Catherine Mellor, Author at Zagora Archaeological Project

It’s a Wrap, Season Finale !

November 3, 2024 by Catherine Mellor

After six incredible weeks the 2024 Zagora Archaeological Project field season is coming to a conclusion this weekend as we prepare to say farewell to our second group of students and to many of our field specialists.

In addition to the field school the Project had a number of aims for this season, particularly exploring a possible ancient ‘industrial’ zone near the fortification wall, expanding trenches from the 2019 season, and exploring and surveying areas of the hinterland. We made use of drone technology this season to map and model the site and the results of our work, completed surface survey of selected areas of the hinterland, and updated GIS plans of the site with our new discoveries.

The past few days were dedicated to recording and backfilling all our excavated trenches this field season in order to protect and preserve the archaeology for future research and from deterioration by the elements and wandering sheep and goats. The task of backfilling the excavated trenches is physically demanding and requires all available hands working together as an efficient team. The students of the second part of the season proved to be more than up to the challenge, completing backfilling and cleaning the site ahead of schedule.

This has been another wonderful group of students who have come a long way as budding field archaeologists from their first day on site. As with the first group, students have experienced using large and small tools and to identify changes in stratigraphy. They have also learnt how to open new trenches, and how to record and document the work and the finds made, all while moving tons of earth and stone. And not least of all they have learned the art of cleaning trenches and stone in preparation for final photos and photogrammetry, all while dealing with extremely windy conditions for most their time on site.

We thank them for all their hard work and positive attitude and their interactions with the many visitors we have received on site. We wish them success in the future and kalo taxidi!

Zagora Site Open Day Success

October 31, 2024 by Catherine Mellor

On Monday October 28^th the Zagora Archaeological Project as part of its community outreach and engagement, held a public open day event. We were very gratified to receive and welcome approximately seventy people on a lovely autumn afternoon.

Our visitors were a mix of residents from across Andros, encompassing children, teenagers, adults of all ages and several pet dogs, and tourists to the island. We were pleased to have a number of familiar faces from Batsi and Chora who were curious to see what the Australian archaeologists have been doing all these weeks!

After providing some background of the site, past excavations and the aims for the 2024 field season, Co-director Lesley Beaumont led a tour, after which visitors were able to observe some of the current work taking place this field season and even chat to our archaeologists and trench supervisors.

We have made many friends over the years in Andros and we hope we have added new ones this field season. We value their support for the Project and thank all our visitors for making the afternoon a huge success.

Community Outreach and Engagement at Zagora Continues

October 26, 2024 by Catherine Mellor

Community Outreach and Engagement at Zagora Continues

Public Lecture

On Thursday evening October 24^th two of the Co-Directors of the Zagora Archaeological Project, Dr Stavros Paspalas and Dr Lesley Beaumont, presented a public lecture at the Demotiko Theatre in Chora. The lecture “Australia in Andros: Archaeological Research at Zagora” was presented in Modern Greek and provided the wider community with an opportunity to learn about the Project’s aims and the work undertaken at Zagora this year in relation to the previous excavations.

Site Open Day

Following visits to the Zagora site by local primary school pupils from the Public School of Mesaria and from the Andros Senior High School, we are also welcoming visitors to explore and gain a greater understanding of the work being done by the Zagora Archaeological Project at our Open Day at the site on Monday October 28^th. The Project runs an Open Day every field season as an important element of its community outreach and engagement. A guided tour of the site will be provided, and visitors will also witness our archaeologists hard at work in various trenches. Zagora Open Day Poster

To view details of open day click the following link: Zagora24 Open Day Poster

Special Visitors to Site – Part Two. Community Outreach and Engagement at Zagora

October 26, 2024October 22, 2024 by Catherine Mellor

An important aspect of the Zagora Archaeological Project is engagement with the local communities in which we work.

As members of the Zagora Archaeological Project we are warmly welcomed each field season by the Andriot community. We are grateful for this welcome and also acknowledge that we have been afforded a great privilege by the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sport to work at Zagora. This season as part of the Project’s community engagement we have welcomed three groups (and soon a fourth) of school children to a guided tour of the Zagora exhibition at the Archaeological Museum of Chora and also a group to the Zagora site itself. In addition our work featured in an article in Evandros magazine ( Evandros-Zagora Article ) and we will also present a public lecture on the Zagora excavations at the Demotiko Theatro in the Chora of Andros on the evening of October 24th. (Chora Public Lecture Flyer )

The visit of 29 primary school children, teachers and parents from the Public School of Mesaria to the Zagora site took place on Friday 18th October. This was a joyful day, with the students showing a great deal of curiosity and interest as they were shown around the site by Dr Lesley Beaumont and observed our archaeologists at work. Earlier in the week they visited the Archaeological Museum at Chora for a tour of the Zagora galleries with Dr Stavros Paspalas who explained the context and work taking place at Zagora and its importance to the history of Andros and the wider Aegean. Dr Paspalas also guided two groups from the Andros Senior High School (Γενικό Λύκειο Άνδρου) through the museum’s Zagora exhibition. We hope that we have inspired some future archaeologists!

