Kathryn Grant Report

Kathryn Grant 24th October 2004

Leonardo da Vinci GrEASE Placement Slovakia, 16th August 17th October 2004

Placement Report

After hearing that I had been offered a position on the graduate archaeology placement (GrEASE) in Slovakia this year, I was very excited and eager to make the opportunity an extremely successful one that marked a developmental period in my life. Now I have returned to England, I can sincerely say that I was in no way disappointed. By contrast, I have only positive thoughts and feelings towards the experience and am particularly grateful to those who gave me this opportunity and made the placement run so smoothly.

After experiencing the undergraduate archaeological placement in Bulgaria last year, I feel especially grateful to have been presented with the opportunity of taking part on the graduate placement in Slovakia this year. As I reported last year, my Bulgarian placement enabled me to learn and develop a variety of skills, as well as allowing me to fully experience and enjoy all that the country had to offer. Similarly, Slovakia has provided me with a renewed understanding of working in another European country and interacting with the local people and community. In Bulgaria last year, I was able to put my undergraduate theoretical knowledge into practice by learning how to efficiently layout a site and trench, survey the surrounding area, locate features, plan features and many other specialised archaeological activities. As recent graduate, my skills have since become more confined to the specific area of my final year studies and it has thus, been extremely valuable to put these wide ranging skills back into practice in the field.

On arriving at the site in Mrazovce, the group assessed the area to decide where the initial trenches should be set out. We started with two long trenches, one on the northern side of the hill and one on the western side. It was difficult finding an ideal position for the two trenches, so that they would be as straight as possible without too much tree interference, but despite the thick forested area, we overcame this problem quite quickly. Over the 9 week period, we successfully excavated and recorded both of the trenches. The initial aim of the excavation was to establish whether the 'Bluefield' (Modre Pole') castle, known from Slovak literary sources, was located on this site as thought. As a ' virgin' site, it was unclear from the outset the extent of what would be found, although it was evidently hoped that our excavation would enable us to answer some questions that had eagerly awaited a response. It was clear from the beginning that an excavation in the Stropkov region had been anticipated for some time

We were aware from the beginning that the hill showed clearly visible fortified banks and ditches that may have been evidence from the Halstatt period. The excavation allowed the group to discuss various methods for approaching and exploring the site. A few of the participants had never experienced practical training in taking levels at an archaeological site, and due to the hilly nature of this site, it made it a perfect area for such practice and training. We found a mixture of interesting finds, such as abundant pottery shards from varying periods, numerous animal bones, structural rampart evidence, a medieval crossbow bolt, a glass vessel and some small metal finds (e.g. bolts, hinges and nails), but unfortunately, as is the nature of archaeology, we were disappointed not to have found our grand 'Modre Pole' castle.

During our free time, our organizers made every effort to keep us busy. This meant that we were able to see various parts of the country and many aspects within it, as well as giving us an improved insight into both modern and traditional Slovakian folklore and culture (e.g. cuisine, dance, music, festivals, religion, art, politics, etc.). One weekend, we saw a few of the country's beautiful Greek Catholic wooden churches and visited the Saxon Weaver's town, Bardejov, with a beautifully preserved square and cathedral and a superb museum of icons. In our free time, we were able to go to Krakow in Poland for a weekend and experience the poignant sights of Aushwitz and Berkenau evidently very sad and moving, but an undeniably interesting look at our severe history. The group went to the border of Poland in the Pieniny and we went on a rafting trip along the Dunajec river (forming the border between Poland and Slovakia) with two navigators dressed in traditional Goral rafter's costume. After taking a trip to see Spisse' castle, an awesome ruined castle dominating a hill near Levoca, we arranged to stay in a chalet in the mountains at 'Slovensky Raj' ('Slovak Paradise'). Here, we went hiking in the mountains, which was a real adventure. The group made an excursion to the High Tetras, a beautiful mountain range, in order to see the magnificent views via cable cars. Unfortunately, it was a very cloudy day, but this only added to the eerie atmosphere on top of the mountain.

Last year, I found it interesting to stay with a local family in a small Bulgarian village, yet it made an interesting contrast to stay in the centre of a bigger Slovak town this year. At first I thought that we would interact less with the locals, because we were not directly residing with them, however this was far from the case. Due to the larger size of the town, we were able to experience Slovakian nightlife to the full making many local friends along the way (whom we remain in contact with). Our Slovak friends enabled us to learn much about their country, culture, traditions and history in a more relaxed, social environment. Conversing with our friends on a daily basis improved our language skills from both sides, because it was a two way process. It was unfortunate that so many young Slovaks wished to practice the English they had been taught at school with us, because it meant that our wish to learn Slovak was impeded I think it is fair to say that the Slovaks actually gained more from this language learning experience than we did, but we had helped them, which was rewarding nonetheless. During our stay in Slovakia, we received a fair amount of media attention for our work at the site, because the locals were very interested in our progress and findings. The group was interviewed on a couple of occasions for features in the regional newspaper and for a local radio station.

In conclusion to this report, I would like to highlight the reasons why the placement was life changing for me. Firstly, I am certain that the work based skills that I have either gained or developed will be put into good practice in my future career in forensic archaeology, which I am eagerly trying to pursue, despite the fierce competition. Secondly, it is clear that the experience has improved my general persona and outlook on life, at least on a personal, more subtle level. This opportunity has meant that I have gained sufficient practical experience in order to get a job in archaeology in the UK, which is increasingly difficult to get during this progressively more competitive time within the field. I am sincerely appreciative to all those who enabled the opportunity to become a reality for me and I hope that others will benefit from such generosity and help in developing their chosen career path in the future on similar programs.

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