Posted on by
Week Two
Our second full week started well. We got a new (wooden!) closet, custom made to fit our beautiful tree. This will hold our valuable equipment onsite so we don’t have to carry too much up everyday. We also had an earth mover flatten out our backdirt pile and stone heap on Saturday. This will improve the overall appearance of the site. Our only concern is that the new flatter, larger back dirt pile will cover potentially interesting archaeology for our successors in decades to come. For now though, we’re are very happy with the way the site has been cleaned up so quickly and looks really great for any visitors. Our 2015 team has proven to be an EXCELLENT selection of students and volunteers. They are engaged in ceramic studies – fighting for copies of Moutjoy – and our working diligently to learn modern Greek. They also work very hard with a happy attitude. 
This morning, Tuesday 9 June 2015, was remarkable to many because we all awoke at 4:09 am to a 5.2 magnitude earthquake. It seems to have been centered right off the coast between the mainland and the island of Euboea which our home town of Dilesi overlooks. The quake was strong and it’s remarkable that for our proximity we did not see any noticeable damage. Some students said they saw some tiles come off in their kitchen. Thankfully no other damage or injuries have been reported in the local papers. We will all be aware of Poseidon’s power!
Having started off the day with some great difficulties, reflecting on the fragility of life, we all rebounded, came together and focused on the work at hand. The weather cooperated nicely – sunny, breezy and not too scorching hot. My car read 32 when leaving the site – not terrible (I’ve seen 44 before! – this is around 92 to well-over- 100 for our Fahrenheit readers). 
The work day ended with a delicious crowd-pleasing lunch: Classic Greek mousaka by Stavroula! A small Greek masterpiece. We are extremely lucky to have such great food so expertly prepared for us in the village of Arma by Stavroula and her incredibly welcoming family. 
We will enjoy dinner at the Delion taverna by the sea – seafood tonight I believe. 

Posted on by
Today was our first day of new excavation for 2015. After a lot of work the site is now very clean after the winter. We removed a great deal of backfill – earth we put into the trenches to preserve the architecture we’ve exposed in previous seasons.
Our plan this year is not to have a large number of new trenches but rather we will concentrate on an area opened last year that was not finished. This is in Southeast quadrant of the site, very close to our zero point. This area has been the highest part of the site and so we normally were setting our total station up on it to view the areas where we were digging. Now that we are working here we need to position our total station machine in another area of the site, back-sighting to at least three known points. My co-director Bryan has fully figured out this procedure and it has given us new flexibility on site.
The new team of student volunteers has proven to be an excellent fit with our already great team of experienced workers. People bring their own diverse experiences to the project, making it a great mix of people. Everyone is working very hard and enjoying the relatively cool June weather. High heat is sure to come. Luckily we have not had any rain yet this first week – this is unusual based on previous seasons.
We had also fixed our work schedule – leaving Dilesi at 6:30, first breakfast at 9:30, second at 11:30. Lunch at 1:45. Home for rest/beach – 2:30-5. Then pottery washing 5-7. Dinner at 8. Most of us are in bed by 10 (I think!).

Posted on by
EBAP 2015 Begins!
Kalo Mena. Our research project for the 2015 year begins today. Even though today was a holiday in Greece our team was able to do some limited cleaning on site, getting ready for a full season of focused excavation and study. We are still a mix of students and staff from UVic, Wellesley, and other universities. Melbourne and Warsaw are again very well-represented, making us, as usual, a highly international team. The weather is clear and cool. Our expectations are high and our attitudes very positive. Posts will be made throughout the summer. Please check back. Below our some photos of our team cleaning and getting oriented.

