Azoria Project 2013 General Information Sheet

www.azoria.org

The excavation site of Azoria is located in the mountains of northeastern Crete, southeast of the modern village of Kavousi.  Project participants will be housed primarily in Kavousi village. The dig house (laboratory and administrative base) for the project is the Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete (INSTAP-SCEC), otherwise known as “INSTAP,”  “the center,” “study center,” or “SCEC,” located in the village of Pacheia Ammos near Kavousi and the excavation site of Azoria. This base is the storage and research facility used by the project for processing and studying the finds from the excavation. Project staff members reside in rental rooms in the villages of Kavousi or Pacheia Ammos, and are transported daily to the excavation site or study center for work.

 For the site, location, recent reports and publications, and history of the excavations please see the project website at www.azoria.org; the Azoria Wikipedia article; and the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Ancient History article. For more detailed readings, there is a sample of publications in the Azoria Project Archive of the Carolina Digital Repository.

 General comments

 1)  Dates.  The project dates this year for field school students, volunteers, and trench assistants:

Saturday June 1 (arrival in Kavousi, preferably before 9:00 PM, though later arrivals will be met) through July 20 (departure from Kavousi by noon of July 20).

2)  Commitment.  Please contact Prof. Donald Haggis (dchaggis@email.unc.edu) by email as soon as possible, indicating your commitment or intentions to participate in this project.  Soon, it will be necessary for us to notify the Greek Ministry of Culture, the American School of Classical Studies, and the INSTAP Study Center for East Crete of our staff list; furthermore we will need to make room reservations, and arrangements for daily transport of personnel to the site. Therefore we need a commitment from each student or staff member of the project by March 1 at the latest; if you have uncertainties because of financial or personal situations, we would still like to know your intentions, and to be given some indication of the likelihood of your participation.  By March, we will need to know for certain whether or not you can participate. Be aware that the various programs and field schools contributing to this project may have different (earlier) deadlines for commitment and payment of fees.

3)  June 1 Arrival Date.  We need everyone to arrive on June 1 and leave on July 20 unless you have made other arrangements with the directors. We are a large group this year and a regular schedule facilitates mobilization of staff and organization of housing. Keep in mind that if you are traveling from the US, you will need to leave the States on May 31 in order to arrive in Greece on June 1st.  Please keep in mind that we cannot accept early arrivals!

4)  Travel.  Once you make your travel plans and purchase your air tickets to Herakleion (Irakleion), please let Donald Haggis know the date (June 1 for most of you) and approximate time and flight number of your arrival in Irakleion (Herakleion). Do not send your entire itinerary—just when you plan on getting into Crete. We need this information to anticipate your arrival in Kavousi. For information on travel to Crete and the village of Kavousi, see the appropriate sections below. 

Also when you arrive in Kavousi, please call Melissa Eaby (693-470-5899) and she can take you to your room and give you orientation instructions; if that contact fails, you can contact either Donald Haggis (697-618-9872) or Peggy Mook (697-560-8552), and we can help to coordinate your arrival.

5) Contact Numbers in Crete.  Donald Haggis (697-618-9872), Peggy Mook (697-560-8552), Melissa Eaby (693-470-5899).  These numbers are good calling anywhere from within Greece as they are; if you call from outside of the country, however, please dial the appropriate international code (011 from the US), and then "30" plus the number as listed. For emergencies or other urgent situations contact the project director, Donald Haggis ([30]-697-618-9872), in the first instance. He will have his cell phone active and with him all the time, though realize that Greece is seven hours ahead of the US EST.

