Villagers join excavation teams to unearth artifacts

TEKİRDAĞ - Doğan News Agency

The excavation team is working with 30 women from the surrounding villages. DHA photo

Thirty villager women, who live in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ’s Karaevli village, are working six days a week to unearth artifacts at the ancient city of Heraion-Teikhos. 

Headed by the Namık Kemal University Head of Archaeology Department, Professor Neşe Atik, research in the ancient city began 13 years ago and has been continuing since then during the summer months. The excavation team is working with 30 women from the surrounding villages. The women are paid 45 Turkish Liras a day. 

Atik said the goal of the excavations is to unearth all cultural layers from the 3rd century B.C. “We want to shed light on the history of Thrace,” she said. 

Atik said the villagers in the excavation team were working just like archaeologists, adding, “This delicate work makes our women very excited. They are very happy when they find artwork with a trowel, broom or shovel in their hand. Our workers are worth appreciation. We have been working with the same workers since 2000. They are working very delicately. They are very good at restoring stones.”

She said the excavation area had a night watch, but because it was a very large area, treasure hunters were able carry out illegal excavations there. “We discovered that treasure hunters were seriously damaging places we had been digging at since 2000. This year, we are focusing on restoring these damaged areas,” Atik said.