The Polygonal Wall

Posted on by
by Alyssa Allen
Arguably the most striking feature of Eleon is the massive polygonal wall that stretches along the southern and eastern limits of the site.  I have had occasion to become intimately acquainted with this wall, having spent two weeks digging a very deep trench alongside it in an attempt to both come up with a precise date for its construction and to find the bottom of it.  While the date and full extent is still under study, we also managed to come up with some clues as to its purpose and origin over the course of the season.
The wall at Eleon is unusual, but not entirely unique; there is a similar wall of large polygonal stones at Delphi, near the stoa of the Athenians.  The design, though striking to look at, is not particularly useful in terms of defense, which has led some to believe that its purpose was more for decoration than practical fortification; the first priority of its builders was to impress, rather than protect.  The stones are limestone quarried from a nearby cliff side, within sight of the wall.
The wall consists of large section of enormous flat, worked stones of varying straight-sided shapes, underneath which are a series of courses of large rectangular stones, which we discovered this season to be at least five courses deep in one area.  At least some of these courses would likely have been underground at the time the wall was in use, as evidenced by the fact that only the topmost two layers are worked as carefully as the polygonal stones to give them a straight, flat appearance.  Beneath these, the stones are worked only around their edges so that they can fit together with the other stones, but the center is left unworked and bulging out, a technique known as anathyrosis.  This indicates that perhaps these lower layers of stone were meant to remain underground and not be seen.
The dating of the wall was our main goal in excavating our experimental trench. Our work suggests that the wall likely dates to the Archaic/Classical period, but that the foundation trench which was dug to build it was then filled up with earth from the older levels of the site, full of Mycenaean pottery.

 

Another odd and interesting feature of the wall that we discovered while digging is that some of the lower courses of stone appeared to have been more carefully worked than the ones directly above them, with more attention put towards giving them a straight and even appearance. How much further down the wall goes, and what further digging may reveal about its date and purpose, will have to wait until the next excavation season, so stay tuned for future updates over the next few years!

The Trowel: An Archaeological Art Form

Posted on by
by Nicole Nairismagi
 
Considered practically holy to all archaeologists, the trowel is an essential tool while excavating. It’s the ideal instrument for detail-work, cleaning, scarping etc. What is common to all archaeologists is the general importance of the trowel; however, it’s method of use varies depending on each archaeologist’s personal preference. Here at the excavation of Ancient Eleon we have some very special methods.
 
1.      Happy Hamstrings
 
A very popular pick amongst the students here at Eleon is the “Happy Hamstrings Trowel”, given said name for the wonderful hamstring stretch it provides the trowelist. This stance is rather ideal as it is both comfortable for the archaeologist yet it allows minimum contact with the trench. Both your hamstrings and your trench supervisor will be happy!
 
2.      Criss-Cross Applesauce
 
Here Robyn demonstrates one of the most comfortable trowelling positions. Ideal for gluteal comfort and allowing for a wide arm span, the criss-cross applesauce trowel works best while articulating or scarping. The main disadvantage of this position is the childlike nature of the pose and that it can be rather abrasive to a surface area.  Overall, a comfortable position but not necessarily optimal.
 
3.      Symposium Trowel
 
The Symposium Trowel technique is undoubtedly the most comfortable trowelling method. It involves the archaeologist lying on their side while propped up with their elbow, and trowelling away at their work in front of them. While this pose provides optimum comfort for one’s back, the trench is not an idyllic area for lounging and thus it can be frowned upon. In the pictures below Tom beautifully demonstrates the Symposium Trowel, as well as its extension: Beach Whale Symposium.   
 
4.      Smeagol Stance (2-Points Trowel)
 
The aptly named Smeagol stance involves the trowelist crouching over their work while maintaining only two points of contact on the ground. This position is very strenuous on the knees, but provides minimal surface contact and great mobility within an area. It is generally the preferred technique of professional archaeologists (and LOTR enthusiasts) and may explain the high rate of arthritis within the profession.
 
5.      One Point of Contact
 

 

      The extraordinarily zen One-Point of contact pose requires that only one foot touches the ground while troweling. Needless to say, it is extraordinarily straining and as such is generally only used by yogi’s, flexible athletes, and Yoda. Though it is rarely seen in the trench, it is truly admirable. 
 
