2004 STUDENT DIARIES Week 7 - Liz Bair: Liz Bair inside the curved wall feature in Trench PC 19. So here we are, at the end of another fine season in the exciting world of archaeology. This season, the weather has been glorious, the cookies delicious, the dinners plentiful bounties, and the hypotheses, assumptions, and inferences bouncing about the site. The trenches were filled with speed and agility by the eager teams of bucketeers and mighty shovelers with record speed, some might say. Now, our arms are noodles and the stench of the trenches awaits to be soaked and scrubbed out in these final weeks of summer. Elizabeth Bair excavating in Trench PC 27. With the commencement of week seven there were hopes of that 'big find' that seems to happen the final Friday of every season, however this year did not end with a bang, but rather with frantic sweeping and final pass taking. A rather large area full of carbon was found in my trench, PC 27, in the diminishing hours of Friday. Caitlee stressed a bit, but I get the impression that she thrives under what might seem to be impending doom. Dental tools in hand, she prepared the area to be lifted and taken to the lab for analysis. I will cherish my days here at Poggio Colla and think back on them fondly. The surprise juice boxes and popsicles from Larry the Legend, the Vicchio pool with the Kids, the excitement of finding Volterran black glaze near the north western scarp of PC 27, trivia from the 80's and early 90's, the bean salad a la Larry, the inferences, hypotheses, and assumptions on the edges of the trenches… All these experiences will be looked back on fondly for all my days. Liz Bair strikes a pose in Trench PC 27.   Week 7 - Jeff Edwards: Hello friends of Poggio Colla. This is my last entry in the student diary, and, I am writing with the benefit of hindsight and retrospection as it has been several weeks since my return to the United States. After leaving the Muggello Valley I spent a week in Rome. A group of students met there and had a last night out on the town where we had dinner and said our farewells to each other. I must admit that it was rather sad to say good-bye to the friends that I had made over the summer, and it was a little emotional. However, these are very fond memories that will not be soon forgotten. Jeff Edwards and Marie Hall after dinner at Vigna. The final week of excavation in trench PC 20 was accomplished without any new surprises as our goal was to finish the excavation in locus 4 (this is the area of the trench which is just south of the fortification wall). Our objective was to get down to bedrock throughout loci 3 and 4 so we would be sure that no new information could be gained. We did find bedrock in the southwest corner of locus 4, but further excavation will be necessary in order to finish this locus. The finds that are coming from this area of PC 20 seem to indicate some kind of trash pit. We believe this because there are many large bone inclusions and broken pottery. There seems to be much more bone than was present on the other side of the terracing wall (in locus 3). This last week has seen the finishing off of the various passes that were begun and cleaning up the trench for final photographs. The end of the season is always important because we must document and record the final result of our excavation. This process includes stratigraphic drawings, photography, and discussion about what implications can be formed regarding the evidence unearthed during the field season. Our trench supervisor, Ivo, had quite a lot of work to do in documenting the finds that came out of our trench and finishing up his trench notebook, but I am sure that he finished it without any problems. After we finished the documentation process it was time to backfill all the trenches in order to protect the site from any damage that could occur in the off season. This was accomplished in a communal effort, and I am told was finished in record time. In fact, we finished one day ahead of schedule. Ivo van der Graaff, Jeff Edwards, and Bradley Schneider work on final drawings of PC 20. Participation in the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project has taught me much about the Etruscans and archaeological methods and theory. It was good to gain first hand experience in excavation and writing about what I have learned. I believe that this field school has been an invaluable experience in my education as an archaeologist, which has also contributed to my passion for ancient history and archaeology. I do not know if I want to become an Etruscologist, but this experience has solidified my interest in Classical archaeology. This field will offer a lifetime of educational experience and I know that it takes great discipline and passion to succeed, but it will be rewarding. I cannot adequately describe how exciting it was for me to travel to this beautiful country and visit the many places that I did this summer, not to mention the many friends that I have made. The one word that I heard constantly was "amazing," and this description is quite appropriate. Finally, I would like to thank everyone involved in the Mugello Archaeological Project, specifically Dr. Greg Warden and Dr. Michael Thomas. I would also like to thank Kathy Windrow for asking me to write this diary. It has been an enriching experience that enabled some of my friends and family back home to see what an archaeological excavation is like. Again I will reiterate that The Mugello Valley Archaeological Project and field school, in my opinion, is one of the best training grounds for the future archaeologist. With out a doubt it is definitely one of the most luxurious as far as accommodations are concerned. I look forward to coming back year after year if they will have me and if my schedule will permit. Many thanks to all the participants and staff, hopefully, I will see you again. Jeff Edwards Portland State University Jeff Edwards measure strata in scarp for final drawings of Trench PC 20.   Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7   Director, Gregory Warden gwarden@mail.smu.edu Director, Michael Thomas michael.thomas@tufts.edu While the team is in Italy during the summer field season, send e-mail to: mvap3@dada.it To email an individual on the team, enter the person's last name in the subject heading. Excavation house phone: 055-844-9834, or, when calling from the US: 011-39-55-844-9834. 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