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The School of World Art Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK is currently recruiting volunteers for excavations at the prehistoric site of Kalavasos-Kokkinoyia in Cyprus in December 2002. The excavations will run over four weeks beginning Monday 16 December until Sunday 12 January 2003. Training in all aspects of archaeological techniques will be offered including field walking, survey and excavation, post-excavation finds study and illustration. The fee for taking part in the Kalavasos-Kokkinoyia project is CYP£150 (GBP£165, US$258) per week plus the cost of your airfare. This includes all archaeological training, accommodation, food and trips around the island.
Further information is available on request from Dr Joanne Clarke, School of World Art Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, England. Email: joanne.clarke@uea.ac.uk
The prehistoric site of Kalavasos-Kokkinoyia is situated between the village of Kalavasos, 3km north and the coastal village of Zygi 2km to the south. The site was first discovered in the 1940's by Porphyrios Dikaios, then Director of the Department of Antiquities in Cyprus and excavation at the site was undertaken in 1947, in conjunction with excavations at the contiguous Early Prehistoric site of Kalavasos-Pamboules. Nothing remains of Dikaios' excavations today, and in fact, the location of his original trenches is currently covered by corrugated huts belonging to the Water Development Office.
Kalavasos-Kokkinoyia is comprised of a series of enigmatic pits, many of which show evidence of utilisation as work areas or habitation units. In general most Ceramic Neolithic settlements are characterised by upstanding buildings clearly serving a habitation function. Kalavasos-Kokkinoyia seems to be a-typical of the Ceramic Neolithic phase because of its pit architecture. However, a key problem is that very little work has been undertaken on the Ceramic Neolithic phase and therefore it is not known whether Kokkinoyia is actually a-typical or not. Certainly other sites in the region - Kalavasos-Tenta and Kalavasos-Ayious, and further afield (Philia-Drakos A) suggest that pit architecture was generally more common. Even so, recent excavation has primarily focused on settlement sites (Kandou-Koufovounos and Paralimni-Nissia and less on insubstantial sites such as Kalavasos-Kokkinoyia.
Three types of habitation unit were recorded at Kokkinoyia· Type 1 were circular or elongated constructions with sunken floors occupying a shallow pit, and central post-holes suggesting a superstructure of some kind.· Type 2 are cave shaped constructions· Type 3 are circular constructions with a central post and peripheral post-holes suggesting a light superstructure
From Dikaios' excavations only the first type had any evidence for successive occupation, and in one example six floors of either tamped soil or havara were recorded. Internal features included dry rubble benches along the face of the pits and hearths.
Finds from the site are typical of the Ceramic Neolithic and include substantial quantities of the classic Combed Pottery characteristic of the Neolithic period in Cyprus, ground stone bowls and tools, flint tools, worked bone and stone objects, and a range of economic assemblages including animal bone and botanical material.
One of the objectives of the Kalavasos Archaeological Project is to provide field training for students in archaeological method and practice with particular reference to the problems of interpretation of prehistoric material culture. One of the key issues in the interpretation of prehistoric archaeological field data is that there are no other supporting data that can be used in the interpretative process. This has lead to a theoretical debate in archaeological circles on the validity of attaching meaning to material culture deriving from prehistoric contexts.
Emphasis will be placed on training in a wide range of field techniques specific to the problems associated with prehistoric sites, and working directly with material culture assemblages in and out of the field (flint, pottery, ground stone, settlement arrangement, the use of space on prehistoric sites etc).
Week 1 (15-22 December) - Arrival of volunteers, and specialists This week will be primarily survey - topographic, surface collection, setting up of excavation trenches, familiarity with recording methods etc, working with material collected in the field.
Week 2 (23-30 December) - further survey work and excavation.
Week 3 (31-6 January). Excavation and recording, working with cultural assemblages, illustration.
Week 4 (7-12 January) - Excavation, recording of on site features, drawing sections, plans, illustration of objects. Packing up.
It is expected that all volunteers should arrive on or around the 15th December 2002. Although you will be organising your own flight, members of the project will meet you at Larnaca airport on your arrival. Please let me have your flight details as soon as they are available.
Visas: Three month visas are issued to UK and Australian citizens on arrival at the airport.
Clothing and Equipment: Cyprus could be cold and wet in December so please bring with you good quality working trousers, waterproof boots, a waterproof jacket and warm clothes - sweaters, fleeces etc. However, it is just as likely to have days where you can strip to a T-shirt so please bring these as well. Comfortable clothes for the afternoon and evening. You don't need to bring any special equipment as it will all be provided for you.
Extra-curricular activities: We will be visiting a number of contemporary and not so contemporary sites in the vicinity of Kalavasos and there will be a trip to Nicosia to see the Museum and to do some shopping if required. There will also be a longer break over Christmas during which we will visit the west of the island for a short stay.
Meals: Lunch and dinner will be provided for you in the village restaurant. A kitty will be arranged for breakfast provisions that you can pick up in the village co-op.
Other questions: You can receive mail at the village co-op. The address is C/o- the Kalavasos-Kokkinoyia Excavations, Kalavasos Village, Larnaca District, Cyprus. There are public phones in the village square and you can buy phone cards in the co-op. The closest email is at the internet café in Larnaca. We will visit Larnaca about once a week.
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