INTERNATIONAL FIELD SCHOOLS G-M

GEORGIA

Bondi Cave Palaeolithic Field School (Imereti region, in the Caucasus Mountains of western Georgia)

Dates: Project Dates:

Bondi Period 1: Sunday 6th July to Sunday 13th July 2025
Bondi Period 2: Sunday 13th July to Sunday 20th July 2025
Bondi Period 3: Sunday 20th July to Sunday 27th July 2025
Bondi Period 4: Sunday 27th July to Sunday 3rd August 2025

Bondi Phase 1: Sunday 6th July to Sunday 20th July 2025
Bondi Phase 2: Sunday 20th July to Sunday 3rd August 2025

Bondi All: Sunday 6th July to Sunday 3rd August 2025

Project website: https://pasttopresent.org/palaeolithic-georgia/bondi-cave-field-school/?v=79cba1185463

Project video: https://youtu.be/nRhMFO4YH70

Bondi Cave: A Window into the Palaeolithic Era

Located in the Imereti region of western Georgia, Bondi Cave offers a unique glimpse into the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition, approximately 45,000 to 35,000 years ago—a pivotal time when Neanderthals gave way to anatomically modern humans across Europe and Eurasia. Set in a karstic landscape rich in Palaeolithic sites, Bondi Cave holds successive layers documenting both Neanderthal and modern human occupations. The artefacts uncovered, including over 10,950 lithic tools, animal bones, plant remains, and what may be the oldest known Anatomically Modern Humans fossil in the Caucasus, reveal vital details about early human dispersal, migration, and cultural evolution in the Caucasus.

Step Back in Time with Us

Join us next season as we delve further into Bondi Cave’s depths to uncover new insights into early human life. Our goal is to locate additional burials and explore deeper layers that may extend back to the Lower Palaeolithic, revealing environmental data from the late Pleistocene and capturing the climatic shifts that shaped early human adaptation.

During our 2024 season, participants helped re-establish our excavation grid and made a rare discovery—a Neolithic juvenile burial. Alongside this, over 2,000 stone tools were uncovered, showcasing the site’s archaeological richness and drawing the attention of Georgian media.

Hands-On Archaeological Training at Bondi Cave

Under the guidance of archaeologists from Past to Present Archaeology and Historic World Georgia, you’ll gain hands-on experience in a range of essential archaeological techniques, specifically tailored to the unique challenges of cave excavation. Your training will include:

• Single-Context Excavation: Receive guided training in precise excavation techniques, with support throughout as you learn to document complex cave stratigraphy accurately.
• Maintaining Accurate Site Records: Develop skills in record-keeping, with guidance to ensure each discovery is properly documented.
• Archaeological Site Photography: Learn basic photography techniques for capturing excavation details, with hands-on support from our experienced team.
• Artefact Retrieval and Cataloguing: Gain practical experience in carefully retrieving and cataloguing artefacts, under the supervision of our archaeologists.
• 3D Survey of Artefacts: Participate in 3D surveying, creating digital records that aid in analysis and preservation, with step-by-step instruction.
• Lithic Identification and Typological Analysis: Begin learning to identify and classify stone tools, an essential skill for studying early tool-making, with expert guidance.
• Drawing Archaeological Plans and Sections: Receive instruction on producing scaled drawings, essential for interpreting cave sites.
• Archaeological Interpretation and Sequencing: Work alongside our team to interpret artefacts and layers, developing a deeper understanding of the site’s history.

GREECE

2025 Athens, Greece: Heritage Site Management: Principles and Practices

Dates: June 2-27, 2025

Project website: https://www.fieldsciences.org/program/2025-greece

-heritage-management/

A video introduction to this project can be seen at https://youtu.be/kvb9C35sIRk

The 2025 course syllabus can be seen at https://www.fieldsciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Syllabus-Greece-Site-Managment-2025.pdf

OVERVIEW

In an era of unprecedented change, the imperative to effectively manage our collective heritage has never been greater. The Heritage Management Field School is designed to address this need by equipping participants with essential skills to navigate the complexities of heritage management in a rapidly evolving environment. This intensive program offers a unique opportunity for students, enthusiasts & professionals to deepen their understanding of heritage management, explore innovative approaches, and engage with the challenges and opportunities facing heritage sites around the world.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION In an era of unprecedented change, the imperative to effectively manage our collective heritage has never been greater. The Heritage Management Field School is designed to address this need by equipping participants with essential skills to navigate the complexities of heritage management in a rapidly evolving environment. This intensive program offers a unique opportunity for students, enthusiasts & professionals to deepen their understanding of heritage management, explore innovative approaches, and engage with the challenges and opportunities facing heritage sites around the world.

Our shared heritage, encompassing archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, and intangible traditions, is a vital part of our human identity and history. Yet, it is increasingly threatened by factors such as climate change, urbanization, technological changes, and shifting social values. In this context, the role of heritage management becomes crucial as preserving the human past will enrich and inform the human future. Effective management practices are essential to preserving these invaluable assets for future generations, ensuring that they remain accessible, relevant, and resilient.

The Heritage Management Field School is tailored to address these challenges through a curriculum that combines theoretical knowledge with practical training and skills. Participants will delve into the relationships between heritage, identity, and community, as well as the role of governments, international organizations and economic forces in preserving and displaying cultural heritage. The program is designed to foster a holistic understanding of heritage management, integrating interdisciplinary perspectives and hands-on experiences to prepare attendees for real-world scenarios.

Throughout the field school, participants will participate in interactive workshops, explore case studies, and conduct visits to operating heritage sites. These experiences are designed to provide practical insights and foster collaborative learning. By working closely with experts and peers, attendees will develop a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in heritage management.

The Heritage Management Field School is more than just an educational program – it is a call to action for those passionate about preserving our shared legacy. By acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to address contemporary challenges, participants will be empowered to make a meaningful impact in the field of heritage management. Whether you are a seasoned professional seeking to update your skills or a newcomer eager to enter the field, this summer school offers a valuable platform for growth, learning, and leadership in safeguarding our common heritage.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the program, students will develop an in-depth, interdisciplinary understanding of heritage management across cultural, community, national and international levels. Through lectures, case studies, site visits and workshops, students will develop skills of analysis, interpretation, and critical evaluation of tangible and intangible facets of heritage. This field school is not only designed to impart theoretical knowledge but also to offer hands-on experience in managing the multifaceted and evolving field of heritage. The main purpose of this program is to enable participants to develop competencies and strategies for the preservation, management, and sustainable use of cultural heritage in various contexts and at multiple scales.

Note: This program does not provide accommodation or meals. Athens is a major tourist destination with many hotels for all price ranges, Airbnb’s, and plenty of excellent, affordable restaurants. Athens public transportation is excellent, connecting the city with an efficient & affordable metro and bus system.

