Humanity Behind History

Often in the world of archaeology, the names and faces of the many necessary participants of excavations are subsumed under the black print of those of the directors’. Even those at the top who are listed are stripped of their humanity and left only as citations–secondary factors to their published work. Although we all agree that the ancient voices which we uncover are of the utmost importance, we must not forget the humanity behind the history that goes into every archaeological excavation. Each dig participant, specialist, student, and director brings the entirety of their unique lives and other passions and skills with them; we have musicians and writers, photographers and avid readers, sports players and watchers, scientists and filmmakers, and so much more. These interests come to the surface quickly in these tight-knit quarters. We dine and live side-by-side, always telling stories of others and ourselves both on site and off. Even when such story-telling and interaction is fostered on site, an excavation is not interrupted or diluted by the plethora of passions and wandering thoughts of its members. The unique vitality of every single person contributes wholly to the excavation by providing new perspectives and methods of problem-solving and by further solidifying a friendship and the spirit of collaboration toward a common goal among the participants. Here, the IMPERO Archaeological Project aims to give voice and face to those often overlooked, so that every follower of our efforts may too understand the vibrancy of life among our team and the particularities of these persons which make our excavations and research the best that they can be.

Check the story of our team members: