Two weeks until the Zagora 2014 excavations begin

Remember your kneepads

A trowel, heavy duty work gloves and kneepads are valuable personal items for archaeologists. Working at Zagora, you also need safety goggles to avoid getting grit in your eyes and a trekking pole can help to stabilise you on the rocky path. © PHM; photo by Irma Havlicek

Permission has been granted by the Greek Ministry of Culture, paperwork filled out, schedules set, staff and volunteers recruited, flights and accommodation booked, insurance arranged, van/car hire planned (along with who will be designated drivers in Greece), and the vast variety and volumes of equipment and supplies selected, hired or purchased, along with planning how to get it all to Zagora. A huge task of logistics.

Participants too have to ready themselves for travel and make sure they have the gear they will require for their time on Andros.

Excavation equipment in the dig hut. The slender green pole close to the centre of the frame, leaning slightly to the right against the table, is my trekking pole in its retracted state; it extends to a convenient height. I recommend one to help avoid slipping or turning your ankle on the walk down the path to Zagora. © PHM; photo by Irma Havlicek

2014 ZAP briefings

Two briefing sessions for 2014 ZAP participants were held in the Centre for Classical and Near Eastern Studies of Australia (CCANESA) board room on 27 June. The first, at 10am, was for this year’s trench supervisors; then at 2pm, there was an induction session and briefing for all team members, some of whom have not been to Zagora before. All were provided with lists of what to take to Andros along with other useful information about living there. There will be further briefings for trench supervisors and volunteers once on Andros.

Dr Stavros Paspalas, Professor Meg Miller and Dr Lesley Beaumont in the CCANESA boardroom

From left: Stavros Paspalas, Meg Miller, Lesley Beaumont and Professor Emeritus Alexander Cambitoglou in the CCANESA boardroom presenting the team briefing for the 2014 Zagora Archaeological Project excavation season. © PHM; photo by Irma Havlicek

Dr Paul Donnelly, Powerhouse Museum curator, archaeologist, and ZAP team member (one of the site supervisors) proves nifty with a vacuum cleaner, in preparation for the evening’s presentation. © PHM; photo by Irma Havlicek

2014 ZAP lecture

The induction and briefing session was followed by a lecture about the 2013 archaeological season at Zagora, presented by Meg Miller. Meg’s lecture was introduced by Professor Emeritus Alexander Cambitoglou, who led the Australian excavations at Zagora in the 1960s and 70s.

Professor Alexander Cambitoglou introducing the 2014 seminar

In his introduction of the presentation by Meg Miller, Professor Emeritus Alexander Cambitoglou spoke of Zagora in the 1960s and 70s, when he was the director of the Australian team excavating there. © PHM; photo by Irma Havlicek