Afternoons in Dilesi

This week we started our new work schedule. Because of the greater morning light and hotter afternoon temperatures, we now leave for the site at 6 am from Dilesi. The drive is about 25 minutes so work is underway by 6:30. No one really complained about this change. We work until first break at 9:30 (eggs, fresh bread, good cheese, and cherries), then work until 11:30, when we have 'nut break', and then until 1/1:15.  Lunch follows in Arma - which is always delicious at Stavroula's. Then home for a break/siesta/swim, like much of Greece, especially in the summer.
What do we do in the afternoons? Mostly, wash pottery!

Today, however, before pot washing, Vicky Karas gave a short lecture on conservation which was very informative. Many students are very interested in this aspect of archaeology, where expert conservators try to stop the degradation of our archaeological finds after they are removed from the ground. Vicky has contributed a lot to our project by helping diggers and supervisors work on conservation from the minute an object is excavated, to its study, and then its eventual storage.
Our students work at a kind of conservation by washing all the pottery and bones that come in each day. With a large team like we have there is the potential for chaos but for the most part things go very well. The supervisors work on their notebooks and process their pottery finds - weighing, counting, sorting. Students help with this too.We work from 5-7 usually, and then have a short break for drinks, showers, email before dinner at 8.  Above are some photos of today's afternoon work session.