Experiencing Romania

PFP 2010 - Week 1

2010-06-27T13:48:00.003+02:00

The PFP 2010 team met in Cluj just over a week ago and arrived at Porolissum last weekend. After a tour of the city last Saturday, we headed to Porolissum. Sunday was our usual site tour of Porolissum, but rain prevented hikes to the aqueduct. Monday and Tuesday mornings were too rainy to work, so I gave a couple of lectures on archaeological methods.

Despite the rain and cold passing through central Europe, we are making progress and having fun. We are excavating 6 trenches in the SE section of the Forum in order to investigate the function and chronology of the architectural features. We are still in post-Roman deposits, but have encountered several interesting garbage layers filled with pottery, glass, metals, animal bone - nicely preserved. We have also uncovered 5 coins so far, inclusing a denarius of Severus Alexander (the other 4 require conservation before we can read them). Yesterday, we visited sites in Salaj County - a WWII monument in Treazna, the Roman fortress at Buciumi, an 18th century wooden church in Romanasi and the botanical gardens at Jibou. We are hoping that the sun wins the war against the clouds soon....

E.D.

T-minus 8 days

2010-06-11T09:24:00.002+02:00

Have 6 months really past since my past blog?

At this time next week, the PFP 2010 Team will meet in Cluj-Napoca. As always, I am looking forward to meeting old and new friends. Who knows what discoveries and adventures we will have? By now, we have developed a routine, but our routine is never "routine". Today is my last day in Rome until August - have to tie up some loose ends. I will do my best to post weekly blogs regarding the excavation season...

E.D.

December reflections...

2009-12-13T17:04:00.004+01:00

December is the time of year when I am able to think (more) about the upcoming summer. Classes are over and although I still have several exams and term papers to correct, the finish line is in view... The 2010 season at Porolissum will be very interesting...

The dates of PFP VI 2010 are set: June 19-July 31, 2010. I've decided to extend the season by a week - 6 rather than 5 weeks. There is always so much to do and we are pushing to publish our first monograph by the end of 2010! This means that the participants will have a role in helping to prepare this volume in addition to the regular activities of excavation, mapping the trenches and so forth. I am especially excited that several of my John Cabot University students (past and present) are planning to join us.

I am also excited by the prospect that a volume I have been editing, "The Roman Empire and Beyond", is nearly prepared and should also be published by the end of the year.

More to come when final exams are corrected...

Experiencing Ramadan

2009-09-21T11:51:00.001+02:00

A brief aside from Romania…

Like many Westerners, I have always been intrigued by Islamic cultures. When I was in college, I chose to live in an “international” dormitory where I became friends with people from many different countries. Oddly enough I was even elected to be President of the “International Students Association” during my Senior year. Among my friends were people from North Africa, the Near East and the Middle East. Although we came from very diverse cultural backgrounds, there did not seem to be so much difference (they all did and thought things that other college students did and thought – studying or avoiding studies, career thoughts and planning, dreams, fun…). This was my first real encounter with people from Islamic countries, but because we were in college, we really just enjoyed each other’s company; the subject of religion and cultural traditions was not raised so often. During graduate school and much of my time in Italy, I (unfortunately) never encountered anyone from Islamic countries. This is until about a year ago, when I was graced by having made two very close friends from Turkey and subsequently met many of their friends..

Without going into so many details, my “new” friendship led to a growing interest in Islam – I have read some general history books, several novels by Near/Middle Eastern authors and the Qur’an. This literally opened up a whole new world for me. There used to be about 1.4 billion people in the world who I knew extremely little about and although there is still far more to learn, this incredible door has opened.

Sometime in the spring when I learned that Ramadan would occur between about August 20 and Sept. 20, I thought about celebrating, even if in my own way (after all, I am not Muslim). As the new moon of August approached, I thought more and more about it. We all know that Muslims fast during their month of Ramadan (which shifts each year because the Islamic calendar is based upon the lunar cycle), but I really did not know what was involved until my friends told me. You are, in fact, allowed to eat, but it has to be before the sun rises and after it sets, which during this time of year was before 5:30 a.m. (around 6:15 toward the end of Ramadan) and 8:30 p.m. (7:30 the last week or so).