A Public Lecture on “Australia in Andros: Archaeological Research at Zagora” will take place on Thursday, 24^th October at 7pm at the Demotiko Theatre in Chora. The lecture will be presented in Modern Greek.

Presented by Directors Dr Lesley Beaumont and Dr Stavros Paspalas, the lecture will provide the wider community with the work that has been taking place at Zagora recently.

To read the article in Evandros Magazine click the link: Evandros -Zagora article

To see the Public Lecture Flyer click the link: Chora Public Lecture Flyer

Special Visitors to Site – Part One

October 20, 2024October 18, 2024 by Catherine Mellor

This week we were very fortunate to welcome a number of special visitors to Zagora. These were great opportunities for Co-Directors Associate Professor Lesley Beaumont, Dr Paul Donnelly, Dr Stavros Paspalas and the team to share the exciting work that is being undertaken by the Zagora Archaeological Project.

On Tuesday we were joined by the Director of the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens (AAIA) Professor Tamar Hodos and Administrative Assistant Mrs Panagiota Korompli of the Athens office. The AAIA is a great supporter of the Zagora Archaeological Project and is the foreign institute through which the Project receives its fieldwork permit from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport. Professor Hodos was very enthusiastic about seeing the site and the progress to date.

On a very blustery Wednesday we also welcomed Australia’s Ambassador to Greece, Her Excellency Alison Duncan and Mr Richard Palmer. They showed great interest and curiosity about the work being done and engaged warmly with students and supervisors.

Both delegations were given an extensive tour of the site, its history and significance by Dr Beaumont, in addition to speaking with each of the trench supervisors regarding the current work being undertaken this season. They then also continued to the Chora Archaeological Museum to enjoy a guided tour of the finds from Zagora by Dr Stavros Paspalas.

On behalf of the Co-Directors, we wish to thank both these delegations for taking a day out of their very busy schedules to make the significant journey to Zagora from Athens during very windy conditions.

On Friday we were honoured with a surprise visit from the eminent retired archaeologist Professor Ze’ev Herzog and his son while holidaying in Andros. Professor Herzog was excavator of Tel Beer Sheba, Tel Michal, Tel Gerisa, Tel Yafo, as well as Tel Hazor, Megiddo and Tel Arad.

Having visited the museums in Chora and Paleopolis Professor Herzog and his son were eager to see the site of Zagora itself and were given a tour by Dr Lesley Beaumont and trench supervisors. We very much appreciate and thank Professor Herzog for his interest and visit to Zagora.

Farewell to the 2024 First Season Students

October 12, 2024October 12, 2024 by Catherine Mellor

As the first three weeks of the Zagora Archaeological Project come to an end, we say goodbye to our first group of students and prepare to welcome a new student team. This has been a wonderful group who have come a long way as budding field archaeologists from that first daunting day on site.

We have seen excellent teamwork and bonding among students over the shared experience of the challenges of accessing the site and the physical nature of some of the work. Students have been learning to use large and small tools and to identify changes in stratigraphy. They have also learnt how to lay out and open new trenches, and how to record and document the work and the finds made, all while moving tons of earth and stone. And, of course, enjoying the thrill of finding their first pottery sherds!

Here are a few personal observations from some of the students as they reflect on their experience in Zagora.

Sabine: “It was really something else seeing the site for the time in person after studying it class. It made my degree feel real and helped me realise that I could actually do this for my life.”

Sanju: “What will I take back to the classroom as a teacher? I think being able to talk to what archaeologists actually do in the field. It’s not just reading about famous archaeologists from the past uncovering tombs or temples, but it’s the everyday stuff that we are looking at here, to see why that’s important and bring it to life. We’ve also been able to have access to experts in their field such as the conservationist, illustrator and drone specialist.”

Ella: “The routine of early starts and the hikes were definitely an adjustment and difficult both physically and mentally, but we got to enjoy the sunrise everyday at the site…. Zagora has made me realise we are a lot stronger than we think we are!”

