Although the excavation has finished for 2010, the work continues on.  A small team led by Emeritus Professor Richard Green continues to work in Paphos, staying at the Apollo for a further fortnight, getting material ready for publication.  In particular they are focusing on medieval material found in a well on the site a couple of years ago which was probably filled following a devastating earthquake in 1303AD.
This team includes inventory managers, specialists of particular types of finds, photography and archaeological illustration.  It is an important reminder that archaeology is not just about digging.  Indeed the work continues right up until the completion of the research and interpretation and the eventual publication of the results.  The Australian team takes our commitment to publishing our results very seriously and this extended season is a way for us to catc
Digging can be very addictive.  But of course it must be remembered that the more you dig, the more you find and therefore the more you need to process.  It is likely in the near future we will have a study season; i.e. a season in Paphos where we do not dig but rather focus on studying material found in previous years.

Bob Miller - Team Photographer

I have been fortunate to witness the enormous changes to the ancient theatre site since joining the Paphos Theatre project in1997.  Then a few tiered seat platforms jutted out from amongst the bushes and topsoil, while now a substantial theatre has been uncovered from its dormant state.  There is much yet to do to fully assess the Theatre and the adjoining structures as the team grapple with understanding brought on by exploring and experiencing the site.  My contribution is by photographing the site over 14 years  that creates a record of those changes and the photographs that can then be used to interpret the site and features. There have also been fantastic leaps in technology especially during the last decade, which can assist us in “seeing more clearly”.  This includes hanging a digital camera from a helium filled balloon for aerial photos of the site.

As senior photographer for the site and artefacts there has also been the change from a film based recording to digital imaging. Digital photography has brought new challenges, however overall the digital process allows the archaeological photographer unparallel advances and with processing no longer dependant on chemicals and all the other variables to give more  consistent results.  Also without the cost of film I can take many more images, typically around 6,000 for both a full site and artefact season. So far this season just concentrating on the studio I have created over 1700 photos where an individual object may have  8 or 10 different views. When studying the material and objects back in Australia it is the drawings and photographs that provide much of our information so getting the best out of each item is important.


One of the exciting things about being an archaeological photographer is the handling of all the best items, often photographing them ‘in-situ’ when they are discovered, and then again in the ‘studio’ where the detail can be brought out with lights and macro lenses.  Being a photographer is in a way a passport in to some many different situations that many people would never have an opportunity to experience, and certainly archaeology is one of those areas of life. It that has so much to offer if you’re prepared for the often adverse conditions and challenges  that are part of the equation.

Jennie Lindbergh - Senior Archaeologist and Mosaic Researcher

I have been coming to Paphos since 1996 and this is the first season that I haven’t run a trench.  I have had to experience the excitement of discovery vicariously.  The excitement and anticipation of first-timers, particularly the students as they know they’re reaching the Roman road, or the bottom of the pit, or finally understanding what all those Mediaeval walls mean, or discover yet another unexpected feature associated with the theatre, is palpable.  I did however, get to experience that excitement of discovery first hand again on the last day of digging.  In 2004, we had discovered two floor mosaics associated with the eastern and western parodoi (entries), and a part of a polychromatic geometric carpet mosaic.  This polychromatic mosaic was the most exciting thing I had ever discovered in nearly 20 years as an archaeologist, and late in the season it was decided to open a small trench in the hope of exposing more of it.  I had to go to Nicosia to do some research and was told to be back by Wednesday morning because ‘that’s when we get to it’.  I was probably the only person who knew with absolute certainty that at least part of the mosaic would be uncovered; the unknowns were how much of it would we find, and in what condition.

Another exciting day!  Not only was the full extent of the mosaic carpet exposed, but it was in pretty good condition, particularly as my theory is that columns were smashed up over the top of it during a later quarrying period in the theatre.  Of course now for the most exciting aspect of archaeology, trying to work out what it means for our understanding of the theatre.  I have been working on the chapter on the mosaics for the excavation report, and this season has been an opportunity for additional research, so I know quite a lot about the mosaic; I can date it and we have numerous parallels from within Paphos and nearby towns, including the Roman city of Kourion along the coast to the east.  What is perhaps the most exciting thing about this discovery is that there are very few theatres with surviving mosaic floors, and we now have four distinct mosaic carpets.  These are the already mentioned associated with the eastern and western parodoi, and a mosaic on the floor of a large building interpreted as a nymphaeum, all of which are black and white carpets.  And now to have this complete polychromatic mosaic carpet is truly exciting!  

Philippa Sokol - Student team member

I was a student member on the Paphos Theatre Dig 2010 for the first 2.5 weeks of this year's season.  I currently work as a archaeologists in Newcastle where the majoirity of my work involves Aboriginal archaeology, so having the opportunity to participate at the Paphos dig enabled me to develop new skills, learn about a different field of archaeology, meet new people and have a fantastic time.