The first day took place on a Saturday and since I did not manage to wake up before sunrise, I simply did not have breakfast. As the day went on, I could feel my stomach calling and, in fact, I broke down and ate. Sunday too, I did not fast, but I was determined that I would start on Monday. I set my alarm for about 5:00, got up, had a huge breakfast (which I never do) and (this is something else you learn…) you go back to sleep for an hour or so. The first 2-3 days were difficult, but I resisted until sunset – I had a headache, but that was the worst part. By Thursday, though, I felt fine. Granted all of my friends at work would eat in front of me or ask if I’d like to go for lunch, but I managed. The first weekend came…tough when you are at home and there is a refrigerator full of food…, but I resisted. At the end of the second week, I had a breakdown – each day during the second week my friends would ask me to go to lunch and I would decline. Friday came along and I was famished, so when they asked, I said “yes”. Sorry to say that I ate on Saturday too, but on Sunday I was back on track. There was one other day – the final Sunday – when I had lunch. But regardless of “slipping” I was proud that I did this and my Turkish friends as well as a JCU colleague were also happy that I joined them. Tonight (Sept. 20), the first day of a 3-day celebration, my friends will come over for dessert.

This is one of the many things that I learned about Ramadan. Yes, you fast, but there are many celebrations. At the end of the day, you have dinner (usually a large one) and frequently you do it in company. Not being Muslim, I did not really partake in these mini-festivals, but we ate over at our friends’ house one evening. It is very common for Muslims to eat over at each other’s home during the month – some people even form a kind of dinner circuit – rotating amongst the houses of family and friends. The final festival (eid mubarak in Arabic or Ramadan bayram in Turkish), beginning today also involves being with your family and friends. Apart from a dessert-time visit tonight, I will not really “celebrate” the bayram. There is a real sense of Community and sharing the experience is very important.

The idea of fasting for a month, and this specific month, is for various reasons. Muslims are extremely generous and one aspect of the religion is charity. Muslims are expected to give a certain part of their earnings to less fortunate people (on average about 2.5% of their earnings). There is great sensitivity toward people who are less fortunate. In this regard, fasting during Ramadan is about empathizing with less fortunate people who are not able to eat whenever they are hungry, but who might eat, at best once per day. Another aspect of fasting is about self-control and self-discipline. It is difficult to control basic bodily needs such as the call of your stomach, but in the end you learn that if you put your mind to it, you can do whatever you want. Naturally, there are more direct religious concepts too – by applying self-control and self-discipline, Muslims pay homage to God; fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Another reason for fasting during this month involves Muhammad. The Prophet fasted during Ramadan and at the end of the month had his first revelation (i.e., God spoke to him or through him for the first time and he began composing the Qur’an).

Many non-Muslim friends have asked me why I decided to do this. There are many reasons, but the main one is “just because”… Apart from fasting and celebrating, Ramadan is also a time to reflect and to learn…about ourselves, each other, the world… I may not have been fully enlightened, but I learned a lot this month…

Porolissum Day

2009-09-05T12:01:00.003+02:00

On August 2, 2009, Director of the Salaj County Museum of History and Art, Alexandru Matei (great friend and co-director of the Porolissum Forum Project) orchestrated an amazing and very-well attended event at Porolissum. Each year the city of Zalau hosts a festival called Zalau Days wear residents flock to the center of Zalau to eat mici, small fried fish, have a beer or two..., listen to live music and celebrate Zalau's birthday. Since 2006, prompted by Dr. Matei, there is a day dedicated to ancient Rome and Porolissum. The previous museum directors (2006-2008) invited troops of "gladiators" and "Roman soldiers" to put on displays in Zalau and Porolissum, but Dr. Matei literally brought ancient Porolissum back to life!

In addition to his role on the Porolissum Forum Project, Dr. Matei supervised the organization of Porolissum Day. I have been coming to Porolissum since 2003 and I have never seen the site in such good condition. It was the first time that you could see all of the structures - tall grass, weeds and underbrush were cut and removed; new didactic panels were developed by the Museum staff; the normally broken dirt road was repaired for the first time. Roman weapons were forged by local blacksmiths, togas were made for the Museum staff and friends as well as members of the local fire brigade and police force. There were re-enactments of pagan rituals, military displays and an early Christian baptism. Experts gave lessons in archery. And, at the end of the night, the movie "Gladiator" was shown under the stars....