Rory: “I particularly like studying the iron age, so seeing the site in person is really cool. Coming to Zagora has definitely confirmed my interest in studying archaeology. I also understood the importance of recording our work every day.”

Rose: “In the beginning it was all new and overwhelming, but now coming to site each day feels familiar and good. I wanted to come and see whether field archaeology was for me, and while this has been a phenomenal experience and I have enjoyed every second, I feel that I don’t have the drive for the physicality it requires and prefer to focus on other aspects of archaeology. “

Charli: “As a classics student the experience of an archaeological dig in gaining an understanding of the everyday lives of these people is so enriching and great for context when it comes to my studies of the socio-economic aspects of ancient Greece. I study the laws and day to day practices, and seeing the houses has allowed me to imagine what it was like to be here in the iron age. Coming to a dig for the first time was daunting, but every day I see the same kind of sunrise and the same landscape, as the people of Zagora. By being on site, I feel connected to these people in a way that texts can’t give you and it has enriched my understanding of the texts. I experienced a real sense of achievement at the end of each day.”

Connor: “Coming from Sydney and seeing that first sunrise and the terraced landscape was pretty surreal. Field work has exceeded my expectations, I have enjoyed the physicality, even though it’s been difficult. It has reinforced my desire to continue studying archaeology and understanding what happens outside of the classroom, and in our downtime it’s been great to make a lot of new friends and spend time swimming, exploring Chora and practising some Greek.”

Congratulations to our season one team of students, thank you for all your hard work and effort and we wish you well in your studies.

Kalo taxidi everyone!

Drone Use a Decade On – Aerial Photography and Photogrammetry at Zagora in 2024

October 7, 2024 by Catherine Mellor

During the 2014 Zagora Archaeological Project’s excavation season Dr Hugh Thomas posted a great blog, enthusiastically explaining his use of emerging drone technology (also referred to as UAVs or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) at the site.

As an early adopter of this new technology Dr Thomas was using the drone for aerial photography. This was a huge leap forward at the time, particularly after using a kite during the previous 2013 season, which was his first real foray into the world of aerial photography. Using a kite was fraught with issues and many days of the dig were either too windy or, surprisingly for Zagora, not windy enough! Launching the kite and attaching the camera could take up to an hour and aligning the camera over a target was often a guessing game as it wasn’t possible to see what the camera was shooting!

In 2014 the drone was a DJI Phantom 2. This small quadcopter weighed approximately 1kg and had a maximum payload of approximately 400 grams, could fly about 15-25 minutes, with an average flight time of around 17-19 minutes. It was outfitted with a Canon S110 camera, together with a video transmitter, which was connected to the Canon by a home-made USB video cable allowing a live video stream to be watched on the ground by the pilot. The drone also carried a device for measuring the altitude of the drone, allowing the pilot to photograph the site from approximately the same height over multiple sessions. Even in 2014 drones used GPS to hold themselves within a plane of a few metres horizontally and one metre vertically. Combined with the viewing system that allowed the pilot to make small corrections to the drone resulted in more photographs being on target.

Photo by Dr Hugh Thomas taken in 2014.

Drone use in 2024

Dr Thomas is returning to Zagora this year as a trench supervisor and will join forces with Brad Arsenault, this season’s drone imaging specialist. A decade after the first use of a UAV at Zagora, advances in GPS, digital imaging, and drone technology together with software and processing capability are producing highly detailed photographs of the site.

Modern photogrammetry is the process of making precise measurements of objects and terrain features from 2D photographs by capturing multiple images and stitching them together to create digital 2D or 3D models of the physical world. In archaeology we use both aerial and terrestrial (a handheld camera or tripod) photography. Photogrammetry software now automates the identification and correlation of common features across the multiple images taken by the drone.

In archaeology, and for a site like Zagora, aerial photogrammetry is now a crucial tool for remote sensing data collection in hard-to-reach locations that may be challenging or dangerous for ground-based methods.

The drone is also integrated with GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) to automate the process of orientation, perspective, height and location of the onboard, built-in camera (this can be done in real time or afterwards). GNSS can now provide 3D coordinates of survey points with sub-centimetre accuracy, providing us with highly accurate models and another reason for the use of aerial photogrammetry.

This season’s drone operated by Brad is a DJI Mavic 3M (multispectral) fitted with a standard 20mp RGB camera and weighs roughly 1kg with a flight time of nearly 35 minutes. It will be used to create one of the most detailed aerial models of Zagora yet produced and include additional areas of the landscape identified as being of particular interest by the ZAP team.

We look forward to seeing the results generated by the 2024 Zagora Archaeological Project season!