Main contacts:

Donald Haggis, Project Director, acting director of Duke-UNC field school: -(30)-697-618-9872

Peggy Mook, Field Director, director of ISU field school: -(30)-697-560-8552

Melissa Eaby: Assistant Director: -(30)-693-470-5899

INSTAP-SCEC: -(30)-28420-93027(main office number); -(30)-28420-93017 (fax)

6)  Health Insurance and health or dietary issues.  Everyone on the project is required to have proof of basic health (hospitalization) insurance.  If you do not have such insurance, take the time now to investigate getting insurance with the study-abroad office or other student services or travel agencies.  A summer's insurance is not expensive and without this, you will not be allowed access to the INSTAP Study Center and cannot participate in the project.  Eventually you will have to fill out a form at the INSTAP SCEC, which indicates proof of this insurance (provider address and insurance number); more on this later.  Also, if anyone has any specific health or dietary problems, which are either potentially problematic or health- or life-threatening, please discuss these with the project or field school director as soon as possible. The local Greek hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies are very good for access to medicines and handling usual emergencies, but we would like to be warned in advance of allergies or other chronic conditions that may be affected by the working or dietary environment. 

7) Personal Behavior.   Please remember that you are a representative of the Azoria Project, the contributing universities, the INSTAP-SCEC, the American School of classical Studies at Athens (and the USA) at all times while on Crete. Disruptive behavior, private or public (refusal to follow SCEC rules, excavation safety protocols, loud music, loud drunkenness in the village, etc.), will be cause for removal from the Project and immediate return to the U.S. at your own expense.

Azoria Project 2013

General Information for all Student Participants

DATES

All participants are expected to arrive in Kavousi, Crete, on June 1, in time for our general meeting at 9:00 a.m. on June 2.  This meeting is required of all participants. This will be held at the Study Center for East Crete in Pacheia Ammos (SCEC); transportation from and back to Kavousi will be provided. On arrival in Kavousi on June 1, students will be guided to their rooms, given instructions and guidance on where to get food and drink in the village, and be given instructions on where and when to meet for transportation to the next day’s orientation activities.

Field School Students and Volunteers:
           
            Saturday June 1 (arrival) - Saturday July 20 (departure).

            June 3 – July 13, six weeks of full-scale excavation.

July 14 – July 20, close down on site and processing at the SCEC. 

PASSPORTS

A passport is necessary to travel to Greece.   American citizens do not need a visa to enter Greece, but stays longer than 90 days do require a residence permit.

     If you do not currently hold a valid passport, please begin the process of applying for one now. You will also need a new passport if you were issued one before you were 16 years of age, or were issued one over 12 years ago; your application process will involve two main steps.  First, you will need proof of U.S. citizenship, which normally consists of a certified birth certificate from the state or county in which you were born.  A copy of or even the actual birth certificate given to your parents at your birth will NOT suffice.  Most branches of the U.S. Post Office can provide you with telephone numbers for every state, which you can call for information about obtaining the certified birth certificate.  Next, you will need 2 passport photos.  Take your certified birth certificate, your driver’s license, passport photos, and a check or money order for whatever is the cost (payable to PASSPORT SERVICES-- cash and credit cards are not acceptable) to a main branch of the U.S. Post Office or a county courthouse.   If you have any questions, please call the post office.  Passport applications take three to six weeks to process.

     If you have a passport that was issued to you since you were 16 years of age and it will expire before June 1, you need to apply for a new one.  Application forms are available at any main branch of the U.S. Post Office or a county courthouse.  You will need 2 passport photos.  After you have filled out the application form, you send your old passport, the photos, and a personal check or money order to the National Passport Center yourself (address on application). If you have any questions, please call the post office.  Passport applications take three to six weeks to process.

MONEY

Cash/ATM cards/credit cards:

     The local currency in Greece and most of Europe is now the Euro (€).  Current exchange rate: $1.00 = €0.76 (€1.00 = $1.32), but this can change significantly in just a few days.  We do not recommend that your travel with very much US cash (not more than $200-300). You can exchange U.S. cash or find an ATM immediately at the airport, so you have some local currency in hand ($300 would be adequate).  Once you pass through customs at the Athens airport, go to your left and there are several banks (the Commercial Bank of Greece has an ATM).  You will receive the same exchange rate as you will at a main branch. In general, cash can be exchanged at most banks and travel agencies. When you exchange cash you will be charged a commission (places that advertise a particularly good exchange rate frequently charge a higher commission).  It is costly to change euros back into dollars; you will lose a lot of money in the exchange process. Probably it is best to have some US cash (for use at the US airports and in emergency), and rely on your ATM card. 

