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Archaeological Dig in Kythera, July 2010
Hello,
There will be an archaeological dig near the Agios Theoderos monastery in Kythera during July this year.
Archaeologist, Aris Tsaravopoulos will be conducting this rescue excavation with a small team of his associates.
Positions are open for volunteers from the Kytherian community to help support Mr Tsaravopoulos with the archaeological dig. Even though a formal excavation has not yet taken place around the monastery, the site is believed to have functioned as an ancient healing place, a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius (the demi-god of medicine) from the end of the 5th Century BC.
An inscription found on an ancient wine jug suggests that this was a Laconian (Spartan) sanctuary - due to the god medic being referred to as Aiglapios in Laconian dialect.
The excavation will run for a period of three weeks from Thursday July 8th through to Thursday July 29th this year. No prior experience is necessary as supervision will be provided by the team of trained archaeologists.
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to visit a working archaeological dig in Kythera.
Members of the public can be involved in four main ways;
a. As weekly volunteers
b. As daily volunteers
c. Participating in a site tour
d. Viewing frequent online updates on kythera-family.net and on Facebook
Site tours will be offered to members of the public at 9.30am, several times each week during this 21 day period. We’ll be prompting as many parents as possible to bring their children to the site to show them how archaeologists work.
Youth will get a unique opportunity to see an archaeological dig first hand and it is hoped that this will help trigger a greater curiosity and affinity with their Kytherian heritage.
For more information, contact [email protected].
This archaeological excavation has been supported by the Kytherian Association of Australia and Nicholas Anthony Aroney Trust. It would not have been possible without their assistance.