01 July 2012

Season Five!

I'm a little slow out of the blocks, because we're already one week into active digging!

We've got a good-sized group this season with eight undergraduate students, one graduate, two official Visitors, and a few friends stopping by. As usual we're working with the crew at Intrageo and with the support of the Comune of Massa Martana.

And, wow, it's hot here! It's been probably the hottest week I've ever had in Umbria, with temperatures peaking in the 90s/mid-30s every day. Today the internet says over 100°/40° in Massa, but since it's a Sunday, I'm lying low after a morning talk at the dig for a group of Italian tourists on a short visit to a number of sites in the area. We're keeping our place closed up during the day to keep the heat out and that's worked well so far, mostly because the evenings have been delightful, with lows around 70°/29°. They're predicting one more day of high heat, then a drop to something a bit more reasonable. We're going to take the precaution of starting a bit earlier this week, and doing a few of our local trips around noon. That way we'll be out of the sun for at least the very hottest part of the day.

Happy workers
More soon, but here's a photo of everyone on day one to whet the appetite.