DIRECTORS: Dr. Marija Kamber, Heritage Management Organization (m.kamber@heritagemanagement.org)

Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis, Director, Heritage Management Organization (e.kyriakidis@heritagemanagement.org)

GREECE

Intensive Workshop for Metal Conservation & Interpretation (Island of Zakynthos, Greece)

Dates: June 1-14, 2025 Application deadline: June 1, 2025

INTRODUCTION

The program provides students with intensive training in ethnographic metal conservation. This program is designed for students who are considering a career in conservation and provides focused, in depth training for the study, conservation, preservation, mounting, and reconstruction of one type of ethnographic artifact – metals. This is a hands-on program, and we will cover both theory and practice of metal conservation.

Students will be guided through the history and technology of ecclesiastical, historical, and ethnographic metal objects and consequent stages of their study, conservation, and documentation. Students will explore the principles of material conservation, including methods and theories. To better understand structure and materials, students will learn how to use analytical instruments, including optical microscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Students will learn how to operate and interpret results. During the program, students will work with authentic objects and replicas of metal artifacts of various types and sizes.

This program focuses on metal object conservation. It will cover the following modules: • Introduction to Chemistry for Conservators • History of Ethnographic and Archaeological Metal Artifacts • Construction Technology of Ethnographic and Archaeological Metal Artifacts • Introduction to Interventive Conservation Treatments of Metal • Conservation Techniques and Materials of Metal: 1) Iron; 2) Copper; 3) Copper Alloys • Physicochemical Analyses of Metal: XRF, XRD & Raman analysis • Preventive Conservation & Handling of Metal. Conditions and Materials of Storage or Exposure of Metal • Environmental Conditions of Interventive or Preventive Conservation. Methods and Materials of in situ Conservation of Metal

This program takes place at the labs of the Department of the Environment at the Ionian University, on the Greek Island of Zakynthos.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the workshop the participants will:

• Be able to develop basic practical skills (depending on participant’s initial level of qualification) in metal conservation treatment.
• Become acquainted with the basic methods of required documentation for the conservation of metal objects using graphic software, as well as photo documentation.
• Learn about the forms, types, traditions, and technology of manufacture of archaeological and ethnographic metal objects in the Eastern Mediterranean, from the Middle Age to the modern era.
• Get acquainted with different case studies for preventive conservation of metal objects.
• Meet professionals working in the areas of conservation in Greece.

DIRECTORS: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Christos Karydis, Conservator & Associate Professor at Ionian University, Greece (c.karydis@ionio.gr) Dr. Adamandia Panagopoulou, Post-Doc Researcher at the Institute of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology “Demokritos” National Center for Scientific Research, Athens (a.panagopoulou@inn.demokritos.gr)

Dr. Angela Pencheva, Co-Founder of Balkan Heritage Foundation, Adjunct Professor at CPCE, New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria) & ICCM Board Member (balkanheritage@gmail.com)

GREECE

Intensive Workshop for Paper Conservation & Interpretation (Island of Zakynthos, Greece)

Dates: June 8-21, 2025 Application deadline: May 24, 2025

Project website: https://www.fieldsciences.org/program/2025-greece-zakynthos-paper-conservation/

Project syllabus: https://www.fieldsciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Syllabus-Greece-Zakynthos-Paper-2025-New-Dates.pdf

INTRODUCTION

The program provides students with intensive training in paper conservation. This program is designed for students who are considering a career in conservation and provides focused, in depth training for the study, conservation, preservation, mounting, and reconstruction of one type of ethnographic artifact – paper. This is a hands-on program, and we will cover both theory and practice of paper conservation.

Students will be guided through the history and technology of ecclesiastical and historical paper objects and consequent stages of their study, conservation, and documentation. Students will explore the principles of paper material conservation, including methods and theories. To better understand structure and materials, students will learn how to use analytical instruments, including optical microscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Students will learn how to operate and interpret results. During the program, students will work with authentic & replicas of paper artifacts of various types and sizes.

This program is focused on paper conservation. It will cover the following modules:

• Be able to develop practical skills in paper conservation treatments.
• Become acquainted with the basic required documentation for the conservation of paper using graphic software, as well as photo documentation.
• Learn about the forms, types, traditions, and technology of paper manufacturing.
• Use case studies to learn and practice preventive conservation of organic and inorganic paper materials, including ink and other printing materials. This program takes place at the labs of the Department of the Environment at the Ionian University, on the Greek Island of Zakynthos.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the workshop the participants will: ● Be able to develop basic practical skills (depending on participant’s initial level of qualification) in paper conservation treatment. ● Become acquainted with the basic methods of required documentation for the conservation of paper objects using graphic software, as well as photo documentation. ● Learn about the forms, types, traditions, and technology of manufacture of archaeological and ethnographic paper artifacts in the Eastern Mediterranean, from the Middle Age to the modern era. ● Get acquainted with different case studies for preventive conservation of paper objects. ● Meet professionals working in the areas of conservation in Greece.

DIRECTORS: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Christos Karydis, Conservator & Associate Professor at Ionian University, Greece (c.karydis@ionio.gr)

Dr Nikolas Sarris – Conservator of paper & archive materials, National Library of Greece (nikolasarris@gmail.com)

Dr. Angela Pencheva, Co-Founder of Balkan Heritage Foundation, Adjunct Professor at CPCE, New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria) & ICCM Board Member (balkanheritage@gmail.com)

GREECE

Intensive Workshop for Textile Conservation & Interpretation (Island of Zakynthos, Greece)

Dates: May 25 to June 7, 2025 Application deadline: May 18, 2025

Project website: https://www.fieldsciences.org/program/2025-greece-zakynthos-textile-conservation/

Project syllabus: https://www.fieldsciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Syllabus-Greece-Zakynthos-Textiles-2025.pdf

INTRODUCTION

The program provides students with intensive training in ethnographic textile conservation. This program is designed for students who are considering a career in conservation and provides focused, in depth training for the study, conservation, preservation, mounting, and reconstruction of one type of ethnographic artifact – textiles. This is a hands-on program, and we will cover both theory and practice of textile conservation.

Students will be guided through the history and technology of ecclesiastical, historical, and ethnographic textiles and consequent stages of their study, conservation, and documentation. While most textiles are made with organic materials (cotton, wool, flax, etc), some include the use of metal wires (gold, silver, copper, etc). This program will train students to engage with textiles with both organic and inorganic components.

Students will explore the principles of material conservation, including methods and theories. To better understand structure and materials, students will learn how to use analytical instruments, including optical microscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Students will learn how to operate and interpret results.

