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Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project
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  • 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

life in the trenches

21/10/2019

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With a pouring of a wine named ‘Aphrodite’ as a libation, the first trench was opened at Paphos 2019 a few weeks ago. 

Gathered around was our dig director, Craig Barker (close your eyes, and he sounds like Russell Crowe), trench leaders with decades-long archaeological experience in far-flung locations, student volunteers, couples who had met on previous digs and gone on to forge lives in archaeology, lecturing and art (and bring their 4 and 2 year old children to the dig!), not to mention opera singers, writers, former teachers, scientists, policewomen and academics.  

Over the ensuing days, in the still hot autumn weather, we worked along-side each other - digging and excavating in the morning, or grouped around buckets of pottery in the afternoon, scrubbing sherds one-by-one.

With our trench leaders’ exhortations in our ears, we were reminded to dig across, not down; go from the known to the unknown; watch for changes in context; and dig systematically. Friendly chats or moments of focus were most commonly broken by a shriek of excitement from an enthusiastic student coming across a find: ‘OMG, it’s so cool!’

And who could deny that frisson of excitement from the strike of your trowel off a hoped-for Roman road, the flash of colour from a Medieval pottery sherd or the realisation that you had found the magic number of rocks – three i.e. a wall!

Unfortunately I had to leave towards the end of Week 3 - I was told I would avoid the Week 4 blues, and the panic and closure of Week 5. But Paphos gets under your skin and like many others before you, you know you’ll be back. 

My lasting memory will be of our first dinner, in the cool of the early evening, in the orchestra of the ancient theatre. You could almost imagine what it might have been like 2,000 years ago, relaxing and laughing as the sun set, being touched in the surrounds of this awe-inspiring building by the sublime. 

Nadia Mencinsky
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Piecing it Together: The Sorting Tables

21/10/2019

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​This season the sorting tables are laden as we examine our assemblage of material from past seasons, and make important links towards interpreting the site. 

The sorting tables on an excavation act as a hub where material that has been dug from the site is grouped together and interpreted visually, and significant observations about the assemblage are made. The tables also serve as a station where key collection management and care can be carried out. 


Boxes of finds from past seasons are are being unpacked at the tables, and finds are being laid out according to their trench and deposit number. Finds are being grouped within this according to ceramic and object type, e.g. Amphorae, Roman Red Slip, Cooking Ware; architectural fragment, tesserae, etc. 

Finds specialists from the team have been examining each deposit to establish a rough relative chronology, and to earmark key objects for addition to our inventory system and later, possible conservation and publication. It's also at the sorting tables that interesting links such as adjoining pieces of pots, or relationships of objects between and across deposits can be most clearly seen. 

Once this interpretive process is complete, finds are being repacked for storage. This is a great opportunity to inspect and replace our packing materials for deterioration over time and conditions, and to ensure labelling is checked and materials updated for longer term storage and accessibility.

- Emma Conroy
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WORK ON SITE Today

18/10/2019

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VIsitors to the site

17/10/2019

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We were pleased to welcome some familiar Australian accents to the site when a group from Renaissance Tours under the guidance of Dr Christopher Allen came to visit us.
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An army (of archaeologists) marches on Its stomach

16/10/2019

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With a team of 70 people this year we are constantly trying to find ingenious ways of feeding everyone meals.

So fig trees were a temptation to some of the team on kitchen duty and the fruits of their labour (pardon the pun) were enjoyed the next day by the team.
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Where are we digging in 2019

13/10/2019

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In 2019 the team has opened eight trenches so far.

Trench 19A is positioned above the Roman road and is a continuation of the trench begun in our last field season and designated as 17A. Trench 19A will reveal tumble collapse over the road. 

Trench 19B is a small area of the road's drain which has been revealed by lifting two small pavers. It will give us access to an area of fill of the drain approximately 50cm x 50cm.

Trenches 19C and 19D are both positioned on the eastern edge of the site close to a modern road and both are designed to pick up more of the road pavers. They will in all likelihood be expanded as the season continues.

Trenches 19E and 19F are both positioned on the top of Fabrika hill and both are designed to reveal more of a significant medieval structure revealed a number of seasons ago.

Trench 19G will expand upon the bedrock cuts associated with the foundations of the rear of the Antonine stage building, while Trench 19H is south of the theatre and deliberately positioned to attempt to pick up the next E-W road in this section of the ancient Roman city of Paphos.

There will be changes as the season progresses and there will be days of excitement in some trenches and days of frustration in some of the others, but the objective of this year is uncover a number of different aspects of Hellenistic, Roman and Medieval Paphos.
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The dawning of a new season: Paphos theatre 2019

13/10/2019

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The sunrises over the 2019 field season!

Last week we began work back at the site of the Hellenistic-Roman theatre of Nea Paphos; our first excavation season since 2017 and the nineteenth excavation season.

In 2019 the team (more than 70 people!) will be opening trenches above the theatre on Fabrika hill, over the Roman road south of the theatre and along the foundations of the stage building. Follow us in coming weeks as we excavate a number of trenches, analysis and study the finds from this and past seasons, and learn more about the ancient theatre of Paphos.
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PAINTED FRESCOES = STREET ART?

2/11/2017

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The study of the traces of painted plaster from the Roman phases of the Paphos theatre by Professor Diana Wood Conroy is one of the most exciting aspects of the Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project. It gives a tantalising glimpse of how colourful antiquity must have been, as well as the creative expression on the walls of the theatre (an old building by the time of the application of the paint brush to the plastered surface of the parodoi in the Antonine phase).

That is why it is exciting to see splashes of colour on old walls now in Ktima Paphos as part of the Pafos2017 festivities.  Street art is reflective of contemporary culture just as the designs on the theatre's wall reflected Roman tastes and styles.  Some of the works exhibited in Paphos are extraordinary.

One can only wonder what future archaeologist will make of the faded traces of the painted walls of Paphos c. 2017.
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The Street Art Square Festival was part of Pafos2017 celebrations.
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The things that get found

2/11/2017

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In amongst our more usual finds each season - ceramic sherds, architectural pieces, rusted metals and fragments of glass ancient to modern, there is always something odd.  Something which doesn't quite fit.

Trench 17B this year provided the team with that "odd" object - a cassette tape in one of the upper layers, very close to one of the former farms used as a dig house in the early seasons of the excavations.

​Perhaps it was left there by one of the students in our first mid-1990s seasons.  After all, the walkman was still a popular form of entertainment then, long before digital music platforms.  

The archaeology of archaeology!
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UNE STudents STUDY BONES

1/11/2017

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In a first for the Paphos Theatre project, a team of students from the University of New England (UNE), led by Dr. Melanie Fillios, joined the project to study the animal bones recovered from the site.

Eight students
 examined the bone recovered from trenches situated at the top of the theatre seating, with a view toward contributing information regarding the function of the structure from which they were recovered.It was a steep learning curve for the Advanced Zooarchaeology students, but an unparalleled opportunity for all involved to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom to the field. We all had a wonderful time, taking advantage of the unique opportunity afforded by  being on a working archaeological site. We look forward to many more of these seasons, and want to extend our sincere thanks to the project for extending this opportunity to us.

Dr Melanie Fillios
University of New England

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    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.

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    ​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.

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