John G. Sabol Jr.

Digging-deep: an Archaeologist Unearths a Haunted Life John G. Sabol Jr.

Digging-Deep is an excavation of the archaeological site called "John Sabol". It is an unearthing of the author's memory of experiences of past presences that cuts across space, time, and culture. Water, mining operations, dust and dirt, dogs and wolves, and ghosts are seen as important features that are re-covered from these memory excavations. Some of the re-called practices that are unearthed include an alternative remembrance of "trick or treat", the multiple symmetrical worlds of history, myth, and ghosts in Winchester, England, the haunting nature of archaeological excavations and field surveys, the actor's encounters with more than a filmed "death scene", and a search for a legendary monster in Arkansas. All of these memories are perceived as symmetrically-interrelated though they originate in different places. They are viewed as a form of "theatrical ghosting", a resonating element that unfolds time, as events and activities are framed by their contemporary significance in the author's life. In this process of excavation, a re-curring haunting drama manifest in the life of this archaeologist, who also happens to be a cultural anthropologist, actor, and "ghost excavator".