During the program, students will work with authentic and replicas of textiles of various types and sizes. This program takes place at the labs of the Department of the Environment at the Ionian University, on the Greek Island of Zakynthos.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the workshop the participants will:

• Be able to develop basic practical skills (depending on participant’s initial level of qualification) in textiles conservation treatment.
• Become acquainted with the basic methods of required documentation for the conservation of textile using graphic software, as well as photo documentation. Learn about the forms, types, traditions, and technology of manufacture of ethnographic textiles in the Eastern Mediterranean, from the Middle Age to the modern era.
• Get acquainted with different case studies for preventive conservation of organic and inorganic textile materials.
• Meet professionals working in the areas of conservation in Greece.

DIRECTORS:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Christos Karydis, Conservator & Associate Professor at Ionian University, Greece (c.karydis@ionio.gr)

Dr. Angela Pencheva, Co-Founder of Balkan Heritage Foundation, Adjunct Professor at CPCE, New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria) & ICCM Board Member (balkanheritage@gmail.com)

GREECE

Introduction to Conservation of Metal, Paper, and Textiles (Island of Zakynthos, Greece)

Dates: May 25 to June 15, 2025 Application deadline: May 18, 2025

Project website: https://www.fieldsciences.org/program/2025-greece-zakynthos-conservation-survey/

Project syllabus: https://www.fieldsciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Syllabus-Greece-Zakynthos-Survey-2025.pdf

INTRODUCTION

This is a beginner program, introducing students to the interventive and preventive Conservation of textiles, paper & metal objects. This field school is hosted by the Department of the Environment of the Ionian University, Zakynthos campus (Greece). The program provides a unique opportunity for students to gain comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience on the conservation and preservation of organic and inorganic cultural objects. Participants will be guided through the history and technology of ecclesiastical, historical, ethnographic textiles, papers and metal objects and stages of their study, conservation, and documentation. This program will take place at the labs of the Division Conservation of Antiquities & Works of Art at the Ionian University.

During the program, students will work with authentic and replicas of textiles, archival materials, and metal objects. The project includes three modules: practical work in the documentation and restoration of textiles, paper, and metal; lectures, training, study visits and excursions to the General Archives of Zakynthos (paper) and to the Ecclesiastical Museum of St. Dionysious (textiles & metal).

The workshop enables participants to gain comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience in paper, metal and textile conservation, documentation, and scientific analysis. Students will explore the principles of material conservation, methods, theories, and will learn how to use optical microscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) instruments for conservation work.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the workshop the participants will: ● Be able to develop basic practical skills (depending on participant’s initial level of qualification) in textiles, paper and metal conservation treatments. ● Become acquainted with the basic methods of all the required documentation for the conservation of textiles, paper and metal using graphic software, as well as photo documentation. ● Learn about the forms, types, traditions, and technology of manufacture of textiles, paper and metal. ● Get acquainted with different case studies for preventive conservation of organic and inorganic materials. ● Meet professionals working in the areas of conservation in Greece.

DIRECTORS:

Assoc. Prof. Christos Karydis, Conservator & Assistant Professor at Ionian University, Greece (c.karydis@ionio.gr) Dr Nikolas Sarris – Conservator of paper & archive materials, National Library of Greece

Dr Adamantia Panagopoulou – Conservator of Antiquities; Post-Doc Researcher in archaeological materials at Barcelona University in Spain with ‘NCSR’ Demokritos in Greece; Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Dr. Angela Pencheva, Co-Founder of Balkan Heritage Foundation, Adjunct Professor at CPCE, New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria) & ICCM Board Member (balkanheritage@gmail.com)

GREECE

Archaeology Practicum: Excavations at Aixonidai Halai (Voula Field School) (Voula, near Athens, Greece)

Dates: Jan. 2-22, 2025

Project website: https://cyathens.org/course/excavations-at-aixonidai-halai/

Project syllabus: https://cyathens.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ARCX320_Voula-Field-School_Karavas_Winter2025Syllabus-1.pdf

Project video: https://youtu.be/nWs-cvjOQk8

Students who have a serious interest in archaeology are invited to come to Athens for three weeks in January to participate in the excavation of a site associated with Aixonidai Halai, one of the ancient municipalities on the coast of ancient Attica. This will be offered as a short, INTENSIVE course with a total of 22 classroom contact hours, 12 hours of lab-work and teaching plus 45 hours of supervised participation on-site. The next excavation is scheduled for January 2 – 22, 2025.

Course Description

This three-week session will evolve around the physical excavation of a site near the modern Athenian suburb of Voula which, in antiquity, was associated with Aixonidai Halai, one of the main coastal demes (municipalities) of ancient Attica. According to all indications, it is quite probable that the excavation site corresponds to the Agora of the ancient municipality.

The course will consist of three main teaching components. The first is the on-site excavation, focusing on experiential learning, aimed primarily at introducing students to archaeological fieldwork and all related aspects of current research methodology and theory, under the supervision of trained professionals. The second consists of class lectures, which will subsequently enhance the “hands on” experience by placing it within the proper wider methodological and historical context. Last, but not least, the third component will be centered around lab-work, dealing primarily with the study and interpretation of the material cultural and will include artifact processing and cataloging as well as artifact restoration and preservation.

For the on-site excavation portion of the course, students will be under the supervision of archaeologists from the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Greek Archaeological Service; Effi Lyggouri is the principal investigator; Mary Giamalidi and Dr. Anna Maria Anagnostopoulou and CYA’s Dr. John Karavas are the field directors. Afternoon classes will meet at CYA each afternoon following the morning excavation sessions. In addition to the above, the course will also include visits to nearby relevant archaeological sites and museums, such as the Sanctuary of Apollo Zoster, the Cemetery at Pigadakia as well as the Piraeus Archaeological Museum.

Learning Objectives

• To familiarize students with current archaeological methodology and techniques.
• To acquaint students with aspects of stratigraphic excavation and field documentation, material culture, artifact processing and cataloging.
• To instruct students on how to keep archaeological field journals.
• To introduce students to current artifact dating techniques.
• To contextualize the Voula excavations within their historical setting.

Director: John Karavas

GREECE

Archaeological Soil and Sediment Micromorphology Course (Athens, Greece)

Dates: May 19-23, 2025 (Application deadline January 15, 2025)

Project website: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/programs/summer-archaeological-science-courses/wl-micromorphology-summer-course

An intensive week-long course in Archaeological Micromorphology is offered by the Malcolm H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science. Dr. Panagiotis (Takis) Karkanas, Director of the Wiener Laboratory, and Dr. Paul Goldberg, Senior Visiting Professor, Institut für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie (INA), University of Tübingen, will lead the course. The program will primarily focus on deciphering site formation processes and micro-stratigraphy. Students will receive instruction in optical mineralogy, description, and interpretation of micromorphological thin sections based on analysis of soil fabrics and sedimentary microstructures.

