| Entry: | The quiet of the dighouse following the departure the Gobekli Tepe travellers this afternoon has given my final day at Catalhoyuk a sense of closure, an end to an incredible experience. While it was sad to see so many friends depart already, I could not have anticipated how wonderfully this work day would have ended. After 4 days of tediously lifting a skeleton (affectionately named Lola for being stubbornly cemented in the burial) in building 96 with Johanna and Kyle, the final 45 minutes of exposing revealed she had been craddling an infant in her arms below her. At that point any frustration I had for her brittle bones and rock-hard burial fill melted into a rush of awe at that beauty and saddness of the scene. It's a sense awe that I imagine the archaeologists feel when they come across a wall painting or zooarchaeologists feel when they see a massive auroch scapula just hanging out in a trench . I'm grateful that I had the chance to experience this rush of awe that Catalhoyuk seems to offer nearly every day.
To express how honored and excited I am have been part of the team this year, I felt it might be nice to share why I came. The journey to Catalhoyuk started in 2008 when I happened to sit next to Alan Mellaart, son of James Mellaart, at a dinner of family friends in Bodrum, Turkey. I had just graduated high school and had been contemplating taking classes in Anthropology to complement my pre-medicine courses at Emory University. I happened to mention this to Alan and his face shot into a wide grin as he introduced himself and remarked on his relation to James. I had known of Catalhoyuk, but never in much depth. By the end of that evening, I had talked to noone else at that table of 20 and heard nearly every story of how Mellaart found the mound, his discoveries, and Alan's stay at the site as a child. To my mother's chagrin, Alan had inadvertantly directed me on a path away from a life incased in sterile hospital walls toward a life among the remains of the ancient world. At the end of the conversation, Alan gave me two pieces of advice: read Evans-Pritchard and work at Catalhoyuk. I am happy to say that after 5 years, I have finally completed both!
Even though Alan gave Catalhoyuk a glorious description, his words certainly did not live up to the experience of being here. The landscape of the Konya plain, the mound, the massive trenches, and the clustered houses with so many treasures to be discovered are even better than I could have imagined. I'm still coming to terms with touching skeletons and objects that are so old! However, what Alan could not have captured is the wonderful people here at Catalhoyuk that make the experience unforgettable. I cannot imagine feeling half as happy with this season without the presence of my human remains team family, our faunal comrades, the awesome-sauce Stanford students, the ever entertaining Turkish students, Chef Mehmet Bey, my lovely roomies (Ashley, Barbara, Lindsey, Lisa, Justine, and Allison), my new close friends Allison and Jen (who have made this a most ribald summer!), and so many more people that I have not mentioned for the sake of not making this entry a novel. Thank you to everyone for a great season!
I wish all of you happy excavations and hope to see you next year!
Cheers! |