     ATM machines are scattered around, but are usually near a bank (most take Cirrus and Plus system cards, though not all). ATMs are the easiest way to get money, although some cards can be problematic, you can check with your bank to be sure yours will work in Greece (if there is an insufficient fund problem, the machine may “eat” your card). Most ATM cards have a daily withdrawal limit with Friday through Monday morning counted as 1 business day—check with your bank on their policies and limits; you may request that your bank raise this limit. You might want to have a second ATM card, in case one is de-magnetized or otherwise damaged or consumed by a machine. Be sure that your ATM card will not expire while you are out of the country.

     There are no ATM machines in the villages of Kavousi and Pacheia Ammos, but they are available in the nearby towns of Ierapetra and Ayios Nikolaos (accessible by bus or taxi; not walking distance).

     Credit cards can be used at most larger tourist shops (Visa is the most widely accepted), but the places where you will eat in Kavousi (and elsewhere) will not take them, even if they have signs indicating that they do. If you plan to use a credit card while out of the U.S., please be sure to call your card company and give them your travel plans before you leave the country.  If you do not, after the first charge they are likely to deny any additional charges on the card, for fear that it has been stolen.

TELEPHONES

If you plan to call home from Greece you can purchase phone cards in Greece from kiosks and small shops, to use in public card-phones (phone booths), which are scattered around in public places and are generally easy to find. Cell phones are of course commonly used in Greece, and phone booths are, like in the US, harder to find. The following cell phone options exist:

     (1) Individual US cell phone carriers have varying degrees of international service. This can be extremely expensive, so you should find out what your carrier provides and at what cost, if you are interested in using your cell phone abroad.

     (2) Brightroam. The best and least expensive international SIM card/cell phone service is Brightroam (http://www.brightroam.com/Default.aspx). If you plan to make a lot of phone calls from Greece, or need to be reached regularly, this is the most effective and cheapest way to go—it is ultimately less expensive than buying Cosmote or another Greek service. You can purchase this in the US, before you leave, on line. Brightroam will send you a phone, charger, SIM, and service plan that is finite but renewable if you want. What you want to get is the Greece SIM Card. http://www.brightroam.com/Greece-SIM-Card-P30C0.aspx. If you are traveling in Europe before or after the excavation, you might check out the Europe SIM card as well.

     (3) COSMOTE. The Greek phone company, OTE, or the commercial retailer, Germanos, sell inexpensive cell phones, and you can get COSMOTE pay-as-go service that allows you to buy additional minutes as you need them (CosmoKarta cards or paper receipts from kiosks and many shops). CosmoKarta has cheap phones for ca. €20-30 plus ca. €5 for a sim card and a few minutes of air time, to which you will need to add air time. The international minutes are expensive and international texting doesn’t always work.

     Also, if you have a US cell phone, with a SIM card, it may take the CosoKarta sim card; some do, and some do not, depending on the type of phone.

THINGS TO PACK
(Things to consider for the trip)