Archaeological Soil and Sediment Micromorphology Course

Training will include the study of:

• Soils and pedogenic processes
• Natural processes in archaeological sites (e.g. water and debris flows, wind-blown sediment, standing water sediment)
• Biological sediments (e.g., dung, coprolites, guano)
• Anthropogenic processes (e.g., burning, stabling, living and constructed floors, dumping and filling, trampling, raking, building materials)
• Post-depositional alterations (e.g., chemical diagenesis, bioturbation)

A maximum of 9 students will be accepted for the course. Preference is given to advanced students with a background in geoarchaeology, and preferably some exposure to optical mineralogy as well.

Participants who successfully complete a course of instruction will receive a certificate detailing the content of the course.

For further information or questions:

Contact Dr. Panagiotis (Takis) Karkanas at TKarkanas@ascsa.edu.gr.

GREECE

Geoarchaeology Field School (Athens, Greece)

Dates: May 31 to June 7, 2025 (Application deadline January 15, 2025)

Project website: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/programs/summer-archaeological-science-courses/geoarchaeology-field-school

The Malcolm H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science in collaboration with the American School’s Agora Excavations offers a full week-long Field School on Site Formation, Stratigraphy, and Geoarchaeology in the Athenian Agora.

Description

The Malcolm H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science in collaboration with the ASCSA Excavations at the Athenian Agora offers a full week-long Field School on Site Formation, Stratigraphy, and Geoarchaeology in the Athenian Agora. Dr. Panagiotis (Takis) Karkanas, Director of the Wiener Laboratory, and Dr. Paul Goldberg, Senior Visiting Professor, Institut für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie (INA), University of Tübingen, will supervise the intensive field school.

Registered students will be involved in interdisciplinary field research in the Athenian Agora primarily focused on archaeological context, geoarchaeology, and material sciences. Through field observations, laboratory analysis, and lectures, students will receive instruction in the study and analysis of archaeological sediments and deposits, as well as gain experience in the recording of stratigraphy and the understanding of site formation processes.

A maximum of 12 students will be accepted for the course. Preference is given to advanced students and post-docs with a background in archaeology, and preferably some exposure to the natural sciences.

Participants who successfully complete a course of instruction will receive a certificate detailing the content of the course.

Textbooks: Reconstructing Archaeological Sites 2019 by Panagiotis Karkanas and Paul Goldberg (Wiley Blackwell), Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology, 2nd edition 2022 by Paul Goldberg, Richard I. Macphail, C Carey, and Y Zhuang (Blackwell), and Microarchaeology 2010 by Stephen Weiner (Cambridge University Press).

A syllabus will be emailed three weeks before the start of the field school.

Costs

Training fee is 450 euros ($500 USD) for the entire week. Accommodation is not provided, but we will offer recommendations and assistance to course participants in order to arrange accommodation themselves.

Travel costs to and within Athens are not included.

Application

Applications should be submitted no later than January 15, 2025 via the online application form.

An application will include a brief cover letter outlining the candidate’s background and interest in participating in the course, a CV, and names and email addresses of two referees. Referees might be contacted for references after the application deadline, if necessary. Applications for the International Field School will also submit a list of grades (unofficial transcript) as part of the application.

Applicants will be notified in March. Link to online application form

For further information or questions:

Contact Dr. Panagiotis (Takis) Karkanas at TKarkanas@ascsa.edu.gr.

GREECE

CORINTH EXCAVATION PARTICIPATION: Call for Excavation Supervisors for the 2025 Season at Ancient Corinth

Dates: Session I April 6 to May 2; Session II May 4 to May 30; and Session III June 1 to June 27

Project website: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/programs/summer-excavation-programs/excavation-supervisors-ancient-corinth

The Corinth Excavations of the American School are looking for advanced graduate students to serve as supervisors during the spring 2025 field season. The season is divided into three four-week sessions, each comprising three weeks of excavation and one week of analysis, synthesis, and clean-up. Session I will run from April 6 to May 2; Session II from May 4 to May 30; and Session III from June 1 to June 27. Applicants may request to stay for one or more sessions.

At Corinth, experienced local workers are entrusted with most of the actual digging, while supervisors are expected to maintain a synchronous record of the fieldwork with the aid of the iDig app. Supervisors are also expected to work with the Director and Associate Director in processing the context pottery and other small finds from their area and in producing a synthetic report on their area at the end of each session.

Additional information regarding the responsibilities of the supervisors and the daily work schedule can be found at https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/excavations/ancient-corinth/about-the-excavations-1/information-for-excavators-and-volunteers.

Excavation in 2025 will continue in the area northeast of the theater, where work was initiated in 2018. For information on the most recent season, click here. Reports on previous seasons appear in Hesperia 89 (2020) pp. 125-190; Hesperia 90 (2021) pp. 773-818; Hesperia 92 (2023) pp. 355-404.

Accommodations are provided in the two guest houses of the excavation compound and meals are provided 5 days a week.

Review of applications will begin January 15, 2025, and will continue until the positions are filled.

A complete online application should consist of the following parts:

• A completed online application form, with the materials requested below.
• Letter of Interest.
• CV.
• Names and email addresses for two referees. Referees might be contacted for references after the application deadline, if necessary.
• Acknowledgement of health considerations. Check the box on the application form to acknowledge that you have read and understood the “Health Considerations.”

Further inquiries should be directed to the Programs Office (application@ascsa.org) or the Director (Dr. Pfaff, cpfaff@ascsa.edu.gr)

Applicants can expect to receive notification after February 15, 2025.

Apply Now

GREECE

EXCAVATIONS IN THE ATHENIAN AGORA VOLUNTEER PROGRAM SUMMER SEASON

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens conducts a program for volunteers wishing to participate in the archaeological excavations of the Athenian Agora during the summer. Approximately fifteen to twenty-five volunteers are chosen on the basis of academic qualifications and previous archaeological field experience. Both advanced undergraduate students and graduate students are eligible, although priority is given to graduate students preparing for careers in classical archaeology. Open to all nationalities.

Project website: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/programs/summer-volunteer-program

Dates: June 10 to August 2, 2024

Deadline to Apply: December 9, 2023

Work of the Volunteer Staff

Th

The Summer Season

The excavations are planned for eight weeks,June 10 to August 2, 2024.Fieldwork is in progress five days a week, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a 30-minute break at midmorning, and some post-excavation duties will run until 5 p.m. Volunteers are expected to be on the site during these hours and to work at the excavations for a minimum of six weeks.

Call for Excavation Supervisors for the 2024 season in the Athenian Agora

The Agora Excavations are looking for Supervisors for the excavations of the Athenian Agora.

LEARN MORE

TThe American School of Classical Studies at Athens conducts a program for volunteers wishing to participate in the archaeological excavations of the Athenian Agora during the summer. Approximately thirty-five volunteers are chosen on the basis of academic qualifications and previous archaeological field experience. Undergraduate applications are welcome, although priority is given to graduate students preparing for professional careers in classical archaeology and those willing to work the entire season.

To learn more, click here.

American School of Classical Studies at Athens
321 Wall Street, Princeton, NJ 08540-1515
Email: programs@ascsa.org
Website: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr

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BLACKFRIARY ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD SCHOOL SUMMER 2025, IRELAND

Project website: https://bafs.ie/summer/ Application deadline: March 31, 2025.

Project flyer: https://bafs.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/NEW-A5-WEB-BAFS-Flyer.pdf

OVERVIEW

Welcome to the Blackfriary Archaeology Field School. 2025 will be the fifteenth season of excavations at this site where we have been providing the highest standards of teaching and training since 2010.

Our goal is to continue delivering a wonderful experience to all interested students, visitors, lifelong learners and enthusiasts at the Black Friary. Already, so many have started their field careers or realised their dream of taking part in an excavation at this medieval friary in the heritage capital of Ireland. It’s our ambition to help as many people as possible experience the adventure that digging up the past has to offer, while being taught how to record it for future generations. Our location in Co. Meath means that you are perfectly placed to see the many wonderful heritage sites which bring our past to life in Ireland’s Ancient East. https://www.irelandsancienteast.com/

The Blackfriary Archaeology Field School is part of the award-winning Blackfriary Community Heritage and Archaeology Project (BCHAP) in the town of Trim, County Meath, Ireland. Focusing on the buried remains of the 13th century AD/CE Dominican friary and associated graveyard, the field school is suitable for students from a wide range of backgrounds including archaeology, history, anthropology, and forensics – and for students looking for a unique study abroad experience. As participants in a public archaeology project, students are actively engaged with our outreach activities on site. They are also housed with families in Trim, allowing them to integrate with the local community.

Location/Where are we

The Blackfriary site is situated in the Medieval town of Trim, County Meath which is the heritage capital of Ireland. Trim is in the heart of the Boyne Valley close to the World Heritage site at Brú na Bóinne (see https://www.irelandsancienteast.com/discover/stories/featured-stories/bru-na-boinne), where the 5000-year-old passage tombs of Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange are located . These significant sites, as well as the legendary Hill of Tara, the Hill of Slane and Mellifont abbey are also situated within the Boyne Valley and can be visited easily.

Just 45km North-west of Dublin, Trim is easily accessed from the country’s main airport. Being this close to Dublin means our students often spend their weekends travelling and sight-seeing in both Ireland, the UK and continental Europe. Flights from Dublin to cities such as London, Edinburgh, and Paris are an hour or two away and very affordable.

Trim is a small Irish town which retains many of its medieval features and is home to Irelands largest Anglo-Norman castle as well as other amazing remains. The Yellow Steeple, built as the bell tower of the Augustinian Priory was Ireland’s tallest building for over a hundred after it was built in the 15^th century All amenities such as groceries, pharmacies, gift shops, bars and restaurants are available in the town.

See all of the wonderful things to do in the Boyne Valley here;

http://www.discoverboynevalley.ie/download-brochures-about-boyne-valley

About the project

We are a dedicated teaching and research field school, committed to providing the best training in archaeological field methods within a public archaeology/community archaeology framework. We make sure that everyone understands our reasons for researching and digging this exceptional site and is trained in all aspects of the excavation. Blackfriary is a community owned site, so by taking part in the ongoing re-imagining of this formerly unloved space, project participants are helping protect and preserve this hugely important part of the heritage of Trim into the future. For those who come to us it’s a wonderful chance to be immersed in Irish life and culture while forging lifelong friendships.

Blackfriary Archaeology Field School

We have been digging, teaching and researching at the Black Friary since 2010. The site is a 6-acre field (2.2 hectares) owned by the local authority. The fact that it is not our site and is in public ownership is very important to us. The Blackfriary community now stretches from Trim right around the world thanks to the hundreds of students and volunteers who have joined the dig and are helping to transform this site. Our excavations are carried out with the permission of the National Monuments Service, registered by the National Museum of Ireland.

From the very beginning of the teaching and research excavations a community project was set up – the Blackfriary Community Heritage and Archaeology Project, or BCHAP. This provides the ethical framework within which the excavations are conducted. To read more about this, see the Community page. To read more about our research objectives see the Research page.

BAFS Harassment Policy

The Excavations

Excavations began in 2010 under the direction of Finola O’Carroll, Principal Investigator. In 2012 project Bioarchaeologist Dr. Rachel Scott began exploring the burial record at the site. We are excavating the remains of a Medieval Dominican Friary to analyse how the changing patterns of its patronage and use are interwoven with the known history of the town. The friary consisted of a large complex of buildings set around two internal courts or cloisters with a church forming the southern side. The cemetery lies south of the church and burials from both church and cemetery have been excavated to date. Excavations began within the church, in the area known as the crossing which marks the junction between the chancel (where the religious community sat) and the nave (where the laity worshipped).

To date we have expanded our dig to explore part of the south aisle of the church, the cloister, the domestic ranges, the cemetery and the boundary between the town and the friary precinct. Every year we decide which areas to focus on, informed both by our research objectives and by what has been learned from previous seasons. This process is always discussed with students, so they can understand how the research informs the ongoing excavations. As all participants receive training in post-excavation work, the logic and purpose of the detailed record keeping in the field becomes clear to them, and the significance of this stage of the work is highlighted.

Dr. Scott’s research into the human remains excavated from within the church and from the associated graveyard continue to inform us about the lives and state of health of the people of Trim in those centuries. We now know that the graveyard had a long history of use. From the foundation of the friary in the mid-13^th century to the mid-16^th century it was a cemetery for the people of Trim; in times of political and religious upheaval families continued to choose to bury their dead there after the closure of the friary by Henry VIII. After this, it continued in use as a burial place for unbaptised infants – a Cillín or children’s cemetery, possibly up until the early 20^th century, which, until these excavations was not widely realised. This longevity of use is illustrating the importance people attached to their final resting place during times of religious persecution and changing identities.

“The Blackfriary Archaeology Field School is everything a Field School should be–an excellent educational experience for students, a contributor to archaeological knowledge, and a positive force in the community. Blackfriary is one of the most publicly engaged archaeological projects I’ve ever had the pleasure of being involved with, and their beneficial influence on the surrounding area clearly shows. All of the professionals, students, and community members involved with the field school put their heart and soul into the work, and that made my experience there as a student incredibly enjoyable and valuable for honing my professional skills. I’m so grateful to have had the experience.” Jessica Skinner Student 2016

• • Understand the theory and practice of archaeological excavation, including the single context recording system, site grid, stratigraphy, and the Harris Matrix.
  • Have excavated an archaeological feature.
  • Understand how to fill in context sheets, do scaled drawings, take properly set up photographs, take levels, co-ordinates and document these.
  • Have received an introduction to the digitisation of site plans and drawings
  • Know how to excavate, retrieve, bag and record archaeological objects (artefacts and ecofacts).
  • Have carried out basic environmental sampling.
  • Understand the process of post-excavation analysis by participating in the work.
  • Have processed archaeological finds and know the correct procedures for cleaning and labelling artefacts.
  • Have examined archaeologically derived human remains, comprising both disarticulated bone and articulated burials.
  • Have applied techniques of human skeletal analysis, including distinguishing human vs. animal bone, identifying bone fragments, calculating MNI from commingled remains, and reconstructing the biological profile (age, sex, and stature) of individual burials.
  • Understand the key components of a human skeletal inventory for an excavation report.Summer 2025 [for dates, see https://bafs.ie/summer/]Download our flyer here!
    

