavation. I hope we've found it. I almost feel that the four-day weekend was a bit of wasted time that could have been spent excavating. Considering the number of people who went beach hopping on the island of Capri that weekend, it's likely that I am alone in that opinion. Admittedly I did enjoy my trip to Pompeii that weekend so I can't complain too much. View of the Mugello Valley and mountains from the top of Poggio Colla. The weather this week has been amazing. Nice and cool during the day with minor (usually) rain showers at night. Those really help with some of the hard dirt. This mountain air is addicting. So is the food. Beppina and Bruno put together a great meal of grilled chicken, rabbit, and bell peppers last night. Wish I could turn the clock back, for more reasons than one. Guess I'm going to have to start thinking ahead and preparing for my return to the U.S., assuming I decide to go back. View from the dinner patio at Vigna with Bruno and Beppina, left and center.   Mónica Jiménez The End Approaches Another week over and another week closer to the end. I can't get over just how fast this whole thing is passing me by. I have to say that this has definitely been one of the best experiences of my short life. It has not been easy by any means; living in close proximity with eighteen complete strangers and rising at dawn to dig in the sun and heat all day can really start to take its toll on a person. Last weekend was definitely the low point of the trip for me; I had just had enough. The group of students made its way down to Rome for tours of some of the important sites given by field supervisor Michael Thomas and director Dr. Greg Warden. I won't get into all of the details, but I will say that it was the only moment this whole summer in which I really wanted to be back at home. The tours themselves were amazing; after all, what better way to discover Rome than with people who are experts in their fields? However, the stress of getting to Rome on Friday after a long day of excavation and pottery washing, coupled with finding a hotel and traveling in a large group of students, made the experience rather miserable. I couldn't believe I was standing in the Roman Forum wishing I were back home in bed with a good book. That's when I knew I needed to get away from everyone and just be alone for a while. Sunday dawned bright and cheerful in the eternal city and after a few hours of wandering the city I was back to my old self. How can I not be happy?! I'm in Italy! Mónica Jiménez's Trench PF 7 during tour by supervisor Robert Vander Poppen. Monday arrived and as sleepy and tired as I felt, I was happy to be back in my element: kneeling in the hard earth of the FOD. The going is slow in PF7, I admit, but we are making awesome progress. Everyday we find more and more perplexing architecture to add to the convoluted puzzle developing. Those are the times I am most happy here; I look out at the valley and marvel at the fact that I am a part of all this. My small, dirty hands are helping to uncover a world that had lain dormant for two thousand years. And as I sit in the trench and listen to the two Rob's argue about what they believe is going on in the FOD, I can't help but feel good. Every time my trowel comes down on something in the ground and I slowly begin to peel back the dirt around it, I get a rush of excitement; and that is what this is all about. Mónica Jiménez (far left) listens to Katherine Blanchard during trench tours in the FOD.   Week 6: That's All She Wrote… Mónica Jiménez Mónica Jiménez (right) digging in Trench PF 8 with Laura Veresh. Well the time for goodbye is at hand. I know I have said this before, but I am still shocked at how fast the time has passed. It was a rather strange week in my beloved FOD and especially for those of us in PF 7. Last Friday dawned dark and rainy as we all slowly made our way to the site. When we arrived we found that our trenches were full of water and needed to be bailed out in some parts. After much careful bailing with empty Fanta and water bottles we started our usual work in the drizzling rain. A few hours later, Michael Thomas arrived to check up on our progress; he informed us that he believed further excavation of Trench PF 7 would be futile as we were digging through sterile soil which was producing no artifacts. We had already gotten the rest of the trench level with PF 5 and Michael saw no need to continue excavation. So on Friday Michael told us that we would take the current pass to the level of the bottom of the kiln and that would be the end for PF 7. On Monday, Rachel and I finished the final pass we would take in PF 7 this season, leaving my trench mates and myself with a whole week of excavation left and no trench to excavate. I must admit that I was really disappointed to have PF 7 totally finished and be left in limbo for the rest of the week. It was also pretty anticlimactic, especially as everyone else was doing the end of the season scramble to try and finish things up. Jurriaan Venneman and Mónica Jiménez finishing their passes in PF 7. Luckily for my trench mates and I, Katy, former assistant of PF 6, was given her own trench, PF 8, last week. So, the entire PF 7 crew moved to the back of the Podere Funghi and we have been helping Katy excavate her trench