Every season is different. I was so getting used to digging Field B and my crew, but in 2022 I was given an opportunity to meet another group. I was assigned to Field C and the amazing Trisha Broy as my Field supervisor. It was an excellent opportunity to learn what they have been digging up in Field C over the past seasons. It also gave me a different look at the site in general. It may seem like one Field is the same as the other, but there are so many differences in reality.

First things first. The designated square has to measured and taped and then cleared of all the grass.

When the square is cleared it is safe to start digging.

The progress is slow but constant. After only a day of work, a possible wall appears in our square. The colour is so different in the photos, but it was due to the unstable weather conditions in May. One day it is freezing because a sharp wind is blowing from the west. Some days it was pretty dark and cloudy with no sun. Some days are like summer—lots of sand dust in our mouths and extreme heat.

Each day of the dig, the wall is taking its shape. Also, it is a clear continuation of a wall they are digging in the square next to ours.

Another day another satisfactory progress. We have a lot of the small rocks and some large ones, but the sifting is going on nicely, and we will have a lot of the washing on pottery reading on our hands later.

Digging the dirt and revealing the architecture is a complex process of working, measuring, writing and gathering data, but most of all, it is a magical journey into the past.

Looking over the walls excavated in the previous season, I can’t help but be in awe of the view of the plains. Keep imagining the outline of this structure and the people living here nearly 3000 years ago.