Congratulations Alexandru!

Summer 2009

2009-09-05T11:43:00.005+02:00

The summer 2009 season ended only 5 weeks ago...another fantastic season. With each field season we learn more and more about Porolissum's Forum. This summer's campaign, however, was exceptional - we confirmed that the area we excavated in 2004 was indeed a Roman bath! We have to continue excavating in this area to determin the bath's full extent and plan. It appears to cover an area of about 600 m2. On the opposite side of the Forum, we learned a lot about the post-Roman phases. We have always discovered evidence for "medieval" re-use of the forum; this summer we unearthed evidence for two distinct phases - one presumably from the Daco-Roman phase and another from the latest phase of the site, ca. 7th-11th century.

Once again, we had a great team of students, staff and workers! Good, hard work, but also good friendships and fun.

Summer 2008

2009-08-28T16:51:00.006+02:00

Summer 2008 was the 3rd full field season and the time when everything really fell nicely into place. We have always recruited great students and this summer was no exception. There are always flaws and this summer the main flaw was the weather. We missed about 6 out of 25 working days because of torrential rains, gail-force winds and also cold (daytime highs of C. 5-7 degrees in July?). One photo here reflects some of the frustrations of waiting out the weather with a sense of humor. The rain must have been a sign - even in the excavations water was prevalent. We unearthed several water-related features, including a cistern and a public fountain.

Being silly...

2009-08-28T16:36:00.005+02:00

One of my favorite all-time TV shows is M*A*S*H. One of the themes is that no matter what the circumstance, a sense of humor is important. Excavations are generally fun, but there is a lot of hard work. We literally excavate about 900 cubic meters of earth each season, much of it stone which has collapsed. The weather conditions are generally fine, but even at 75-85 degrees, we still work under the sun. We work under safe conditions, but as a director, you are always worried. At the end of the day, we do good work and enjoy ourselves at the same time. Sometimes we are sillier than usual - a mock funeral, what seems to be a marriage proposal, a scene from Romeo and Juliette....

"Rock" stars

2009-08-27T12:19:00.007+02:00

During the day, we move a lot of rocks out of the trenches; at night we "rock out"...

Here are Don, Charlie and I playing our favorite songs.

My favorites are "Pinball Wizard" and "Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who, "With or Without You" by U2, "Resist" and "Presto" by Rush, "Starting Over" by John Lennon "Lucky Man" by Emerson Lake and Palmer and "Fear and Hope" by me...

People - 2003-2004

2009-08-26T13:13:00.007+02:00

My close friends often comment on how few "people pictures" I take compared to the number of photos I shoot of landscapes, still lives, objects... I do not particularly like having my picture taken, so perhaps I think the same about everyone, but I do take "people pictures". These are some from my 1st visit in 2003 and during our "pilot season" in 2004. From top to bottom:

Teresa Tamba, who lives in Moigrad, is a combination mother/friend. Teresa and her daughter, Ioana, prepare most of our meals while the excavations are going. We also share many chats and laughs during the day.

This picture was taken in Sept. 2003 during my first visit to Porolissum. This is the group of people who welcomed me and introduced me to the area. Alexandru and his wife Maria are in the bottom right, Horea Pop (a close friend and archaeologist) is with his wife in the center, Sorin, the chief caretaker of the site is standing to the right and another close friend, Dan Sana is hidden toward the left.

This photo was taken by a local journalist who wrote a newsaper article about the Project. Americans at Porolissum - wow! big news! Alexandru and I are "supervising" our first three field school students, Meg, Chris and Stephanie.

In 2004, we excavated with Paul Pupeaza (green shirt) from the Museum of History and Archaeology in Cluj-Napoca. The World Cup matches were on TV that summer and this is a shot with Chris, Stephanie and Meg.

Of course....the group photo. We've always worked with people from Moigrad and developed nice friendships. Some of the Moigradians continue to work with us in the summers.

Sighetul Marmatiei ethnographic museum 2

2009-08-24T19:22:00.003+02:00

Another one of my "favorite places"... many wooden houses from northern Maramures dating between the 17th and early 20th centuries. These are details of wood-working.