since. It is still sad to arrive at the site in the mornings and march right past PF 7 and up to our new home in the back of the FOD. Fortunately Katy not only keeps us busy, but she also keeps us entertained so we have a good time even with out the lilting sounds of the Bum Bum Energy Network. As things wind down I have begun to reflect on all of the experiences I have had since arriving here; it really has been a whirlwind. The arrival at Poggio Colla seems like such a long time ago. I think back to the first few days of site clearing and un-backfilling trenches and I cannot believe that it was only 6 weeks ago that I first picked up a trowel. I remember thinking I would never be able to learn all that I needed to know or to understand the complex nature of the site. Six weeks later, I still have questions, of course, but I also have my own ideas and theories about what is going on here, and I have been able to formulate those ideas from things I have taken out of the ground myself. I no longer gouge holes in the ground with my trowel or slice through pottery with it (for the most part); now handling my trowel is like second nature. It has become a part of me, with its handle marked MON and its nicely worn blade; it's like a notch in my belt. It says, "Yes, I belong to Monica and I have been well worn in the cement of the FOD!" In a few short days we will fill our trenches up with the dirt we spent all season carefully and often painstakingly removing and we will say goodbye to our trenches. It really is a sad prospect and the frustration of all archaeologists. For some of us field students it is even more frustrating as it will be the last time we ever see our trenches. Most of us know that we won't be back next year to see them expanded and further excavated. We all talk about coming back next season as assistants, but for many of us this is it. I just hope I get to be a part of this again, to see what else Poggio Colla and the Podere Funghi hold beneath the surface.   Christel Veen Christel Veen working through the plow zone in PF 6 early in the season. Dutch Diary Vrijdag 20 juli De wekker gaat om zes uur af, maar de haan van de benedenburen was al een uur eerder uit de veren, zodat ik vandaag als eerste onder de douche ga. We delen een appartement met z'n vieren en worden om 6.45 uur op gehaald, dus douchen en ontbijten verloopt volgens een strak schema. Nog maar drie weken te gaan en de tijd vliegt, zodat ik me niet kan voorstellen dat we hier al ruim weken aan het graven zijn. Vannacht heeft het stevig geonweerd en door het raam zie ik de laaghangende bewolking . Vandaag voor de verandering eens een koele dag. The Podere Funghi: Field of Dreams. De opgraving in Poggio Colla heeft drie locaties: een op de heuveltop, een onderaan de heuvel en een locatie een km ten oostn van Poggio Colla: Podere Funghi. Deze laatste locatie telt twee 'trenches' oftwel werkputten. Mijn trench is PF6. Het zijn de enige trenches met muziek en een schitterend uitzicht over de Mugello vallei. Vandaar de bijnaam Field of Dreams, kortweg FOD. Deze afkorting staat inmiddels voor heel wat creatieve benamingen, zoals Field of Delinquents en Field of Dutch (er werken nu twee Nederlandse studenten, zodat de Amerikanen praten over een Dutch invasion). Field of Delinquents en Field of Dutch De FOD ligt normaal de hele dag in de zon, zodat de grond keihard is, maar de regen heeft de grond zacht gemaakt, zodat het graven vandaag een stuk makkelijker gaat dan anders. Voor het eerst m'n regenjack aan, en graven op blote voeten, om het aardewerk dat uit de grond steekt niet plat te trappen. Maandag 23 juli Een heerlijk weekend gehad. Zaterdag naar Florence geweest en zondag naar Bologna. De regen heeft maar een dag geduurd, en de zon brandt weer fel als vanouds. Op de heuvel vinden ze de laatste twee weken veel aardewerk, wij vinden de laatste week vooral dakpannen en drie brandplekken die mogelijk haarden of ovens zijn geweest. In elke trench loopt wel een aantal muren, maar wat voor gebouwen er precies hebben gestaan, weet men nog lang niet. Het kunnen huizen zijn geweest, werkplaatsen of boerderijen. Dakpannen zijn minder spectaculair dan bronzen spelden of munten, maar kunnen veel vertellen over een gebouw. We vinden geen gedecoreerde archtectonische terracotta's, maar wel veel 'huishoudelijk' aardewerk en hebben drie ovens of haarden op korte afstand van elkaar. Het zou dus best een productieplek van aardewerk geweest kunnen zijn. Dinsdag 24 juli We vinden nu zoveel dakpannen dat wel vaststaat dat het dak op een bepaald moment moet zijn ingestort. Dat is nou een van de leuke dingen van archeologie: het interpreteren van de dingen en spren die je vindt. De kans dat je ooit een waterdicht verhaal kunt vertellen is klein, zoniet onmogelijk. Vandaar dat de archeologie vooral theorieen kent, en geen complete verhalen. Spanning en sensatie op de top vandaag: een complete skyphos. De conservatoren zijn uren bezig geweest om de kan heelhuids op te graven. De kan bevond zich in een van de werkputwand en werd gevonden toen iemand de wand ging opschaven. Op de plek van deze werkput hebben van de winter 'clandestini', zoals de Italianen de schatgravers nomen, hier van de winter een diep gat gegraven en het een en ander meegenomen. Vandaar dat er voorlopig aan de vondsten niet