    Certificate in Archaeological Excavation and Recording (4 Week) (Accredited Course)

    https://www.dkit.ie/courses/school-of-business-and-humanities/humanities/certificate-in-archaeological-excavation-and-recording.html

    This course will be available to students in June 2025. Students will be introduced to excavation, post-excavation and survey methods. The course is divided between excavation within the friary/friary precinct, post-excavation, recording and survey. Each student will typically spend one week on each element. The excavation, post-excavation and survey sections will be directed and supervised by archaeologists, Finola O’Carroll, Mark McConnon and Laura Corrway.

    The objective of this course is to train students in setting out a cutting and tying it to the site grid, the use of various tools, methods of excavation, feature recognition, recording using feature sheets, photography, planning and survey. All students take part in post-excavation processing, including the formation of the written record. The research strategy and previous results which inform the overall excavation plan will be discussed with students, so they can set their work in the overall context of the research framework. Field trips and lectures will introduce the student to the wider landscape and historical context of the Black Friary, and the town of Trim. This course is an accredited program from Dundalk Institute of Technology (https://courses.dkit.ie/index.cfm/page/course/courseId/1321).

    At the end of the four-week course students will:

    • Understand the theory and practice of archaeological excavation, including the single context recording system, site grid, stratigraphy, and the Harris Matrix.
    • Have excavated an archaeological feature.
    • Understand how to fill in context sheets, do scaled drawings, take properly set up photographs, take levels, co-ordinates and document these.
    • Have received an introduction to the digitisation of site plans and drawings
    • Know how to excavate, retrieve, bag and record archaeological objects (artefacts and ecofacts).
    • Have carried out basic environmental sampling.
    • Understand the process of post-excavation analysis by participating in the work.
    • Have processed archaeological finds and know the correct procedures for cleaning and labelling artefacts.

    Certificate in Archaeological Excavation and Recording with Osteology (5 Week) (Accredited Course)

    https://www.dkit.ie/courses/school-of-business-and-humanities/humanities/certificate-in-archaeological-excavation-and-recording-with-osteology.html

    Students will be introduced to excavation, post-excavation, survey and bioarchaeology methods. The course is divided between excavation and survey within the friary/friary precinct and post-excavation processing and human skeletal analysis in the on-site lab. Each student will typically spend one week on each element. The excavation, post-excavation and survey sections will be directed and supervised by archaeologists Finola O’Carroll, Mark McConnon and Laura Corrway. The bioarchaeology section of the course is directed by Dr. Rachel Scott.

    The objective of the first module of this course is to train students in methods of excavation including feature excavation and recording, the use of various tools, setting out an excavation unit, photography of features, archaeological drawing and survey. The objective of the second module is to train students in post-excavation processes including the washing and cataloguing of finds and samples and the analysis of the human skeletal collection excavated from the site.

    The research strategy and previous results which inform the overall excavation plan will be discussed with students, so they can set their work in the overall context of the research framework. Field trips and lectures will introduce the student to the wider landscape and historical context of the Black Friary, and the town of Trim. This course is an accredited program from Dundalk Institute of Technology (https://courses.dkit.ie/index.cfm/page/course/courseId/8609).

    Note that previous study of human osteology is not required.

    At the end of the course students will:

  BF Summer 1.1 Intensive course in Fieldwork and Post-Excavation Methods (2 Week ) (Unaccredited Course)

  This course will be available to students in June 2025. Students will be introduced to excavation, post-excavation and survey methods. The course is divided between excavation within the friary/friary precinct and post-excavation methods. Each student will typically spend one week on each element. The excavation, post-excavation and survey sections will be directed and supervised by archaeologists, Finola O’Carroll, Mark McConnon and Laura Corrway.

  The objective of this course is to train students in setting out a cutting and tying it to the site grid, the use of various tools, methods of excavation, feature recognition, recording using feature sheets, photography, planning and survey. All students take part in post-excavation processing, including the formation of the written record. The research strategy and previous results which inform the overall excavation plan will be discussed with students, so they can set their work in the overall context of the research framework. Field trips and lectures will introduce the student to the wider landscape and historical context of the Black Friary, and the town of Trim.

  At the end of the four-week course students will:

  • Understand the theory and practice of archaeological excavation, including the single context recording system, site grid, stratigraphy, and the Harris Matrix.
  • Have excavated an archaeological feature.
  • Understand how to fill in context sheets, do scaled drawings, take properly set up photographs, take levels, co-ordinates and document these.
  • Have received an introduction to the digitisation of site plans and drawings
  • Know how to excavate, retrieve, bag and record archaeological objects (artefacts and ecofacts).
  • Have carried out basic environmental sampling.
  • Understand the process of post-excavation analysis by participating in the work.
  • Have processed archaeological finds and know the correct procedures for cleaning and labelling artefacts.

Meet the Team

BLACKFRIARY ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD SCHOOL DIRECTOR: Finola O’Carroll <finola.ocarroll@bafs.ie>
Project Bioarchaeologist and Principal Investigator: Dr. Rachel E. Scott

Contact: info@bafs.ie

How to Apply

Download an application form here: BAFS Student Application Form and send your completed form along with two letters of recommendation to info@bafs.ie

Alternatively, contact us for an application form at info@bafs.ie.

Applications are opened until March 31st 2025.

 

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IRELAND

CAHERCONNELL ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL

Website https://caherconnell.com/archaeology/

Apply Now! (and also see the scholarship competition below)

Archaeology at Caherconnell Fort

We are now accepting bookings for our fully accredited 2024 Field Schools here in the heart of the Burren.

For further information please contact us: Tel. +353 65 7089999 or Email info@caherconnell.com

Tuition, Accommodation & Meals provided

Caherconnell – One of Ireland’s Premier Archaeology Field Schools

We have two, four and six week courses that facilitate all levels of experience.

In partnership with theUniversity of Galway, we provide unforgettable archaeological experiences within the unique Burren region. Field schools are led byDr. Michelle Comber, a leader in archaeological education. This is complemented by a cultural element, which sees students interact with the local people daily. The site is also home to three stone cahers (ring forts), a probable Late Bronze Age burial mound, an ancient field system, two Bronze Age boulder burials, ancient dwelling sites and a prehistoric house.

