Okay, so its not like an Indiana Jones movie.Nevertheless, an Ohio State archeological dig in Cyprus can offer valuable undergraduate field experience, a commodity that’s hard to come by.’It’s difficult for undergraduates to get an opportunity to do this,’ said Richard Yerkes, associate professor anthropology at OSU, and associate director of the Athienou Archeological Project which sponsors the trip to Cyprus each year. OSU is a partner in the project, which is funded by he National Science Foundation, that also includes Davidson College in North Carolina and the College of Wooster.Application, however, is not restricted to these three schools as anyone can apply.Yerkes said it is important to do the trip before a student starts graduate school to make sure they know archaeology is what they want to do.Anne Lee, a doctoral students in Anthropology at OSU, has participated in the program twice since it’s inception in 1991 and agrees with Yerkes.’It’s really hard work, it’s long hours, it’s dirty, you may not always find you like it,’ she said. The dig is concerned with primarily three areas, ranging from 900 B.C. to the time of Christian occupation, and finally British colonization. Students could be excavating a farm settlement, tombs and a sanctuary.One of the most interesting finds so far has come from the sanctuary. Instead of having a sanctuary dedicated to one deity like other contemporary cultures, such as Ancient Greece, the sanctuary has hundreds of different statues in it.Ironically, the statues aren’t of the deities themselves, but appear to be of the owner of the statue worshiping the deity.Yerkes equates it to: ‘I’m here drinking coffee, but my statue is worshiping, so I’m off the hook,’ he said.Students and faculty share a close relationship with the villagers, whom they stay with during the project.’I think that it’s really important because you just get a much broader experience with what’s going on in the world,’ Lee said.Yerkes agrees and he thinks that’s one reason that the Cyprus experience is so valuable. ‘In all the other archeological projects I’ve been in involved in, I’ve never felt more like we’re really included in the community,’ he said. Cost of the program is estimated at $2,000 plus airfare, but 10 fellowships are available. Anyone interested should contact Yerkes in the Department of Anthropology. Lee said, ‘It’s fun, you learn a lot of stuff, but you are working 40 hours a week.’