TRILOGY OF TIME

"Debbie, I require you, Atticus, Hazel, and Sophie to begin today on the north side of the cave entrance. Sophie is also needed.Just dig a little bit below the soil surface until I can come look.Elizabeth gives the first group of students instructions.

"We're doing it!"Jane responds enthusiastically as she leads the other three people into the cave.While the remaining students remain huddled in front of the lab trailer, Elizabeth continues to distribute assignments.

"Ted, you can return to cleaning up the units we finished at the end of the day, along with everyone who helped you yesterday.I require high-quality profile drawings.When you are finished, have Jane check the drawings, and when she approves them, come get me and I will take some unit photos.Keep in mind that the ruler is your friend!

She hopes that the tall British university junior will understand that in order for his graph paper drawings to be accurate, he actually needs to measure the layers of soil.She sometimes wondered how he had gotten to this point in the program.

"Charlie, Julia, you and the professor are working in the lab today."As she nods, sophomore Julia's curls bounce, indicating that she is pleased with her assignment.

"Do you want us to finish going through the artifacts from earlier this week or start washing the new stuff from the cave entrance right now?"Charlie, Samantha's lab student leader, inquires.

"No, let's start today with the entrance units.We can finish processing the other finds if it rains on Friday.We need to know what's inside the cave as soon as possible, and that's where our door is.She exclaims enthusiastically, "Alright everyone, hop to it!," as she finishes assigning tasks to those still present.If you require me, I will be in my office.

Elizabeth takes a break now that she is by herself.The nerves she brought with her when she arrived in England as the new American summer field school professor have barely subsided after only a week and a half on the job.

In an effort to bolster her sense of leadership despite her fish-out-of-water feelings, she repeats in her mind, "You've got this," for the millionth time.

She ascends the metal steps into the large trailer that houses her laboratory and the British professor's offices.Their temporary residence for the upcoming months.She turns and faces the site, bustling with the twenty or so students under her supervision, resting her arms on the blue painted metal rail before entering.

She closes her eyes for a split second and enjoys the cool morning air as she listens to the chorus of archaeological music: shovels striking the ground, trowels scraping the soil, leather-gloved hands pushing soil through screens, orders being given, and the crew tending to their units laughing and quietly chatting.

She refocuses on the scene in front of her and can't help but smile at the cave's large, dark entrance, which is built into the side of a hill that isn't very tall and has a gentle slope.She once more lets the realization that she is actually digging the site that she had only ever dreamed of for several years sink in.

"Tuppence for your consideration."She is distracted from her thoughts by Professor William's now-familiar sagelike voice, so she turns to greet the elderly scholar and her British counterpart, who had somehow managed to leave the trailer without her hearing.

She says, clearing her throat.Gracious, not much.Just taking everything in and pondering how I was so fortunate.She turns her attention back to the Avebury Cave location and tucks a lock of her shoulder-length auburn hair behind her ear.

The professor acknowledges with sincerity, "Luck had nothing to do with it, my dear," placing his reading glasses on top of his balding head.Your timing and effort alone were all to blame.That's all there is to it: you were noticed."And maybe the alignment of the stars had just a little something to do with it," he adds with a smirk.

As the man, decades her senior and everything an eccentric scholar should be, tries to dispel her apparent apprehension, Elizabeth laughs out loud.

She says, slightly lowering her voice, "Don't tell anyone, but I kind of feel like a cop out."Even though I am an expert on the Neolithic and know everything there is to know about Avebury Cave, I haven't actually excavated in England since I was a college student.That was approximately fifteen years ago!Now I'm teaching the material in England!

"Pfft."Professor William cries out.It's just dirt.You are not an expert on the archaeology of the land in England or Timbuktu just because you have dug a hole there.Even though Avebury subsoil may not appeal to you in every way, you are already well-positioned.Don't fool yourself; I've been playing in the dirt for more than four decades and have a keen eye for knowledgeable archaeologists.You are without a doubt one of them.

Knowing that he has a point, Elizabeth blushes modestly and simply nods her head. She then takes a deep breath and inhales the crisp morning air of the British countryside, which is full of lush green fields and scattered rock outcroppings.

She can't help but feel her heart pound as she looks back at the cave again with longing.Although at times she can't help but feel like she might really be dreaming and will wake up at any moment, being selected for the University College London's summer archaeology educator exchange program so far has been a dream come true.

"You know, young lady, you're quite passionate about it for someone who claims to feel unworthy of leading this site."It would appear that he caught her gazing in awe at the cave.After the first week, I had expected your enthusiasm to fade, but here you are still admiring the cave as if it were the Great Pyramid of Giza.She gives him a small shrug in response to his speculative gaze on her.Is the cave that special, or are you so enthusiastic about all your digs?"

The question makes the young professor giggle with amusement.Yes, I'd like to say that my charming personality and enthusiasm for the field of archaeology have made me somewhat popular with the Baltimore students.She clearly tries to make fun of her coworker by laughing under her breath.She continues, "No, the Neolithic and specifically the Avebury Cave have been my primary pet research for the last several years now," which is a bit more serious.Therefore, I'm probably a little bit more excited about it than I am about the more recent websites back home.

Professor William responds, "Mmm," not anticipating that she would openly boast about herself while also appreciating her American sense of humor.Let's channel some of that energy internally, shall we?

Elizabeth agrees, a little bit squinting up her nose, and turns away from her perfect view of the cave to follow the Professor inside.Okay, but using the metric system to measure units in the mapping database will never pique my interest!Instead, I'd much rather be digging a hole.

In response, he roars with laughter.You've gotten the hang of things quicker than your predecessor, and you only have to map four of the eight units outside the cave.You have my trust.

She exhales as she walks to the office she shares with Professor William, thinking that if she wants to be invited back next summer, she needs to get some energy for the mapping software.She had not lied, and she truly desired to be digging, but field directors had far too much to do to keep the excavation moving forward and on schedule.

She starts by opening Professor William's database and looking through the growing list of artifacts that have been cataloged. She realizes that while there are a few artifacts, nothing too unusual or unusually rare for the time periods known to have lived in the area has been found.She tries not to be discouraged by the fact that they have not discovered any evidence of more advanced technologies, reminding herself that they have only just begun the excavation.Technology that was unusual for the Neolithic, similar to the finds made by the previous expedition fifteen years earlier.

As she clicks her mouse to open the GeoArch mapping program, she says, "Archaeology is about recording history as you find it, not creating a story you hope happened." She repeats her first archaeology professor's resounding advice to never get too excited and focus solely on a specific outcome.

It was a simple mantra to follow at home in Baltimore, and she continued to use it at work.But it's suddenly harder to keep an open mind now that she's here.

"I know it's there; all I have to do is wait until we can go deeper into the cave."Naturally, there is also the trash pit, which we have just begun working on.Assuming any proof is to be found, it'll be there."

She determines that the area just inside the front of the cave would have been the ideal location for a fire pit or hearth if the cave was actually inhabited. She updates the locations she wants the students to start digging next week on the interactive map.The distance from the cave's entrance would let smoke escape, keep the fire dry, and keep the cave warm.