A Modern Citizen of Labraunda by Ayşe Eda TARAKCI

Having just graduated from the department of architecture of Bilkent University, I truly had the opportunity to start discovering architecture in a way that I couldn’t experience reading textbooks. And here at Labraunda, I believe that I got the chance to experience something truly nuanced. I have travelled to ancient cities before, but there is no possible way of comparing the experience I had as a tourist with that I acquired here being a part of the team. Here, I was not a mere observer; but was a member that stayed, learned, documented and lived on the site. Being on the site all the time, I had the privilege to have a glimpse of the lifestyle that the ancient people once had here. And being deprived of technology and internet most of the time I would say, only enhanced this impact. 

I must admit before I came here, I had very little notion of what it was like to live in the countryside and being so much in contact with nature. I am sure that just after I left home, my parents had a bet on how long I could stay in a tent. But that was really the least of problems. Labraunda is a beautiful place with the most impressive overlook at the town of Milas. Being situated at such an elevated location, you feel the majestic grandeur of the ancient times as you walk among the columns of the temple of Zeus. At sunset, you see the mountains in beautiful shades of blue and the sky in soft pastel shades that blend into each other. When there is full moon, you don’t even have to use a torch (but please do). The nightscape illuminated by the moon is a beautiful Hellenistic silhouette. And with some imagination, you can just find yourself standing in the middle of an ancient feast. When the moon is paler, you can see all the stars in the sky. And sitting on “the rock” having this beautiful view before you, you just have to question your place in the universe, ask some existential questions and give a high five to Zeus. So, despite my stay here at Labraunda was designated to last for two weeks, I extended it to four. It wouldn’t be false to say that I enjoyed every instance of my stay here. 

But what I enjoyed even more was the company I had. The team here is so diverse; you can have a conversation on almost any subject. There are students, professionals, locals, foreigners… Everyone is just eager to learn and contribute. Having such a friendly and professional environment, it becomes even more encouraging to work and explore. The day starts at 7 with the breakfast, at 10 there is a tea break, at 12.30 lunch and at 5 pm we call it a day. The food is just delicious and the work is fun. 

I have been talking about work, and you might be wondering what I did here as an architect. The first week I came here, I drew the elevation and the plan views of the north stoa wall. It took fairly long because I was used to designing plans and elevations from scratch but I had not before drawn an already existing ancient wall. So I drew it in situ, being exposed to a lot of dust from the excavation nearby. It wasn’t a problem for me that there was dust all over me (I was 5 tonnes darker in the end of each day and after shower, 3 tonnes lighter. So this means lots of dust). But when the dust spoiled my drawings I must admit I got a little mad (you could see me yelling around and being frustrated in Japan). But in the end, I learned a lot about what to record and how to record while drawing technical drawings. When I finished that work, I drew the elevation and plan views of the Oikos building. The challenge with that one was rather funny. I finished drawing each day, and the next day they unearthed a new part of the building. Soit wasn’t quite finished over some time. I must also send my special thanks to all the people who helped me take the measurements of the blocks, Alp, Bahriye, Mert, Ece, Beyza and Lidya. Without you, there wouldn’t be enough many blocks on my drawings.

I also did some digging at the excavation (for like 10 minutes but I think I got the idea). Among the found objects, there were ancient lamps, figurines, coins, roof tiles, lots of bones and ceramic pieces. These are all classified according to their contexts and packaged. I washed ceramics and helped their classification. I also drew a few and even helped to glue the pieces of an amphora. Seeing this process step by step and witnessing how the found objects are processed from the moment they were excavated until the moment they were stored was just incredible. Initially I supposed that the excavated objects were to be exhibited at a museum. But instead, the process I have seen here showed me something much profounder. Each item is treated as an historical evidence, recorded, documented and depending on the object, illustrated. Catalogues of the objects are then kept, and the objects are viewed in relation with others. There are specific fields that specialize on different objects. There are ceramologists, bone and metal experts etc. So, what happens at the excavation is only a small fragment of the entire research. The information gathered from the diverse sources help the deduction of the architectural, artistic, historical and socio-cultural ethos of certain eras. Hence, each piece of collected data contributes to the cumulative transfer of knowledge. 

Working at Labraunda was a unique experience for me for all the reasons I mentioned here and more. I have not only acquired a lot of knowledge about archaeology, but also gained a new perspective. Whether you are a student of archaeology or not, there is something to learn here for everyone. Being an architect, I can say that after my experience here, a column capital, a lento block or a stylobate do not only connote some textbook terminology I read somewhere at some point of time. That terminology now has a profounder context and a deeper meaning for me (for real, I have drawn them block by block). And I am sure the meaning I found here will eventually have its parallels in my designs. So I think it would be fair to conclude saying: being a modern citizen of an ancient city for a month was just unparalleled.