Day 6 - Sun, Sickness, Overindulgence

Today we paid the price for a week of being boiled in the sun. Wednesday and Thursday were especially hot with exceptional UVs, resulting in split lips and boiled heads in the team. Two, then three, then four, fell down with what seemed like sunstroke but turned out to be something bacterial, which had them flat on their back in bed. Then finally, a Sagalassos wedding in Ankara took team members away, only to deprive them of two nights of sleep including at least one night bus. All this left us without enough people, meaning that I joined the digging team to clean up trench 1 for an orthographic photo.

At least I now have the dirty trousers to prove I am one of the team, although a project director digging frantically is a sure sign of a failing project. I look forward to having the full team back to strength and am looking into more hygiene measures for our tea break to combat cross-contamination, with bugs breeding so fast in the heat.

The progress of the dig is now more easily visible In T2, where a huge amount of rubble is now being removed from the shop. The portico excavation has to now slow down somewhat, as we have the task of removing up to 1m deep of stone, and earth collapses over 20m2. It is heavy work in the sun, which our workers do so well, thank goodness. We are, however on the lookout for structures existing within the fill, typical of shops, such as basins, cupboards, and counters, that might complicate our removal of the rubble. The depth is encouraging however, suggesting that we may find some decoration similar that suggested for the portico: perhaps an intact slab floor and some basic whitewashed mortar revetment or even plaster. We are always on the lookout for domestic features too, or of a staircase leading to mezzanine, as shops were often houses too, for the shop occupant, or for a slave living inside with the stock at night, keeping the portico oil lamps in trim during the evening.