by Irma Havlickova
Powerhouse Museum Web Producer
We have a large contingent of people working on the 2013 Zagora Archaeological Project. Over six weeks there will be some 50 people at Batsi working on the project. They are not all here at once. Some are staying for the entire period, some are doing the first three weeks, some are doing the second three weeks, and a few are doing different periods. At the peak there will be 39 people staying here at the same time. It’s formidable in terms of the logistics required, especially as most people are travelling thousands of kilometres to be here, and it requires a plane to Athens, a ferry to the island of Andros, and land transport from the port on Andros to Batsi, where we are staying.
Through the friendship developed last year between Zagora archaeologist and mariner, Steven Vasilakis, and restaurateur, mariner and philosopher, Thanassis Schinas (see posts on their archaeo-mariner expedition here, and on our visit to Thanassis’ and his wife, Angeliki Marinaki’s, restaurant here), we have an office at Batsi. Thanassis kindly offered some space he has available in a nearby building (only about 100 metres from our accommodation) which we are using for our offices this year.
This is greatly appreciated by the project as people work so hard and such very long hours (especially the directors of the project and Andrew Wilson and Beatrice McLoughlin) that it is a huge relief for the office to be so close to their hotel rooms.
I will be posting more later about the vital work they are doing, but for now I just want to show you the office.
Because the team has had to transport everything, they have only the bare essentials. But there is the compensation of the wonderful sea view!
4 thoughts on “The Zagora office at Batsi”
Nice to see people working to a background of lovely Aegean sunshine and I beautiful view of the Aegean! Is that a Leica TC 732 I spy on the desk? They are good reliable units.I use a TS15 myself.A Really amazing piece of equipment and indispensable for what I do, and cheap if you know where to buy them outside of NZ.
Thanks for your comment but we are not looking to purchase equipment at this stage.
How do they manage to do any work with that view in front of them?! – I’d spend the whole day staring out of the window!
Strangely, everyone is so committed, they barely take their eyes off the laptops or digital tablets they are working on, even with that magnificent view just across the road. I know – I’ve seen it. Everyone is keenly aware that time on the project is limited and we have to do the most and the best we can in the time we have here. Though, I must add, at the end of most hot working days, many of us are to be found bobbing about or snorkelling or playing games in the sea across the road.