1. Travel light. A hands-free rucksack, duffle, or backpack/hybrid duffle is most useful. You will not need half the things you think you do. Policies on checked luggage vary by airline and type of flight—your ticket should give you the information on luggage allowances. You should only have one piece of checked luggage and one carry-on piece. You must be able to transport your luggage unassisted approximately the distance of 2 city-blocks. Any suitcase will do, but if you are going to purchase something for this trip, a rucksack or suitcase/duffel on roller-blade type wheels are easier to deal with than a large traditional duffle or suitcase (and those with small metal wheels are unlikely to last the trip).  Keep in mind that since 9/11 the standards for the contents of your carry-on have changed dramatically. Check out the TSA (Transport Safety Authority) website for current restrictions (www.tsa.gov).  For instance, liquids and jells (and any liquid foods) are heavily restricted. No such carry-on items can be in a container larger than 3.4 oz, all such items must be placed in a 1-quart sized ziploc bag and you can only have one. All other liquids and jells will be confiscated and tossed (including water and even empty water bottles, depending on the location and mood of the agent).
2. A photocopy of your passport main page that you keep in a place separate from the actual passport.
3. Necessary amounts of any required medications (in their original packing, so they can be identified) to last the length of your trip.  If you have severe reactions to bee and other stings and carry an EpiPen, please bring several with you and inform all staff of your situation. (See more information below, under “Health and Safety”).
4. Other “drug store” supplies, including personal hygiene items (such as: soap, feminine hygiene products, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, etc.) can be purchased on Crete (not necessarily all the same brands); but you may not have the opportunity to shop immediately or frequently, so please bring at least enough for your needs during the first week of the project.
5. A hat (the sun can be strong at mid-day; baseball caps do not cover your ears, so something with a brim is preferable).
6. Sun screen; available in Greece, but usually much more expensive than in the US.
7. Heavy work gloves (leather fingers are a must; fabric won’t last a week) may be useful for screening, clearing thorny bushes, etc.
8. Insect repellent (mosquitoes can sometimes be fierce in the evening and at night).  Some version of all these sorts of things are available in Greece, but may be much more expensive.  Electric repellent devices that plug into the wall and have a paper-tablet insert replaced each night are widely available and inexpensive. If you have a problem with mosquitoes, you may find worth purchasing one with your roommate(s). Deep woods Off is the best brand of repellent.
9. Basic clothes, beyond the obvious: cotton jeans or long pants (at least one pair), shorts if you prefer, for working in the field; cotton shirts/T-shirts; long-sleeved shirts for added protection if you are susceptible to sunburn—we will spend long hours in the sun while on-site. The landscape is very rough and rocky with lots of high grasses, garigue plants, thorny bushes, shrubs, and trees, so protecting your legs and feet is important. Long pants are recommended for everyone, and while it may be hot as we move into July, in the early days we will be clearing thorny brush and the weather may also be cool (possibly even wet), so you will need pants. A light jacket, sweatshirt, or sweater is also recommended for June (it can be cool in the evening, especially by the sea in early June).
10. A few nicer clothes for the evening and social occasions—most people tend to dress-up a bit in the evening and there will certainly be occasions when your excavation clothes will not be suitable attire. Please do not bring ripped or torn clothing; wearing such clothing is inappropriate. On site it is expected that students dress appropriately and use common sense, for both safety and protection from the sun. Bathing suits and extremely revealing clothing worn on site during digging are considered inappropriate attire.
11. Sunglasses. These are not mandatory, though if you are sunlight sensitive, or have never worked on an excavation in the Mediterranean during the summer, you will find them useful. The midday sun can be blindingly bright, and even a low density UV filter is a good idea.
12. Comfortable and durable shoes or boots (the site is rocky and while running shoes will do, make sure you get something with a strong sole—aerobic shoes have soles that will not last the season). Sandals and light summer shoes are not permitted on site.
13. A sturdy backpack or tote bag to carry your lunch, water, sunscreen, trowel, gloves, notebook, etc. on a daily basis.  This will probably get extremely dirty from use on site.
14. A trowel, primarily for use when dry-screening.  A 4.5 or 5-inch pointing trowel is ideal; Marshalltown or WHS are the recommended brands that archaeologists normally use, but any will do. Remember you want a small pointing trowel, not a garden trowel. You want the pointed (triangular) blade: http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/search.asp?stext=trowels.
15. Bathing suit and beach towel if you plan to swim; a bath towel, a washcloth if you like to use one; flip-flops for the beach and shower.
16. A bath towel. These will not normally be provided; we recommend that you bring an old towel that can be discarded at the end of the project. You are not permitted to take pension provided towels, sheets, or blankets out of the rental rooms.You can purchase laundry detergent on Crete (in the village) for hand-washing your clothes, and you might want to set up a makeshift clothesline in your bathroom or (preferably) on the balcony of your room. You should expect to wash out your clothes in your bathroom sink or a basin. 
17. Most Greek stores keep the following hours: 8:30/9:00-2:30/3:00 M-F, TThF nights they reopen from 6:00- 8:30/9:00 pm.  Larger grocery stores and tourist-oriented shops will stay open continuously all day and into the evening during the summer months. 
18. Do not bring valuable items with you that you are not prepared to lose (laptops etc.). Rooms are largely not secure, especially if you leave balcony doors open in your absence. If you do bring electronic or electric devises, be aware that the electricity in Greece is 220 volts and that the plug ends are different from those in the US (even with a dual-voltage device, you will need a plug adapter).
19. Travel guides may be useful, but are optional. For travel around Crete, we recommend buying a copy of the Blue Guides to Greece and Crete; Let's Go guides are often out of date, but have some basic travel information and can direct you to inexpensive hotels if you plan to travel; the Rough Guides are fairly good. None are up-to-date on schedules and hotels. Of course for plane, bus, and boat schedules, and hotel and pension locations and reservations, the internet is the best source of information.

GETTING THERE

     If your arrival in Irakleion (Herakleion), on Crete, is going to be significantly different from the scheduled time, please try to call Melissa Eaby (693-470-5899); if that fails, call one of the directors—Donald Haggis (697-618-9872) or Peggy Mook (697-560-8552)—so that we know that you have arrived and when to expect you in Kavousi. In the airports of both Athens and Irakleion there are newsstands that sell phone cards for the pay phones (phone booths). 

     Please note: the last bus to eastern Crete passes the Irakleion airport at about 6:45-7:00pm, if you arrive in Irakleion later than 6:30pm, you will have to take a taxi to Kavousi (ca. €100).

GETTING TO ATHENS

     It is often cheaper to buy your transatlantic tickets (US-Athens-US) separately from the Athens-Herakleion, Crete-Athens tickets.  In general, for air tickets from the US to Athens, we recommend going directly to the airlines on the internet. We have found that Travelocity and Orbitz do not always list the cheapest and best fares/flights, though you might check these as well. If you are a student, the cheapest tickets are usually available from STA Travel (statravel.com).  STA Travel also has an office and Athens (Robissa Travel Bureau, 43 Voulis St, Syntagma, statravel@robissa.gr) and can often provide better service than the airlines and other travel agents if you need to make changes to your itinerary once the ticket has been purchased. 

     Remember that since we want people to arrive in Kavousi, Crete (our village base) on June 1, you will need to depart from the continental US or Canada on May 31.

GETTING TO CRETE

     Fly directly from the Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos) (http://www.aia.gr/) to the airport in Herakleion (Irakleion), Crete. Though there are a number of carriers that serve Herakleion, we recommend Aegean Airlines (www.aegeanair.com).  Aegean has the most flights. A roundtrip ticket is ca. €140-200; this is the fastest and easiest way to get from Athens to Herakleion. For the leg Athens-Herakleion,Crete-Athens, you can book a flight with a credit card on Aegean Airlines via the internet (http://en.aegeanair.com/).  Olympic also has daily flights to Crete (http://www.olympicair.com/549-en-gb.cmt). Your travel agent can also make these arrangements for you. Make sure that you schedule enough time to get through customs in Athens and then to get to the Aegean desk and recheck your bags and make your flight (at least two hours).  Booking the flight here in the US will give you an e-ticket, allowing you to go straight to the Aegean Airlines check in after going through customs with your bags. It is sometimes possible to check your bags all the way to Crete, if you purchase the Athens-Herakleion tickets with your trans-Atlantic tickets, from a travel agent, though this is often more expensive. Ask when you initially check-in for your first flight in the US. In any case, allow at least 2 hours between your arrival in Athens and departure for Crete.

      Also, on the return, realize that you need to get back to Athens from Crete in time to make your flight home. We expect most student staff to leave Kavousi (by cab or bus) on July 20, meaning that you should probably plan to depart Athens on a flight on July 21, unless you book a very early morning departure from Herakleion and a late-morning or mid-day flight from Athens.  It is possible to leave Crete by air in the AM in time to make a flight back to the States on the same day; but make sure you plan accordingly, and leave enough time to make your connections.

GETTING TO KAVOUSI

From Herakleion (Irakleion), you can get to Kavousi by bus or taxi. A taxi will cost ca. €80-100 (ca. 1.25-1.5 hours).  The taxi stand and line will be visible on the street directly in front and to your right as you come out of the terminal at arrivals.

