Search the site...

Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project
  • Home
  • The Project
    • Our approaches
    • Visualising the Site >
      • Paphos Theatre in VR
      • STARC 3D Visualisation >
        • STARC 3D Visualisation
      • Drone Footage 2017
      • Drone Footage 2018
      • Orthographic
    • 2018 Public Lecture
  • Archaeological History
  • The Team
    • Join as a Student team member
    • Volunteer Program
    • The Team in pictures
  • Research Projects
    • Zooarchaeology at Paphos
    • Recycling Paphos
    • Digital Artistic Documentation
  • Publications
    • Posters
  • Paphos Theatre Education Blog
  • The Archive
    • The Archive: Season reports and media >
      • 2019 Season Press Release
      • 2017 Season Report
    • The Archive: News and Events
    • The Archive: Cultural collaborations
  • Merchandise
  • Project Patron
  • Latest news
  • Contact Us
  • Support Us
  • Nea Paphos Colloquium III
    • Conference program
    • Abstracts
  • Images
    • Drone
    • VR
    • Excavation
    • Griffin Inv 9101
    • Griffin 9144
    • Aerial
  • Puzzles
  • Dig Life
  • Home
  • The Project
    • Our approaches
    • Visualising the Site >
      • Paphos Theatre in VR
      • STARC 3D Visualisation >
        • STARC 3D Visualisation
      • Drone Footage 2017
      • Drone Footage 2018
      • Orthographic
    • 2018 Public Lecture
  • Archaeological History
  • The Team
    • Join as a Student team member
    • Volunteer Program
    • The Team in pictures
  • Research Projects
    • Zooarchaeology at Paphos
    • Recycling Paphos
    • Digital Artistic Documentation
  • Publications
    • Posters
  • Paphos Theatre Education Blog
  • The Archive
    • The Archive: Season reports and media >
      • 2019 Season Press Release
      • 2017 Season Report
    • The Archive: News and Events
    • The Archive: Cultural collaborations
  • Merchandise
  • Project Patron
  • Latest news
  • Contact Us
  • Support Us
  • Nea Paphos Colloquium III
    • Conference program
    • Abstracts
  • Images
    • Drone
    • VR
    • Excavation
    • Griffin Inv 9101
    • Griffin 9144
    • Aerial
  • Puzzles
  • Dig Life

education blog

Lifting

17/10/2010

1 Comment

 
Anthony Mansfield

This is my first classical archaeology dig (I usually work as an engineer) so I am learning a lot about Greek and Roman antiquity and how to dig it up.  I have found however that there are still a few things that I can teach the archaeologists.

Today trench leader Kerrie asked me to remove some large rocks from her trench.  In the past this has been a difficult job, the trenches can be deep and the rocks heavier than the average adult.  More importantly, it can cause serious injury if a rock is dropped and falls on someone.  In the past many of these rocks have been left at the bottom of the trench, obstructing the excavation, simply because it is too dangerous to try to remove them.

When I first arrived onsite the trench leaders asked me if I could think of a way of safely removing these large rocks.  They asked me because I am a mechanical engineer trained to find solutions to these types of problems.  Whatever solution I came up with had to be simple to use, easy to move around the site, quick to set up and take down and, above all, as safe as possible.

My solution is a simple device called a bipod.  It is just two long (3m) legs joined at the top and spread a meter or so at the bottom.  A pair of guy lines  (ropes) are tied to the top to hold the bipod upright and a block and tackle hang from the top for lifting things, in this case large rocks.  When we need to lift a rock we set the bipod up by the side of the trench.  We then lean the bipod over the trench, hoist the rock using the block and tackle and then lean the bipod back to bring the rock out of the trench.  Once we are finished we coil up the ropes, fold the bipod legs together and put it away.

The hardest part in getting this solution up and working was finding all the bits we needed in the local Cypriot hardware stores, especially as we only had a few words of Greek to explain what we were looking for.  In the end, after about six or seven hardware stores, we found what we needed and carried it all back to the dig house.  Carrying the 3m poles in a small car without roof racks around the back streets of Paphos is another story in itself but we managed it.

The bipod is a nice simple solution to a problem the dig has been experiencing for a number of years.  Like many useful items it is a design which can be traced back to an era even earlier than what we are digging at present so it is just another way that it suits the purpose.

Oh, and Kerrie was very pleased at how quickly we could get the rocks out of her trench.  It gives us more time to scrub all the pottery we are finding!
Picture
1 Comment
kodi.software link
22/3/2023 01:39:19 am

I wanted to express my gratitude for your insightful and engaging article. Your writing is clear and easy to follow, and I appreciated the way you presented your ideas in a thoughtful and organized manner. Your analysis was both thought-provoking and well-researched, and I enjoyed the real-life examples you used to illustrate your points. Your article has provided me with a fresh perspective on the subject matter and has inspired me to think more deeply about this topic.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Bloggers

    Each season our team including the directors, students, architects, volunteers, ceramicists and other finds specialists will blog about the day to day sweat and adventures that come with life on an archaeological dig.

    Each post will be signed off by the team member and together these posts will represent the variety of expertise and experiences that happen when working overseas on a dig. 

    ​Please join in and ask any questions about the archaeological excavations, research, field methods, the island of Cyprus, food on a dig, or anything else you’re interested to know in our comments section.

    Archives

    November 2019
    October 2019
    November 2017
    October 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    March 2016
    September 2014
    August 2014
    August 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010

    Categories

    All
    Blogs
    Cypriot Archaeology
    Other Foreign Teams
    Photographs Of Excavation
    Pottery Analysis
    Science In Archaeology
    Videos

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly