Professor explores school's continuing excavation of Mochlos, Crete

[Franckowiak]

Professor explores school's continuing excavation of Mochlos, Crete
Matthew Kennedy
Issue date: 12/1/09 Section: Campus News

   
Dr. Jeffrey Soles recently led the Archaeology Tea Talk. Dr. Soles is a professor in UNCG's Department of Classical Studies; he has a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. The discussion revolved around the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's involvement in the Mochlos excavation. This year, UNCG is celebrating its 20th year of excavating at Mochlos. The Mochlos site is located on the island of Crete. UNCG students have been active in excavating Mochlos and making discoveries which give clues as to how past civilizations interacted with each other on a day-to-day basis. These discoveries are assisting archaeologists as they piece together what these people ate, what they worshiped, whether they fought or not, and how these civilizations expressed themselves through art.

Any UNCG student who is interested in spending their summer at an archaeological site may apply at the Archaeological Institute of America's web site (www.archaelogical.org). The web site is not limited to the Mochlos site in Crete, but offers several opportunities for those interested in working at sites across the world. Dr. Soles said he thinks the best way for UNCG students to become involved in archaeology is for them to first take an archaeology class here at UNCG, and then apply to work at one of the many sites the Archaeological Institute of America's web site has to offer. The 2009-2010 Mochlos campaign is dedicated to uncovering the site's earliest Mochlos occupants. According to Soles, the site has been an extremely productive one.

[Franckowiak]

A ceremonial seat has been uncovered that was believed to be used to reconnect with ancestors; their reasoning included an adjacent room with common ritualistic items such as skulls. Archaeologists estimate Mochlos held its greatest population during the Hellenistic period. Population is estimated by the number of houses, as well as the size of the houses, assuming the larger the house the more people would live there. At its peak, an estimated 300 people lived at Mochlos. While the number may appear to be insignificant, Soles reminded the audience that far fewer people lived on the Earth during this time.

Keeping that in mind, a population of 300 people would have been considered to be a lot larger than a modern day perspective may provide. Soles gave the students and faculty attending the Archaeology Tea Talk three main goals the Mochlos excavation has set before it. The first goal the archeologists wish to accomplish is to reconstruct past civilizations' settlement of the site across a time period of approximately 4,000 years. Soles said the archaeologists also aspire to understand the different settlements in their vast geopolitical context. Archaeologists are attempting to put together the clues Mochlos has to offer to comprehend the sites' inhabitants. One attendee was Robert Rosthal, who was UNCG's Chairman in Philosophy during the '50s and '60s. He said in regard to archaeology, "I like archaeology. It's like detective work that goes back into the past, but no one knows the real answers."
Page 1 of 1

http://media.www.carolinianonline.com/media/storage/paper301/news/2009/12/01/CampusNews/Professor.Explores.Schools.Continuing.Excavation.Of.Mochlos.Crete-3844570.shtml