     The bus from Herakleion to Kavousi is ca. €10 one way, as of Dec. 2012 (ca. 1.5-2 hours).  The stop is across the street from the airport. Walk out of the airport and cross the divided road in front of the airport, below the parking lot (stairs to reach the rental car parking are in the vicinity).  Buses stopping here will head east for Agios Nikolaos (Agios), Ierapetra or Sitia. If you get a bus that goes to Siteia, you can take it all the way to Kavousi (it will stop in Agios Nikolaos first). You can purchase the ticket on the bus; find a seat and the ticket agent will come to you (have money ready). If you get on a bus to Agios Nikolaos or Ierapetra, you will need to get on a different bus in Agios Nikolaos, and get on a bus for Siteia (and purchase another ticket).  In all cases, keep your bus ticket as control agents regularly board the bus to make sure passengers have purchased tickets; you will be asked to show your ticket.  If you take the bus, your large luggage will go into storage under the bus, not in the passenger compartment (be sure to keep your passport, cash, other i.d. etc. with you!).

     The bus times listed below are as currently posted, and are subject to change. If you arrive later than the last buses, either in Herakleion or in Agios Nikolaos, please call one of us and we can give you instructions. If you are stranded in Herakleion, Agios Nikolaos, Ierapetra or Siteia, the easiest way to get to Kavousi is by taxi cab—they will be available late into the evening. If this option fails, then call us and we will give you instructions.    

     Buses from Herakleion to Siteia leave Herakleion at the following times (ca. 10 minutes later they should arrive at airport): 07:30am, 10:45am, 1:45pm, 6:45pm (Express to Agios).

     Buses from Herakleion to Agios (Saturdays): 6:30am, 7:00am, 9:00am, 9:45am, 10:45am, 11:45am, 12:45pm, 1:45pm, 2:45pm, 3:45pm, 4:45pm, 5:45pm, 6:45pm.

      Buses from Ayios Nikolaos to Sitia (on Saturdays) leave Agios at 12:15, 3:15 and 8:15pm.

ARRIVING IN KAVOUSI (See maps below)

On the north coast road, coming east from Herakleion, Kavousi is the first village you will come to after passing through the village of Pacheia Ammos and passing the turnoff on the right to the south coast (to Ierapetra). Watch for the signs and ask the bus driver or ticket attendant to let you know when you get to Kavousi (just say, “Kavousi,” and they will alert you). Get off the bus at the stop (in the middle of Kavousi). Across the street and a little to the right you will see the bus stop with a sheltered bench for buses headed the other direction (west back toward Agios Nikolaos). Walk across the street to this stop, with your baggage, to the taverna (restaurant/café) located directly next to that bus shelter (Sophia’s rooms and taverna).  Depending on your expected arrival time, a staff member, probably Melissa Eaby, will be meeting students and directing them to their rooms.  Please wait at a table here, let the proprietors know you are with the excavation (they speak English).  If within ca. 15 minutes of your arrival you have not been met, please call Melissa Eaby (693-470-5899), Donald Haggis (697-618-9872), or Peggy Mook (697-560-8552). We are staying in rooms in several different locations in and around Kavousi, and will be nearby to come and meet you.

     If you arrive by cab you can ask the cabby to take you into Kavousi and go to Sophia’s taverna (corner of main road and road to Tholos beach).

ROOMS AND FOOD

      Rooms will be reserved for all participants—field school students, volunteers, trench supervisors and senior staff—in local pensions and hotels (rental rooms) by the project director by early March. Project members will share a room with one or two other project members. All rooms provide basic sheets, pillows and blankets, most rooms will have attached toilet and shower facilities; in at least one pension these facilities will be down the hall and shared by a number of room (all occupied by members of the project).  Sheets will be changed by the pensions weekly. Soap and toilet paper are sometimes provided, but are never sufficient for American consumers, so expect to provide your own soap and most of your own toilet paper (available at markets within the village). Again, please bring your own bath towel and washcloth.

