Excavation

Long Ago Stories Told Again

Courses on Martin Wells’ teaching schedule this spring include introductory and advanced Greek and Roman Archeology. Course descriptions promise a study of the Greeks and Romans “through the material culture they left behind. Burials, monuments, buildings, and everyday objects like pottery and coins illuminate the lives of the ancients and tell their stories, many of which resonate with us today.”

Having real experience in the unearthing of those left-behind cultures, Wells, Austin College Assistant Professor of Classics, brings a passion to that study that takes his students far beyond the textbook.

“It’s amazing that I get to do what I do,” said Wells. “The ‘what he gets to do’ in this case is archaeology work on active excavation sites, and he involves a few students in the experience each summer. “It’s not something most people get to do, and to bring that opportunity to our students here is really important to me … to allow them to put their hands on the ancient world. The experience gives them their own sense of discovery and the opportunity to find something that speaks to how people lived hundreds of years ago. It makes the ancient world not so strange to see the common humanity and common human experience. Plus it gets students out of Texas and out of the U.S. to see the world and other cultures for a month or two.”

Once the season ended, publicity about the finds and the efforts of the team began to be released around the world.

“I enjoy bringing knowledge of the ancient world to the public and to the academic community. I do it because of that, and I think it’s really fun and exciting to put the story together of how people lived.” – Martin Wells

“I fully understand on one side of my brain that most people might not like this work; on other side, I’m thinking ‘why don’t you like this—it’s the coolest stuff in the world!’” Martin Wells

“It’s discovery, science, concentration, imagination; it all works together. For me I find my truest peace when I’m working in the field.” – Martin Wells

Links:

• John Huggins received a 2018 Eric and Carol Meyers Excavation Fellowship, which helped to pay for his involvement in the Huqoq project. Read his follow-up report.
• Video about the dig made by UNC Chapel Hill.
• Article in Spanish magazine ABC
• Article: The Times of Israel
• National Geographic