FROM SCHOOL TO SITE

October 2, 2024 by Catherine Mellor

Sanju is an Australian high school history and geography teacher in Sydney who is volunteering on the Zagora Archaeological Project this year. She will be taking her experiences at Zagora back into the classroom, bringing to life the wonders of history and archaeology that are usually only seen on the pages of textbooks and screens.

In the early years of high school (Years 7 and 8), New South Wales students study ‘The Ancient to the Modern World’, which looks at the nature of history and historical sources, both archaeological and written. The time period being studied is from approximately 60,000 BCE – 650 CE. This makes the Early Iron Age site of Zagora, dating to approximately 900-700 BCE, a great case study to use in this syllabus.

The first topic in Year 7 is ‘Investigating the Ancient Past’, and Sanju will be using Zagora as an example for the emergence and establishment of ancient societies, including art, iconography, tools and pottery. The site also reflects key aspects of ancient societies such as farming, trade, social class and religion. One of the key parts of this topic is how historians and archaeologists investigate history, including excavation and archival research. Sanju will be bringing her experiences of working on the Zagora dig site and in the Archaeological Museum of Chora back to the classroom. This first-hand involvement in unearthing, processing and analysing artefacts, as well as using fieldwork tools and methods, are unique and valuable experiences for a teacher. By telling these stories and showing students her own photographs, Sanju aims toimmerse her pupils in the study of history and archaeology.

Elsewhere in the high school syllabus, students undertake a depth study of ‘The Mediterranean World’, with Greece being one of the options. In this topic, students use a range of archaeological and written sources to investigate ancient Mediterranean societies. A study of the features of history, heritage and archaeology is also undertaken in the History Elective syllabus. This is another way that participating in Zagora will benefit Sanju’s teaching, with her students very excited to hear about her adventures.

The Year 11 Ancient History syllabus also has an option to study ‘The Investigation of Ancient Sites and Sources’, including the contribution of archaeology and science to our understanding of the past. Sanju will be contributing to the teacher resource section of the Zagora website for this topic. With a long timeline of excavations and ever-changing archaeological methods being used, Zagora is a great illustrative example for this topic.

Through her experiences excavating and volunteering on the Zagora Archaeological Project, Sanju hopes to stimulate curiosity in the classroom, making what students learn both tangible and exciting. Watch this space for future resources for teachers,and here’s to the next generation of archaeologists!

FIELD SCHOOL IN SESSION

September 29, 2024 by Catherine Mellor

Day 3 saw the students begin the day on site with Andrew Wilson, the Zagora Archaeological Project’s GIS specialist, running a hands-on workshop on plotting and stringing out a trench area manually without the use of digital technology. Learning such basic fieldwork skills are an essential part of archaeological training.

Trenches require right angles and thanks to the Pythagorean mathematical ratio of a right-angle triangle of 3:4:5, right angles can be calculated with measuring tapes and mathematics!

A baseline string for the new trench was established and students were required to work together in 2 groups to plot right angles at opposite ends of the baseline. Following a few repeat attempts accompanied by passionate discussion, both groups succeeded in their task, allowing our first new trench of the season to be strung up ready for excavation! The precise location of the trench will now be surveyed in digitally using a Total Station so that it can be accurately located on the site plan.

ZAGORA 2024 SEASON BEGINS !

September 24, 2024 by Catherine Mellor

Day 1 began with the chorus of the local roosters as everyone gathered for our predawn breakfast and induction prior to heading to the closest point to Zagora accessible by our convoy of cars.

The site of Zagora itself is approached by a challenging, yet spectacular walk. As we walked, the rising sun highlighted the promontory on which Zagora sits, providing most of us with our first view of the site.

Before work could begin however, a site tour with Directors, Associate Professor Dr Lesley Beaumont and Dr Paul Donnelly, provided us with the context and extent of previous excavations, in addition to showing us where this season’s work will take place. Archaeology graduate and participant Stephen Croft also provided us with his insights from his recent Honours thesis regarding Zagora’s temple and its development as we understand it to date.

After a restorative al fresco meal, which was much appreciated, the entire team got down to the business of clearing the surface of an area partly excavated during the 2019 and 2014 seasons just inside the fortification wall. These trench areas were backfilled and covered to protect them for the future, and the first task is to remove volumes of stones, weeds, dirt and the Geotextile protective fabric. Hot and dirty work that was undertaken with great enthusiasm and energy by everyone. This continued into the afternoon before we returned via the long walk up-hill, including the infamous heart break hill! A busy and satisfying start to the season.