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.