al te veel ruchtbaarheid wordt gegeven. Ze worden schoongemaakt en verdwijnen na onderzoek in de kluis van het magazijn. Over enige tijd wordt alles gepubliceerd en komen de mooiste stukken in musea te staan. Left: Vigna. Right: Bruno and Beppina Parigi. Woensdag 25 juli Geen stralende zon vandaag, maar licht bewolkt. Perfect graaf-weer, maar ook gevaarlijk omdat je flink kunt verbranden. Dat wordt weer flink insmeren. Ook wij hebben vandaag metaal gevonden. Het is met klomp aarde uit de grond gehaald en het zal nog wel even duren voor we weten wat het is, want de conservatoren maken overuren door al onze vondsten. Ik verheug me op het eten vanavond. Bruno en Beppina, het echtpaar dat voor ons kookt, hebben vaochtend de barbecue klaargezet. Het eten in Italie is heerlijk en Beppina is een fantastische kokkin. Christel Veen excavating the tile fall in Trench PF 6 during Week 6. Donderdag 26 juli Het einde van de opgraving nadert en we moeten vandaag onze pass afkrijgen voor de foto's die vrijdag en zaterdag worden genomen. Een pass is een niveau in de werkput van 10-20 cm. De put is 5 bij 5 meter en we zijn met z'n vieren, maar vooral de bevenlaag in de grond is keihard, dus we moeten stevig doorwerken. Vanavond hebben we feest: Berta, de andere Nederlandse studente is jarig en dat willen we vieren. Ze werkt in een andere trench, op de heuvel, en haar trench supervisor had voor de grap een paar verjaardagskaarsen begraven. Jammer genoeg was ik er niet bij toen ze ze vond. Cam Le Cam Le with ceremonial leaf headdress. As the excavation season comes to a close, the activity in Trench PC 23 is heating up. Our efforts in the trench are now concentrated on loci 3 and 8. In locus 8, where I am currently working, we are uncovering the trench's first architectural stones: large, smooth stones in a strange formation. I've heard Michael Thomas, Gretchen Meyers, and Dr. Warden throw around ideas about the possible form and function of the blocks, but I must confess that our M.L.A., Judy, has the most imaginative theories about the stones. View of Trench PC 23 from the south at the end of Week 6. Being but a novice to archaeology myself, I certainly can't dispute Judy's theories. As Reagan continued to excavate the stones, however, he found another stone with a slight indentation in the center. This discovery quickly prompted Judy to formulate an alternative theory about Poggio Colla. Since I can't come up with a better explanation for the stones, I am in no position to dispute either of Judy's theories. Gotta leave it to Judy to figure these things out. Cam Le with Judy Culbertson holding one of her famous sifter finds. As much as I enjoy lovely downtown Vicchio, I can't seem to find the time to spend my weekends here enjoying all that Vicchio has to offer. Then again, I am in Italy for such a limited time that I am under obligations to high-tail on outta Vicchio for the weekends. I spent the past weekend in fair Verona with Sarah Nessler. Our plans for Verona were of the spur-of-the moment variety. We had planned on seeing Aida, but were foiled on several levels that I will not attempt to explain. Instead, after several exhausting train rides, we made it to Verona. When we finally found the Arena (the ancient Roman amphitheater), we managed to procure two tickets to Giuseppe Verdi's opera, Rigoletto. I think that the experience of watching and enjoying the wonderful opera made up for all the hardships that we had to endure. The atmosphere was unbeatable: starry night (even though one couldn't really see the stars underneath the bright stage lights), candle light (a tradition of the Verona opera-goers that helped to set the mood), and crazy, soccer-like enthusiastic fans in the wonderfully maintained Arena. Seeing Rigoletto in Verona was definitely one highlight of this summer for me. Keith Doherty, Boston University Week 7: View of Trench PF 8 with Laura Veresh, Mónica Jiménez, and Rachel Julis digging. Now we know that Keith Doherty is throwing a lump of dirt into the yellow bucket. "Until my initiation into the vast, sometimes daunting, sometimes thrilling world of Poggio Colla, it had never quite dawned on me, as an art historian, how limited one's experience of ancient artifacts could be in the classroom. Sitting in an apartment in Boston, looking at photos of ancient pottery on museum pedestals, tells you almost zip about the intricate process that transported that pot, fragmentary, from the ground in Italy or Greece into the museum case, clean and fully formed. There are things that you simply can't learn in a book. Sure I can name every personage in a Dionysian procession and cite every current theory on the original appearance of the Mausoleum of Augustus, but did I know the difference between an A horizon and C horizon or experience the finer points of Munsell charting? Never did I picture myself getting jokes about scarps or discussing the pros and cons of a ten-pound versus a fifteen-pound rock hammer. Yet there I was. This is to say nothing, by the way, of the different varieties of Italian cookies that one was expected to produce each day at cookie break. Granted this last feature was unique to the Podere Funghi or FOD--my station--where I don't mind saying the cookie selection was by far the best of all the trenches. (I still prefer