     Food will not be provided for any project participants. Small markets for buying sundries, breakfast and lunch supplies, as well as a bakery, are located in Kavousi. We will facilitate a visit to the bakery every morning before work for those who do not live within the village. At that time people can buy fresh bread, croissant, pitas (cheese and ham and cheese pies, etc.), cookies and other baked goods to take up to the site. Food (fresh fruit, bread, cheese, etc.) can also be purchased and prepared the day before. Furthermore, the neighboring towns—accessible by bus—of Ierapetra and Ayios Nikolaos have full-size supermarkets and produce markets. For evening meal, it is recommended that students patronize the local tavernas and other eating establishments where a variety of short-order and prepared food can be found. Your rooms will not have cooking facilities, although refrigerator space should be available at each pension/hotel.

     On a normal working day, students will stop at a local bakery or grocery store in the morning (or the evening) before going up to the site, to purchase bread, cheese, fruit, vegetables, or local pastries for their breakfast and lunch. For a late lunch or snack after work, and for dinner, students normally patronize one of several local tavernas, which offer complete prepared meals as well as fast food, salads, and sandwiches.

LOCATIONS AND GENERAL ASPECTS OF FIELDWORK

Activities are conducted primarily in two locations. The first is the excavation site of Azoria (www.azoria.org), where students will participate in the primary excavation and data recovery and processing stages of the project.  The central component is archaeological fieldwork, in this case, excavation, which is a physically and intellectually arduous endeavor, requiring students to understand and think through complex research questions and practical problems, and then to implement various methods for recovering and interpreting data to begin to answer questions and solve these problems. The situation requires students to integrate and make connections between various methods and fields of inquiry, such as biological anthropology, environmental archaeology, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, ancient history, and various material culture studies. Furthermore, through its practices, the excavation experience requires students to innovate in daily problem solving while digging; to adapt physically, culturally, and intellectually to the daily life in a rural agrarian village; the intensive methodological and practical situations presented by data recovery; and the socially and academically challenging environment of a large scale research program.

     Another important aspect of fieldwork at Azoria is local and international public outreach and education by conserving, fencing, and creating permanent signage (informational maps and plans) and access paths on site. Site preservation and field conservation is conducted along with excavation and students will work along side local villagers and researchers, with the goal of preserving and presenting the site and the results of excavation to the scholarly world and general public. Students will rotate on a regular basis between excavation and site conservation.

     The second location is the Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete (INSTAP-SCEC) (http://www.instapstudycenter.net/) in Pacheia Ammos, which is the research center that provides the Azoria Project and Field School storage, processing, and work space; library; laboratories; and conservation and computer facilities. Students in the various programs will be working regularly in the study areas of the INSTAP SCEC during sessions of finds processing and analysis. The project will provide transportation to and from the site and the SCEC facility.

      At the INSTAP SCEC, students will also be required to attend all regular afternoon presentations and lectures by the instructors and specialist staff, as well as four formal academic lectures given by archaeologists as part of the Summer Lecture Series of the Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete.

Prospective General Program Schedule June 1-July 20, 2013

Excavation and processing will take place from Monday to Friday each week (June 2 to July 19), with some work or site visits on Saturday. Sundays are free days. The student departure date will be July 20. Earlier departures might be permitted, but no earlier than July 16, and only by prior permission of the project director.

     On site work or finds processing will take place each day from 7:00 AM until 2:00 PM, with some additional finds processing conducted in the afternoons (3:00-5:00 PM).

Friday May 31: Students depart from the US, traveling US-Athens-Herakleion, Crete-Kavousi.

Saturday June 1: students arrive in Kavousi village and are escorted to their rooms; and given instructions for the next day’s orientation session.

Sunday June 2: Orientation Session at the INSTAP Study Center for East Crete.

Monday June 3: excavation begins; afternoon orientation by the director or assistant director of the INSTAP-SCEC.

Saturday June 8: tour of Kavousi village.

Saturday June 15: trench tours.

Saturday June 22: excursion to Vronda and Kastro.

Saturday-Sunday June 29-30: long free weekend.

Saturday July 6: trench tours.

Saturday July 13: final trench tours.

Monday July 15-19: final week of digging, processing, and conservation; closedown of trenches.