Why Choose Caherconnell Archaeology Field School?

• Excavate Monday to Friday, and explore and learn at the weekend.
• Excavate a 10th-century AD royal settlement.
• Add to the quantity and quality of theartefacts being uncovered.
• Excavate a site of huge significance toIrish archaeology, the first of its kind to be examined in such detail.
• Explore material culture, history, economic, political and social structure.
• Develop skills which you use at archaeological sites anywhere in the world.
• Receive the best training and experience possible, we limit our group sizes to 20.
• Interact with experts in the field; our pupil teacher ratio is 5 to 1
• Take in the stunning Irish landscape ofThe Burrenand theWild Atlantic Way.
• Read ourdetailed dig reports.

All inclusive–we organise accommodation, meals, daily transport, on-site lectures and daily tuition. You just have to enjoy the experience, come along and join the team!

Course Schedule 2024 for one of Ireland’s Top Irish Archaeology Field Schools

 

6 Week Combined Course: SS103/SS110/SS112 – (18 ECTS or 9US Credit Hours) 6 Weeks
Monday 3rd June – Friday 12th July 2024

4 Week Combined Course:SS103/SS110- (12 ECTS or 6US Credit Hours) 4 Weeks

Monday 3rd June – Friday 28th June 2024
Monday 17th June – Friday 12th July 2024

Introduction to Archaeological Excavation:SS103-(6ECTS or 3US Credit Hours) 2 Weeks

Monday 3rd June – Friday 14th June 2024
Monday 17th June – Friday 28th June 2024
Monday 1st July – Friday 12th July 2024

Intermediate Archaeological Excavation:SS110-(6ECTS or 3US Credit Hours) 2 Weeks

Monday 3rd June – Friday 14th June 2024
Monday 17th June – Friday 28th June 2024
Monday 1st July – Friday 12th July 2024

Information about the 2024 Scholarship programme for students is available HERE

Experience Archaeology in Ireland with a difference

Your time here will see you work with some of Ireland’s best archaeologists during the day and some of Ireland’s finest conversationalists at night!

The Caherconnell Archaeology field school experience is one which will not be soon forgotten and will allow students to experience the very best of Irish archaeology and culture all at once.

If you want to learn the skills of archaeological fieldwork in a fun yet professional manner – where academic credit is available –Caherconnell Archaeology Field School is the only place for you.

Contact Us Today On +353 65 7089999 or Drop Us an Email at: info@caherconnell.com

 

 

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IRELAND

A VARIETY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPERIENCES OFFERED BY THE IRISH ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD SCHOOL, SUMMER 2025

Welcome to the Irish Archaeology Field School (IAFS)

We are Ireland’s leading provider of accredited, field-based archaeological research and training programs. The ethos of the school is to provide an opportunity for students of archaeology and anthropology to experience at first hand the excitement of archaeological excavation in a teaching environment.

Our archaeological and heritage programs include research projects in a number of locations in Ireland, including in Co. Wexford and Co. Offaly (with satellite schools frequently undertaken elsewhere). We provide credited and uncredited programs (and internships) for novice and experienced students, and also specialise in the preparation of purpose-built faculty led programs incorporating excavation, historical research, remote sensing, non-invasive survey, ground investigation, landscape assessment etc.

Whilst our programs are excavation-centered and aimed primarily at students of archaeology, anthropology and history, courses are open to all, and are guaranteed to give you an enriching and thoroughly worthwhile study abroad adventure.

2025 Programs

We provide a wide range of expert-led research-focused courses designed to introduce students to practical archaeological field methods, and to build and expand on knowledge and experience gained in the classroom. Book a field school here.

Project Profile: Ferrycarrig Research Project

Our marquee archaeological project, Digging the Lost Town of Carrig, takes place at the Carrick archaeological site, in the Irish National Heritage Park (INHP), Wexford. The project was founded in January of 2018 by the IAFS and INHP and focuses on the Carrick ringwork (SMR WX037-028002-), one of the most historically significant, but lesser known, medieval sites in Ireland. Carrick, founded in the winter of 1169 by Robert FitzStephen, was the first Anglo-Norman stronghold in the country being constructed the year before the main Anglo-Norman landing party at Baginbun. A stone castle, medieval borough and deerpark developed close to (or on) the site of the ringwork in the 13th century. Our project aims to establish Carrick’s rightful importance to the medieval histories of Co. Wexford, Ireland and Britain.

More About Ferrycarrig Excavations

Project Profile: Ferns Research Project

In June 2021 the Irish Archaeology Field School (IAFS) will launch a major next archaeological research project at the site of St Aidan’s Monastery, Ferns, Co. Wexford (WX015-003004-, WX015-003031-, WX015-003032-, WX015-003033-). The project, established as a partnership between the IAFS, Wexford County Council and the local community, aims to assess one of the most historically significant, but hitherto relatively unassessed, Early Medieval sites in southeast Ireland. The St Aidan’s Monastery project is centred on a major research excavation of both the 7^th century monastery and a latter 12^th century Augustinian Abbey, which hopes to draw the site into the town of Ferns as a ‘key heritage attraction’, in the process providing added economic and amenity value to the local community.

More About Our Ferns Excavations

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SEE ALSO:

Monastic Midlands Archaeology Field School https://iafs.ie/monastic-midlands-summer/

Forensic Anthropology Field School: Dead Men DO Tell Tales! https://iafs.ie/forensic-anthropology/

Contact IAFS

Irish Heritage School, Johns Hall. Johns Mall, Birr, County Offaly R42 Y927 Ireland

Phone: +353 86 192 1646
Email: info@irishheritageschool.ie

ISRAEL

TEL SHIMRON EXCAVATIONS (Nazareth Ridge, Israel)

Full information about the site, the research plans and the field school (and application) can be found at this link (with some details below): http://telshimronexcavations.com

Date: June 22 to August 3, 2024 POSTPONED

Project blog site: https://www.telshimronexcavations.com/blog/2022/10/24/tel-shimron-a-city-state-in-the-jezreel-valley

Project video: https://player.vimeo.com/video/741617141?h=e8590ede19&app_id=122963

Join us for the sixth field season at Tel Shimron, a site perched high above the Jezreel Valley on the Nazareth Ridge in Israel with a commanding view of Mount Carmel to the southwest. Occupied for millennia, Shimron saw the rise of ancient Israel, Jewish Galilee, Rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Come with us to discover the past and learn how to reach across the cultural divide to the world of the ancients.

In 2024, join us as we dig a Canaanite acropolis, Iron Age administrative buildings, and a Hellenistic farmstead. Uncover daily life in the ancient world. It took hundreds of generations to create the site of Tel Shimron; help us to recover their stories.