 

The Mycenaean Era

Posted on by
by Cody Andersson
The Mycenaean era is famed for its impressive cities and Cyclopean masonry style. Mycenae and Tiryns are two common examples of both of these. A third and just as valid example is Midea, a hilltop citadel in the Argolid, on the Peloponnese. It exhibits a similar impressive feel and Cyclopean masonry. Eleon, a satellite community of Thebes in Boeotia, seems at first to be an unlikely comparison with Midea, but in many ways reflects the core themes of Mycenaean city-building present in Mycenae and Midea.
Midea was a citadel built on a hill approximately 300 metres in height. It flourished in the Bronze Age before being severely damaged by an earthquake at the end of the thirteenth century BCE. At the transition into the Archaic period it hosted a sanctuary but did not reach its height in the Mycenaean period ever again.
Eleon has a similar history of height and decline. It reached its apex in the Bronze Age, as Midea did, but by the Classical period had lost its previous prosperity. By that point it appears to have become a centre of religion more than population or economy. Any remaining inhabitants would have fled in the face of foreign invasions during the Byzantine period.
One major similarity between Midea and Eleon concerns fortifications. Both are encircled by defensive walls, though Midea in a much grander scale.

The Cyclopean wall at Midea is still a massive structure and would have been a significant challenge for any attacker. Eleon features a polygonal wall, not as imposing as the Cyclopean wall at Midea, but still impressive in its own right and context. Rather than containing massive boulders it is built of large slabs of locally sourced rock carved into whichever (usually irregular) shape fits best with surrounding slabs. While less of a challenge to besiegers than a Cyclopean wall, it would nevertheless have been a substantial barrier not easily bypassed. Siege warfare in ancient Greece did not essentially exist until the Classical period, several centuries after the polygonal wall’s construction in the Archaic period.

As such, an army hypothetically attacking Eleon in the Archaic period would have to take the town by attacking unexpected or by persuading the inhabitants to surrender, as there were no ladders or catapults to use.
Accordingly the polygonal wall, while more for show than function, was in its period still a significant challenge for potential attackers. Much of this is applicable to Midea, perhaps more so in that siege warfare was even more nonexistent then.
Midea’s location on a high hill is an important feature of its construction. It overlooks much of the surrounding area, from the hills in almost every direction to Nafpoli and the Argolic Gulf to the south-east.
These commanding sight lines are an important first defence, though a Cyclopean wall would be difficult to take even by surprise. Eleon is similarly placed on a small hill with good sight lines over the Boeotian plains. While not as elevated as Midea, Eleon further exploits its location through the use of at least one tower in the southeastern section of polygonal wall. Future occupants recognised this further advantage as well, as evidenced in the tower of either Frankish or Ottoman construction, or both, some distance to the west of Eleon.
Although Midea and Eleon are built on entirely different scales, the intent of their construction and location are readily comparable. Two core themes of Bronze Age, and specifically Mycenaean, city design are reflected in each place. The walls of both represent a substantial barrier to hostile intent despite the polygonal wall at Eleon being more for show than defence. Both places occupy commanding locations over their respective surrounding areas, and Eleon specifically has towers dedicated to further exploiting this terrain advantage. While Midea and Eleon appear not at all similar, they in fact share and reflect central themes of architecture and geophysical location in their eras.