Saturday, July 20, all students depart. Students are not permitted to stay on in the villages, on site, or in the INSTAP-SCEC after this date.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

(General information. More information will be provided at orientation sessions, in the US, on Crete)

All archaeological fieldwork carries some risk of medical emergency, though in our experience working in Greece, indeed in this region and type of environment in Crete for the past 26 years, we have taken all precautions in managing excavation and student staff to ensure a safe working environment. We advise students on site-safety: for example, precisely how and where to walk around excavation trenches; what kind of footwear, hat, and other clothing is appropriate for the fieldwork environment and the terrain; the proper use of tools and equipment; water and food consumption; and what to do in case of medical problems (such as accident or allergies).

     While the villages (Pacheia Ammos and Kavousi) and towns (Ierapetra and Ayios Nikolaos) are relatively rural and safe places, in terms of routine safety of person and property, we instruct students on procedures for contacting senior project staff as soon as possible (in person or by cell phone) and the local police; locking car and room doors; being conscious of their property and surroundings; and interacting with strangers. No persons who are not members of the project staff are allowed on the site, into the SCEC research facility, or the student residences, without prior permission of the project director. 

     All students are required to have full medical insurance (as stated above) to participate in the project, and to work at the INSTAP Study Center for East Crete (SCEC). Students will also be required to disclose to the project or field-school director any known potentially life-threatening or problematic physical preconditions (especially allergies; diabetes/blood sugar; susceptibility to heat stroke; autoimmune diseases; recent joint inflammation and broken or fractured bones; and drug allergies; etc.). You should also know and tell us your blood type.

      The Azoria excavation site and INSTAP-SCEC research facility are located approximately equidistant from two hospitals in the towns of Ierapetra (ca. 14.8 km; 20 min) and Agios Nikolaos (21 km; 24 min), both with full 24-hour/day emergency, triage, and ambulance staff and facilities; the latter with complete diagnostic facilities, and internal medicine and surgical staff. Both towns have private physicians as well, including offices with 24-hour services.

     On site and at INSTAP SCEC, there is a complete basic medical kit for routine injuries, and one excavation staff member is Red-Cross certified in CPR and minor trauma response.

      Students are asked to bring any and all special medications they might need while in Greece, and to assume responsibility for their personal health and well being. Though local pharmacies are well stocked and normally honor prescriptions from American physicians, some medications (e.g., antibiotics or narcotics) will require a visit to the local doctor. Other medications such as anti-fungal, -inflammatory, -bacterial (some anti-viral) ointments and oral medications are normally dispensed without a prescription, or simply with a physician’s recommendation. Students with chronic viral or bacterial infections are normally seen by a physician, medicated, and sent back to the United States.

      In the event of routine medical emergencies, that is, those that cannot be handled on site (such as minor scrapes, cuts, or insect bites), the project director and one or more of the course instructors will take the student directly to the appropriate physician or emergency room for diagnosis, treatment, and recommendation for movement to a hospital, or return to the United States. In the remote chance of a dangerous condition, an ambulance will be called to the site or the research facility for emergency care and transportation.

     In the event of other (non-medical) emergencies, the project and the staff of the SCEC research facility will contact local police in adjacent towns of Ierapetra and Ayios Nikolaos. As with medical conditions, a recommendation will be made by the project director, in consultation with field school and senior staff and with the local authorities, on how to proceed. Details of all events and responses to emergencies will be documented in writing and signed by the project director and course instructor, and submitted to the appropriate authorities for record or recommendation.

2013 ESTIMATED OTHER STUDENT EXPENSES

(Not covered by program fees)

Roundtrip airtravel: U.S. - Athens - Herakleion (Crete): $1600
Round-trip airport transportation (bus: Herakleion-Kavousi-Herakleion, Crete): $30
Food & beverages ($20-$30/day x 50): $1000-1500
Incidentals: $350
Books, equipment, and supplies: $50
International student identity card: $26
Passport: $135
Photos for passport/Int student ID card: $25
Museum and site entrance fees: $20-40
Transportation to sites on Crete: $75

Total Estimated Other Student Costs:  $3311-3831