Archaeology - ROMANIA Archaeological Volunteer Stories

Linda Vonken - Volunteer Archaeology in Romania

Many things tempt visitors to Romania, including prices far lower than Western Europe's, good food, very drinkable local wines, mountain villages, and in Transylvania, of course, the legend of Dracula. Yet I came to Romania to unearth traces of the rich history this country holds, in a field-trip and research internship organized by Projects Abroad. This ecologically minded organization provides opportunities to take part in a wide range of activities all over the planet. Volunteers pay to get work experience or join an expedition for a working 'vacation' under the guidance of a scientist or expert in a particular field. The Romanian head office of this organisation is situated in Brasov. In the past, this area of Romania, surrounded on three sides by mountains, was the perfect place for a medieval settlement. The old city, founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1211, is one of Romania's best preserved medieval sites. And this would be my home for almost four months! Unbelievable!

Soon after I got to Brasov I went on my first field trip; Avrig. With its once glorious baroque and english gardens, the Brukenthal summer palace is an almost magical and fairytale like environment. We spent around two weeks excavating these gardens in order to gain more information about the design and construction. Besides numerous pottery shards our most exciting find occured in the fourth day as we were scraping dirt away with our trowels. The metal blades made an already familiar clinking sound as we struck stone. But this time we proceeded to unearth a pavement which wasn't visible on any of the historical maps. Although it was only a pavement; the feeling you get from finding something unexpected is amazing.

When we returned to Brasov the weather changed and because of the upcoming cold we switched to the winter programme my stay. But nevertheless my program was not going to be boring. Historical research and preparations for the reconstruction of a Dacian falx needed to be done. But while waiting for the best time to go up in the Apuseni mountains, in order to find a traditional blacksmith who would be able to assist in the making of this ancient wapon, my day was usually filled with labelling, scanning and reconstructing ancient and medieval pottery.

In this short period 'back home' I was able to discover more of Brasov's own fascinating history, culture and art-scene. Visiting the black church, the weaver's tower or the old city hall, they all had their own story to tell. Having dinner with my host-family, or out at, Bistro de l'Arte or Ceasul Rau, enjoying a nice cup of coffee at the Scottish Pub or 'singing' on Deane's karaoke night, I loved every single minute.

Then around the end of November we finished all our necessary preparations for the mountain trip and were ready to go to Alba-Julia to pick up the old iron. After spending almost a day in this city, we continued our journey by bus. One of the most amazing rides I ever had. Far from the lights and cosmopolitan atmosphere of the capital Bucharest, time seems to have stood still. Peasants still work the fields with hoes and live in ramshackle villages with rutted dirt streets right out of a Tolstoy novel. Animals are everywhere, cows, pigs, sheep and goats tended by shepherds leaning on staves. Farmers ride horse-drawn wagons along the roads. Rural Romania reminds me a bit of Francisco Franco's Spain in the early 1960s, a throwback to an earlier era, just before massive social and economic changes propelled Spain into the modern world. Come back to Romania in 10 years and unfortunately all this may be gone too. Even though no electricity, gas, running water or english language may sound scary and very primitive, my mountain experience was one of the most interesting periods in my life.

Arriving in Brasov I had only a week left before I would go home for the Christmas holidays. In this last week I bought some Christmas presents, we made the plans and a schedule for the Dacian falx project for the upcoming period and said goodbye to a lot of volunteers who were, unlike me, not coming back in January.

After my holiday break I felt like coming home (my second home). It was great to see my host-family, people from the office and Romanian friends. The work this month was again mostly labelling, scanning and reconstructing pottery, but along with they organised several trips to fascinating places in and around Brasov.

One of the trips was to Sighisoara, another enchanting town in Trasylvania. Its medieval buildings and towers have been unspoiled by war or modern industry. The citadel, built by the Saxons in the 12th century rises above the town and is preserved as a museum. Another nice detail is that the notorious Vlad Tepes, popularly called Dracula, was born here.

The only thing left for me to say is: I had the time of my life! Thanks to Romanian hospitality, the archaeology programme and all the wonderful people I met along the way.

Linda Vonken

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