Sighetul Marmatiei ethnographic museum 1

2009-08-24T19:09:00.006+02:00

Another one of my "favorite places"... many wooden houses from northern Maramures dating between the 17th and early 20th centuries. Among the houses are a wooden cart and a machine that separates grain.

Baia Mare ethnographic museum

2009-08-24T18:58:00.004+02:00

Like most people, the Romanians are very proud of their past. One manifestation of this is great attention to ethnographic museums which host reconstructed wooden buildings and/or showcases filled with objects of daily life. The museum at Baia Mare has both. I love these museums for the buildings and objects they preserve - fascinating in their own right. But as an archaeologist, I cannot help but project these kinds of objects (often wood, leather, cloth...) back in time to allow me to ponder the whole range of objects used in antiquity that have long since disintegrated. The buildings are amazing - often constructed without nails, but using a complex system of joints and arches. The details carved in the wood are also quite amazing...but I will show some details in another posting (Sighet).

Barsana monastery

2009-08-22T20:01:00.004+02:00

I have many "favorite places", the monastery in Barsana is one of my favorites. Beautiful, suggestive, place to reflect...

Summer 2007

2009-08-20T11:27:00.004+02:00

By the summer of 2007, all the wheels were oiled. We had a great team of staff and students and made many important discoveries in the field. We were finally able to talk confidently about general trends in the site chronology and also about the basic plan of the forum! The field trips became standardized this summer - we found a series of locations that allowed our students to experience all aspects of Romania's history and culture from prehistoric times through the communist period and the present day: Cluj-Napoca, Turda, "the Salaj County tour", Maramures. We discovered a wonderful B+B in the town of Barsana for the Maramures trip. Most importantly, by our third season, we were officially adopted by the village of Moigrad.

Summer 2006

2009-08-19T15:26:00.006+02:00

In summer 2006 the Project resumed......with a team of 4 graduate assistants and 14 field school members. We worked together with about 20 local workers, most of whom were in their late teens/early 20's and added to the social dynamics of the team. We explored the north and south sides of the Forum. Field trip destinations were a Roman fortress (Buciumi), a series of wooden churches and a botanical garden (Jibou) in Salaj County, Oradea, Cluj-Napoca, Turda and Lara, a mountain resort to the west of Cluj.

Summer 2004 - Pilot Season at Porolissum

2009-08-19T12:39:00.002+02:00

The adventure begins.....

I organized a "pilot season" in June 2004. Three American students were brave enough to join me on this adventure: Stephanie Barrante, Chris Blanchette and Meg McIntyre. We met in Timisoara and drove in my red Opel Corsa station wagon to Colonia Ulpia Sarmizegethusa, Alba Iulia and Sighisoara on the way to Porolissum (village of Moigrad, Salaj County). We worked for 4 weeks with co-director Alexandru Matei, then-graduate student Paul Pupeaza and about 12 people from Moigrad. We excavated 3 trenches on the east and north sides of the Forum (2 of which we re-explored in 2009). We took the students on a series of field trips to Cluj-Napoca, Turda, Baia Mare, and small towns in between.

Introduction

2009-08-19T10:30:00.002+02:00

I am an American professor of archaeology (John Cabot University) who has the great fontune of living and teaching in Rome, Italy. I visited Romania for the first time in September 2003 at the invitation of friend/colleague, Alexandru Matei. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the possibility of a joint Romanian-American archaeological project at the site of Porolissum. With the exception of 2005, I have returned each summer to co-direct the Porolissum Forum Project (http://www.porolissum.org/).

The Project is quite amazing and interesting, but in addition to the important archaeological work we are doing, I keep returning because Romania (and in particular Transylvania) is a magical place. Each summer I bring about 15 western students who learn about Romanian culture from an insider's perspective. They learn archaeology, but they also learn about the history of the country, especially Romania today. They return to their homes enlightened and with very important and enduring friendships with each other and many people from Zalau and Moigrad.

Romania is one of the world's best kept secrets - I cannot stop telling everyone I encounter that they have to visit. The people and the land, the food and the music, the traditions...everything is so "real", so "natural". Romania is certainly not without its problems, but it is one of the most special places on the planet.

These are a few introductory photos......