Dear readers,
As I write to you now, I am resting after another day at the site. We have been here for over a week and we have moved a lot of dirt and have seen a lot of things. In this brief post, there are three elements of the trip that I have enjoyed so far. I will describe my experience of finding a number of bones while digging. Also, I will discuss the food situation here. Lastly, I will show what has brought us together as a group.
A few days ago, I was working on the back wall of the theater. I was moving away dirt from the wall. We had been working on this wall for a number of days and we had only found a few pottery fragments. Morale was low. Suddenly, I saw it. A white strand of something jutted out of the layer of dirt. Carefully I brushed away the dirt and took it out of the soil. I had found half of an animal jaw bone. I am not sure what it was but it appeared to be the jaw of a pig. Finding something that was from an ancient living thing was quite exhilarating and encouraged me to continue to dig. As a result, another bone rose from our labors: a part of a leg bone. I presume it was a part of the same animal. Finding remains of ancient organisms made the experience come alive and that moment fuels me now even when we are not so lucky finding artifacts.
For our daily meals, we start the day with bread matched with butter, jam, and other kinds of flavorful spreads. If there is one type of food that has preserved me through this trip, it is the bread. When we first arrived in Mandeure, it was bread and cheese that satisfied me when I was famished. The simple bowl of bread has been a staple on this trip and I hope this continues. In church, we ask God to give us our daily bread. In Mandeure, this simplistic wish is granted. This sharing of the bread has led to inevitable bonding.
As time has passed, our work at the Mandeure theater mixed with weekend excursions has led to strong bonds being built between students. We enjoy eating together, laughing together, and working together. It really has been the common cause of discovery and a collective wish to have a good time that has led to successful bonding among the students. We survive the work at the site. We share stories and food. These are the ingredients for bonding. With God’s grace, our bonding will continue to occur and give us fond memories for years to come. Thank you for reading.
Sincerely,
James Durdan
Carthage Mandeure Excavations 