Ok, so two days in the field and I am sore. Really, really sore. But it has been a lot of fun. We're digging a deep square hole right now. It started as a joke, because that's what you do in archaeology, but not always, or not necessarily. This time it's really almost a 2 meter deep hole. We don't know what it is. It doesn't seem to have enough stuff in it for a well, and the bedrock is only on three sides, and not four, like a typical well. It also has a vertical concave depression on one side, making it more confusing. Suggestions anyone?

But, at the end of today there are currently several large pot sherds (pieces of pottery) poking out of the ground. As much as we just want to yank them out, we can't. You have to dig in an even and level manner to retain the context and important information that can be contained therein. Say you find pottery from one period in one level, and it changes in another level, it's telling you that you're digging from two separate time periods. It's simple, but important to know. 

And enough archaeology. We didn't get to see the citadel of Mycenae yet because it was closed on Sunday due to the elections. I'll have to truck up there one of these days just for you guys.

By the way, you won't be seeing any pictures of the sites themselves. Sorry! Since none of the work has been published I can't post anything online of what we're doing. Boss's orders.

So I'm sure you're interested in Greece. It's really pretty. There are mountains and shrubs and a few pine trees. It seems like there is constantly wind, but that might be the season. There are orange and apricot groves all over, and vineyards and olive groves cover the slopes. Well, they cover the slopes around different archaeological sites. All of the groves are privately owned and the government owns the land where the sites are (some of the time) so the trees come right up to the tombs. The people are really friendly but the shop owners holler at you to eat at their restaurant over the other guy's. The fruit and food is delicious. It's so fresh! I'll remember to take pictures of the food as I go along. I've just been lazy and forgetting my camera.

Alright, well, I promised pictures and here you are! Tidbits of Mycenae, Greece. I hope you enjoy!

I have no idea what this sign says but it's pointing to a Mycenaean bridge.

Here's the bridge from about 20 ft away

This is the bridge from the road

 

The exterior of the Tomb of Atreus
It is a tholos tomb in rather good condition
This is at the outside of the dromos, or walkway

The interior of the dome of the tholos

These pretty purple flowers are pretty prevalent on the sides of the roads

Baby olives! They are everywhere!

Literally! All along the road and everything!

And there are strays everywhere in town. This one is apparently Barry.
He enjoyed a good pork bone yesterday, courtesy of on of the guys.

P.S. The Tomb of Atreus is not necessarily Atreus's tomb. It's just called that because we don't know who was in it. All of the tholos tombs in the vicinity of Mycenae were robbed in antiquity so we don't even know what sort of grave goods they contained.