Day one of class...

Today was Conservation of Archaelogical Objects, basically a 9-4 class with a break for lunch. I'll just go straight to the best part, I get to work on really old stuff! There are 4 potential projects that we as students will have a chance of working on...Cetamura which is a Etruscan village site (it's artifacts will be cleaned for display), Bosco le Pici another Etruscian burial site dating at around 8 century BCE, Cerrete di Sestano 6th century BCE and Picenian Tombs 6th century BCE. All are ongoing projects with the Italian government that our school is helping restore and conserve in conjunction with other agencies.

Today we did a simulation practice of terracota pots that were broken up and thrown on the table to reassemble. I love puzzles and of course I thought of Teri's mosaic mania because boy would she love this stuff!

We will be cataloging and shooting photos each step of the way as we clean, restore and conserve the pieces and at the end of term will be handing in our written reports of documentation. For the next month we practice on non valuable objects and from the orientation today we start on the real thing as early as October!

I got the very briefest of info on the painting restoration class and apparently we will be restoring an actual fresco that has been dismantled!

I am sooooo excited!!!! I actually get to touch things that only a few humans on the planet have touched...or will ever touch again once it's all restored...the unfortunate part for anyone reading my blogs is that will not be any photos. All the projects are under strict copyright laws of both the US and Italian governments and we had to sign some forms of confidentiality. So maybe when I get home I can do a little slide show night...

wow...I still can't believe at moments like this that I'm actually here doing it...