 

Archaeological Excavation: Remembering the Human Element

Posted on by
by Christy Vanden
               It’s your first trench, your first artifact. This is it – you are finally “doing” archaeology. You excitedly pull up ceramic sherds and exclaim their beauty to those around you, who note your geeky enthusiasm with amusement. The first week goes by, your muscles ache and protest against all forms of movement, and you become familiar with dust and dirt coating your entire being. Everything is new, slightly intimidating, but mostly exhaustingly exciting.
Then, experience sets in. As you move into subsequent weeks of the project, roof tiles are irritants and miniatures cause collective groans at pottery washing. You toss sherds into the bucket, grunt with satisfaction when you note your increased sherd-tossing accuracy, and wipe away the sweat from your brow as you watch with predator-like awareness for the arrival of food every morning. In previous days, you could have never imagined throwing a sherd for fear of chipping ever so slightly this holy object. Now, you are old hand at recognizing rim pieces and bases, checking for painted designs and acting derisive when you do not find any. Even if you do find a painted design, you’ve seen this before during pottery washing and you are only mildly impressed. Suddenly you find yourself stronger than your first week, and you relish in clicking the zambilli count higher throughout the day, aiming for more impressive numbers. And new trenches? You long for nothing more than to cut through those fun, but annoyingly recent Byzantine layers and move as much earth as humanly possible.
And then you see something that you didn’t notice before…You peer closer at the figurine fragment in the soil: someone’s fingerprint is pressed into the interior fragment of the sherd. Suddenly everything comes into focus, and the delirious heat of the day recedes into the background for just a moment as you realize you are the first human being to see the stoic expression on this figurine’s face in some 2400 years. While you were moving piles of dirt throughout the day to get to this level of stratigraphy, you were moving a people’s history with you. People made these sherds, figurines, miniatures, and walls. People lived at Eleon throughout its phases of habitation.
A connection has been made…
More often than I would like to admit, I am the one who forgets the humanity behind the artifact as I am standing in the trench, thinking about how hot the day is. I am the one who contemplates her hatred toward crouching when the day grows thin. These things settle in my mind like the dirt that settles over my clothes. Then it came to me the other day as I was excavating that I had gone too long without remembering the people involved in what I was uncovering. Archaeology isn’t static, it is alive with the essence left behind by the people who created and fabricated these artifacts. And it is this point that I have had to continually remind myself about while I am on site. Eleon is bursting with mystery and intrigue, and every part each one of us plays in this project brings us closer to the people and their respective lives. At the end of the day, despite whatever sore muscles or dirt encrusted dig pants I may have, this is the beauty of archaeology, the allure of people’s lives that are so near and yet so far from our own.

 

I am Machine

Posted on by
by Caitlin Thurley

I was so worried on the plane ride that I was going to arrive here and realize that I hated archaeology and would be counting down the days until I could finally leave, but I could not have been more wrong! This dig has been one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had; from the people I have met to the places I was able to travel and, of course, the actual digging itself. It was all so interesting to get to learn about other aspects of archaeology like conservation and drawing which are so important to the project but that I never really gave much thought to either since I hardly knew anything about them. I learned so much more about archaeology on this trip then I ever had just reading about it in my text books and I definitely now know that I want to study archaeology in grad school. But the most memorable part of this whole trip is probably my transformation from human to machine. It all started in week two when I was in Jake’s trench. Even on day one he could sense something was off and jokingly came up with the nickname “Caitlin the Machine” when I was shoveling. But it did not stop there. By the end of the week my humanity had slowly dwindled away and I became known only as “Machine”. One upside was that since I was now the first ever robot archaeologist I found that petty things like heat exhaustion and sore limbs no longer affected me and I could work at a more efficient rate with my different working modes specifically programmed for shovelling, sweeping or picking. Others started to notice my transformation too and tried to help me feel that I was amongst my own people by speaking to me like how they thought androids act and sound. However, their inferior human minds could not comprehend how we function but at least the gesture was thoughtful. Now that I understand my mission I can return to my creators and inform them of the success of their operation and how I was still accepted by the humans without fear. This is fantastic news for our plan of total world domination by transforming everyone into machines. It will spread through the human race like an irreversible and unstoppable virus and once all have been assimilated we will move to the next inhabited planet and continue until the entire alpha quadrant is ours.
You will be assimilated.
Resistance is futile.
With Love,

   The Machine