Assistant Professor of Classics Anne Feltovich and Tina Naston ’20 began work this week at archaeological excavation sites in Pylos, Greece. Jessica Williams ’18 will join them after graduation.
The site of Pylos dates to the Mycenaean Bronze Age (1500-1200BCE). The impressive palace center, dubbed the “Palace of Nestor” after the legendary king of Pylos in the Iliad, was first excavated in 1939. Current excavations focus on the residential area surrounding the administrative center. The team hopes to learn more about household architecture, settlement organization, and the everyday life of non-elites.
Directed by Shari Stocker and Jack Davis of the University of Cincinnati, the project includes an international team of more than 40 scholars from the United States, Greece, Italy, Poland, Canada, Turkey, Bulgaria, Australia, India, and Brazil.
This is the second year Feltovich and Williams are working on the project; it is Naston’s first year. Feltovich is in charge of identifying, cataloging, and storing artifacts. Naston and Williams join other students, mostly graduate students, excavating in the field. They learn a variety of related skills, including identifying pottery, cataloguing artifacts, conservation, GIS mapping, and database management.
Feltovich said it takes several years to clean, identify, and publish excavation materials. By request of the Greek Ministry of Culture, new findings cannot be shared before publication. “Patience is required if you want to know what our Hamilton crew finds this year, but for now you can feast your eyes on the discoveries of the 2015 team,” she noted.