During my time on the dig I was a member in Kerrie's trench.  My best memories of working with Kerrie in her trench was the continuous learning and encouragement between fellow trenchees, and of course the much needed support during the excavation of a series of Roman pipes which were dated to approximately 160AD. Such an excavation required patience and persistence to remove the surrounding rocks and plaster that held the pipes together in segments. The other was when David and I had the chance to excavate a substantial piece of glassware which appeared to contain a stem and base using only dental tools and a fine brush.

Outside of the trench I used my days off in Cyprus to explore parts of the island. The first weekend a small group of us explored the Catacombs located across the road from the Apollo and visited Aphrodite's rock which involved swimming in the crystal clear waters and soaking up the sun on the beach. My Cyprus adventures continued the following weekend with some site seeing of the Troodos mountains, heading north to Keryneia and visiting Bellapais Abbey and hiking up the many hundreds of steps of St. Hillarion Castle.

But like all good things my time on the dig was short lived and must come to an end. My time in Paphos was a blast and such a great experience. I hope to come back and experience it all over again.

Taryn Gooley - Student team member

Hi my name is Taryn Gooley and the 2010 season of the Paphos Theatre Project is the first excavation I have participated in. I recently finished my honours degree in Classical Archaeology at the University of Sydney. My thesis focused on Mediterranean shipwrecks and the evidence they could provide on trade in the classical period, so excavating a Hellenistic theatre is something very different and exciting for me
to learn about. I was assigned to Trench 10 F and under the watchful eye of our trench leader Ronan, it was our objective to try and determine what was between the rear of the stage building and the Roman road.

This site is particularly interesting to me as it has various features ranging from the Hellenistic period right through to modern times. This was immediately obvious in our first day of digging as within the first two hours we had uncovered the beginnings of a medieval wall (one of many exciting developments for myself and my trench buddy Pamela, both unseasoned archaeologists.) As we progressed through the season we found two more walls all at very odd angles which appear to have been constructed at
various times throughout the medieval period. I was very lucky to have found a Bronze Byzantine(?) coin lodged in the dirt coating a piece of pottery I removed during our clean up of one of our many confusing Medieval walls.

After days of hard work and lots of shoveling (after which I discovered muscles I didn’t know I had), we finally reached the Roman road in the rear of our trench. Once the road was cleaned we were able to focus on removing one of our walls and taking the western side of our trench down to the same level as our Roman road. We finally completed this task today (our last day on site ) to much excitement as
this part of our trench has a giant set of stairs cut into the bedrock which could possibly lead up to the theatre.

My experiences here in Paphos including waking up at the crack of dawn and shoveling tonnes of dirt (a task which has given me insight into why council workers so often seem to be having smoko breaks), carefully cleaning and sorting pottery, drinking at Aces and eating pastries from Zorpas, as well as the people who I’ve met, have allayed any (very minor, placed into my consciousness by parents and
grandparents) doubts I had over not choosing a ‘sensible’ profession. I’ll definitely be back again next year!

Emma Hayles and Jesse Clarke – Student team members

As students at Sydney University it is really interesting to see some of the practices that we have been taught in theory put into action. As first time archaeologists-in-training it is fascinating to see the dynamics of the team and what roles student members, trench supervisors and specialists play; it has really given us an idea of the multitude of fields an archaeologist can take.

On site there is a continual hustle and bustle of picking, hoeing, shovelling and dusting – there is so much cleaning (thanks Hugh)… In the last week of digging we have cleaned trench 09C and it’s wall for photographing, picked away the modern walls (there was three of them), cleaned the clay surface under the walls so that they could be photographed again, dug through a layer containing a huge amount of pottery (which we affectionately call 'uber-context') and finally uncovered more Roman road, continuing mosaic and three pipes; pretty good for 4 days of work.

After we’ve re-fuelled at lunch with ham sandwiches, salads and the occasional cake we set our sights for the pottery mats and all the cleaning, sorting and bagging that is bound to ensue; we now know how to sort – amphorae, amphorae, and more amphorae. Most nights in the Apollo we are fortunate enough to learn from experienced senior members of the team about artefact drawing, site photography and heritage management (just to name a few), as well as their own personal excavation experiences.

But its not just all work and no play, our free time is filled with drinking, sunbathing, Mighty Boosh watching and salsa dancing, not to mention the 24 hour cake patisserie that is no more than 100 metres from the dighouse. Just this weekend we hosted a good old fashion Aussie barbeque with backyard cricket, home made lamingtons, but sadly no shrimp.

We can’t believe that we only have one more week left, and there’s still so much to do! Oh well, guess we’ll just have to come back next year J.