the Tenerezze a cacao.) It all became clear, however, as the weeks wore on, what protocol was. Conditions, of course, also differed markedly from the Boston studio. For one thing, there were lots of people around. I had the distinct pleasure to be working with Robert Vander Poppen and then Katherine Blanchard and their unbelievable crews in trenches PF 7 and 8. These included Assistant Supervisor Jurriaan Venneman, commander-in-chief of the invading Dutch, the awesome Rachel Julis, whose nicknames by the end of the session could have filled about ten trench notebooks, Monica Jiménez, who wielded the mini-pick like a woman possessed, and Laura Veresh, whose scarps were flatter than a new jar of Skippy. Temperatures, I noticed, also differed from Boston. Due to our lack of cover on the FOD, this could mean brutally hot days that turned the soil into something resembling Styrofoam, to extraordinarily wet days, where we ended up barefoot in the muddy loci to prevent foreign dirt from being tracked into the trench inside sneaker treads. By and large, though, as we grew accustomed to the heat, and our bodies underwent a spectrum of changes--from white to red to rich brown--conditions on the FOD became second nature. I ended up with something like an actual tan--an oddity for a pale Irishman. My initiation into the uncovering of ancient architecture was admittedly a tough one. The walls, as we found them, presented a number of conundrums. As Robert Vander Poppen (alias V.P.) points out in his reports, the walls, particularly what appeared to be a second major east-west wall in PF 7 that occurred only a very short distance south of the previous one, and the tiny brace between them, were mysteries indeed. Why would two very substantial walls be built, apparently as part of the same structure, directly beside one another, with only a small space between them? Questions as to the basic nature of the formation persisted until the end of the season. Less mysterious and somewhat more spectacular were my own personal discovery of what appeared to be two kilns or ovens from different periods in the trench. The first, which I "found" was also the latest. (Brief addendum: the words "found" and "discovered" are a little misleading--I only happened to have been working in that area of the trench when the feature surfaced. Of course, no one's discounting the importance of luck.) This first kiln, apparently contemporary with the hearth of PF 5 and the latest structure, was extraordinary--a nearly perfect circle of sandstone burned a deep maroon color, with terracotta material inside. In fact it was in the shape of a light bulb, the circle being interrupted by an opening to the north. As we later discovered, this shape was characteristic of kilns discovered at Verucchio, another site in Northern Etruria. I uncovered the second kiln, of all places, beneath the north-south wall spur that formed part of the division between trenches PF 7 and PF 5. Not only does the uncovering of a second kiln establish a trend in terms of the apparent activity at the site, its location beneath a wall denotes the presence of kilns at the site through at least two building phases. In the end, the two kilns, followed by the discovery of a third in PF 6 still later in the season, helped us to develop fairly sophisticated hypotheses with regard to the overall nature of the structure. As V.P. explains in his reports, it now seems likely the structure once served as a pottery production facility. The multiple kilns, as well as the presence of the large midden or dump nearby filled with pottery helped to secure this conclusion. I feel quite proud to have been a part of the process. My next mission, with the closing of PF 7, was to help out at Katherine Blanchard's newly opened trench (PF 8), several hundred meters to the south. Katy's trench was the result of discoveries by Dr. Warden and others on walking tours in the area, buttressed by readings obtained by Dr. Frank Vento on his recent visit. It was difficult opening a trench so late in the season --with only about three works to work, it was a touch harder to come up with results. Despite encroaching deadlines we pressed on valiantly, creating a decent trench in the short period, if I do say so myself. Conditions were quite similar to those in PF 7, (now a tiny diorama in the middle distance), with similar inclusions and a deep plow zone. As Katy's reports show, our discoveries were somewhat less than was hoped for, (the anomaly in Dr. Vento's readings turned out to be a vineyard drainage ditch from the 1930's), but all in all, I found the experience extremely positive--at the very least, we're now aware of the stratigraphy for that part of the FOD, along with the presence, or lack thereof, of artifacts. In the end, I came away feeling that I had truly grown. The experience of uncovering objects and architectural features from antiquity in situ is like the third leg on a stool for anyone studying ancient art. Not only does one understand a great deal more about the original context for so many of the objects that are under consideration, but the process of how exactly the objects acquire their reconstructed state also becomes much clearer. You also have a fantastic time. What else can you ask for?" Keith Doherty in the Podere Funghi.