Mosna, situated near the Carpathian Mountains in southeastern Transylvania region has been continuously inhabited since early Neolithic period (Just the word “Transylvania” gives me chills and makes me want to wear strands of garlic around my neck, sleep with a crucifix shaped dagger to ward off Dracula and Bela Legosi.) It was colonized by German immigrants during the 12th and 13th centuries, who created fortified cities and churches to repel invaders.

Medias is a medieval 14th century city. After Ceausecu was overthrown, most of Transylvania’s Saxon community returned to Germany. The vacated historical villages are being renovated and Mosna’s late Gothic-style fortified church, dating from the end of the 15th century, was restored with the help of Prince Charles of Britain. It featured strong walls with an enclosed area. It was easy to visualize medieval villagers rushing into this church for sanctuary when their village was attacked.

Mosna Saxon church, Transylvania, Romania
The one-and-only local school bus was designated to bus us to and from the excavation site, a few km’s from the village. The excavation was a Neolithic village dating from around 4000 BC. Past digs found the presence of several houses and at least one place of worship and one gold bead. Finding more gold would be the ultimate prize.

Monday was just orientation and a visit to the site. Tuesday, it rained so we washed pottery and little pieces of already excavated “stuff” – bones, teeth, etc. with buckets of water actually drawn from a well. To get filled buckets of water, we had to go outside to the well in the backyard, lower and raise the bucket hanging from a rope with the crank handle, being careful not to let go of it and get whopped with the handle as it rapidly spun around dropping the bucket back into the well (I let go on my first attempt let me tell you, it hurt). Our bucket brigade routine was…get a dishpan…take into the backyard…lower the “old oaken bucket”…fill up with water only half or 3/4′s full otherwise it would be too heavy to lift…remember not to let go of the handle…pour water into dishpan…carry back to the working area…use your toothbrush and start gently scrubbing off the mud and debris.

We’d sit in the rectory area (or outside if it was nice), me wearing disposable latex gloves, and clean away, sharing stories, background and laughing. I am an impressive cleaner, a skill honed over 40 years of cleaning the house, children and now grandchildren . – and tended to get a bit carried away. All my vigorous scrubbing dissolved the imprints on the shards AND my “kipeck” became a mass of mud in the bucket! Oh well… a little more delicately from then on.

washing shards on the archaeological dig in Mosna, Romania
The pottery and rocks were made from clay called “kipeck.” The clay was molded around sticks, trees and other items and left to dry in the sun. We quickly learned what to look for in these hunks of rock…sometimes you could see thumb prints of the maker, outlines of leaves, nuts and flowers that dried in the clay. Interesting to see a thumbprint over 6,000 years old.

in pit digging up “kipeck” in Mosna, Romania
The enclosed working area for eating and washing pottery was actually part of the Church’s rectory. Wednesday was still too muddy in the pit…that meant washing more pottery and shards.

Thursday, two local grave diggers came out and dug two new trenches, 5 feet down through solid clay. ex-Marine was in one pit, scraping away and hauling up buckets of dirt while I went on “survey detail.” Survey detail meant picking up the clumps of dirt thrown in heaps by the grave diggers, scrunching them and looking for pieces of pottery or other odds and ends that may be important. This was backbreaking work and I developed a new appreciation for every archaeological site we’ve ever visited. How many hours and days did those people spend on their hands and knees excavating the Roman Forum… This may not sound enjoyable but it was. Every time I asked Andre…”what is this?” …and it turned out to be a tooth (animal or human), an adze, seeds, or flint head, thrilled me to no end. And when ex-Marine unearthed a bone, well…he rehashed his find for days on end…

the big bone find in the archaeological pit of Mosna, Romania 

ex-Marine and grave diggers in Mosna, Romania 

volunteers working in the Mosna archaeological pit, Mosna, Romania
The group started grading the physical toll on our bodies by “a one Aleve day” or “a two Aleve day.” Sitting in the pit, filling and handing up buckets of dirt and then scrubbing the “kipeck.” Forget The Zone, NY Diet or Atkins…just go on a dig for a few weeks and get healthy…

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