Directors: Daniel M. Master (Wheaton College, https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/faculty/daniel-master/) and Mario A.S. Martin (University of Innsbruck, https://uibk.academia.edu/MarioMartin)

E-mail: telshimronexcavations@gmail.com

Photos from https://www.telshimronexcavations.com/2017-photo-gallery

ITALY

Field School Montaione in Archaeology, Survey and Material Culture

Program Dates: The academic program will resume in the summer of 2025. Registrations will open soon!

Application link: https://www.irlabnp.org/montaione-application/

Project website: https://www.irlabnp.org/field-school-montaione-in-archaeology-survey-and-material-culture/
Download the 2024 program brochure here https://irlabnp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Montaione-Flyer-2024.pdf

ITALY

GEMINI PRESERVATION STUDIES (San Gemini, Italy)

Project website: https://www.sangeministudies.info/program-summary

Study Conservation & Restoration in Italy

Summer 2025 – June 2 thru August 8

San Gemini Preservation Studies is a summer field school, now in its 26th year, that organizes lectures, research, fieldwork, workshops and field trips in the disciplines of historic preservation, restoration and conservation. It is located in Central Italy in the city of San Gemini. The deadline for applications is March 15, 2025.

These courses focus on the study of: historic buildings preservation, traditional forms of painting, conservation of archaeological ceramics, the restoration of books and paper in archival material. The various field projects include: documentation and restoration of medieval public buildings in San Gemini, the archaeological excavation in the ancient Roman city of Carsulae, as well as conservation work on the local historic archives. The SGPS program is a collaboration between scholars from various universities and local preservation groups, fostering a multidisciplinary approach to historic preservation. All academic activities are held in English.

In recent years, there have been some major developments for our SGPS program. An academic relationship has been established with West Virginia University that offers our students the opportunity to apply for and receive credits through the WVU Art History Department (the deadline for applying for credit through WVU has passed for 2024). We have also recently established cooperation agreements with the Museo delle Storie di Bergamo and the Parco del Colosseo to study and conserve artworks and archaeological objects held in their museums, as well as a collaboration with the Historic Archives of the Commune di San Gemini for SGPS participants to study and conserve archival documents.

This program and courses have been created and operated with the collaboration of various local organizations among which. The Associazione Valorizzazione Patrimonio Storico San Gemini (Onlus), The Public administration of the City of San Gemini and the Catholic Dioceses of Terni, Narni and Amelia

All programs are intensive courses that include both classroom theoretical instruction and hands on field work on original materials.

San Gemini Book and Paper Conservation School (Sept 2025 – May 2026, a nine-month graduate-level training program to teach all the basic skills necessary to be a professional book, paper, and archival material conservator).

All field work is being done with the approval and supervision of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage (Ministero della Cultura and the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio Dell’umbria).

Massimo Cardillo
Director, San Gemini Preservation Studies
203 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11215 USA
Tel. US +1 718 768 3508, Tel. Italy +39 350 023 6878
Cell / WA +1 917 327 1240

APPLY NOW
SGPS is a program of the International Institute for Restoration and Preservation Studies, based in New York. An academic relationship has been established with West Virginia University that offers our students the opportunity to apply for and receive credits through the WVU Art History Department (deadline for enrolling is March 1st). We have established cooperation agreements with the Museo della Storie di Bergamo and the Parco del Colosseo to study and conserve artworks and archaeological objects held in their museums, as well as a collaboration with the Historic Archives of the Commune di San Gemini for SGPS participants to study and conserve archival documents.

Our courses are open to students from various disciplines, both undergraduate and graduate. All lessons are taught in English.

ITALY

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE NURAGIC CULTURE ON THE ISLAND OF SARDINIA: LANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGY AT PROGETTO PRAN’E SIDDI, ITALY

Dates: June 1 to June 29, 2025

Application deadline: June 1, 2025

Project syllabus with full details: https://www.fieldsciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Syllabus-Italy-Prane-Siddi-2025.pdf

Project video: https://youtu.be/4tOoWz_AcqU

OVERVIEW

公关

Program Description

Pran’e Siddi, or the Siddi Plateau, is a high basaltic plateau located in the south-central part of the island of Sardinia (Italy), near the modern town of Siddi. The area around Siddi was inhabited by prehistoric villagers beginning in the Neolithic period (ca. 4000-3200 BCE). During the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1700-1450 BCE), these previously egalitarian people began to develop a hierarchical social system with an elite who expressed their power and prestige through the building of monumental stone towers called nuraghi. The elites of the Nuragic community on the Siddi Plateau built sixteen nuraghi, which they lived in and added onto for three centuries. By 1450 BCE, however, the elite sites on the Siddi Plateau seem to have been abandoned, and the population moved away.

Progetto Pran’e Siddi was formed to conduct a thorough investigation of Nuragic climate, environment, land use, and economic practices in the Siddi region. We are interested in finding out what kinds of pressures – social, environmental, and/or economic – made the Nuragic people abandon their towers on the plateau. We are answering these questions through a combination of archaeological excavation and survey. Excavation takes place at the site of Sa Conca ‘e sa Cresia, one of the largest nuraghi on the plateau. Survey focuses both on-site and off-site, addressing the other Nuragic structures on the plateau as well as the landscapes surrounding them. By participating in Progetto Pran’e Siddi, students will contribute to ongoing research while gaining professional skills in excavation methods, pedestrian survey, and artifact processing.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

This field school has three main objectives: (1) to introduce students to the theory and practice of archaeological excavation, (2) to provide students with an understanding of the complex relationships between human behavior and environmental change, and (3) to acquaint students with the fascinating but little-known prehistoric culture of the Nuragic people on the island of Sardinia (Italy).

To achieve these objectives, the field school will (a) engage students in developing a practical working knowledge of archaeological field and laboratory methods through hands-on participation in all aspects of excavation and artifact processing; (b) introduce students to the intellectual challenges presented by archaeological research, including research design, the recovery and interpretation of data, and the continual readjustment of hypotheses and field strategies through lectures, critical reading, discussion, thought experiments, and participation in excavation; and (c) familiarize students with the Nuragic culture of Bronze Age Sardinia through readings, lectures, site visits, and direct engagement with archaeological materials. The course will take place in south-central Sardinia, Italy, near the town of Siddi. Students will divide their time between excavations at the site of Sa Conca ‘e sa Cresia, an early Nuragic corridor nuraghe, and laboratory processing of artifacts.

Students will participate in the following research activities: Excavation: Students will participate in guided excavations at Sa Conca ‘e sa Cresia. Record Keeping: Students will fill out specific excavation and survey forms, keep a field notebook, map sites and finds using GPS, and contribute to an artifact database. Cataloging: Students will participate in field sorting and cataloging of finds. Laboratory: Scheduled lab tasks will include washing, sorting, measuring, recording, photographing, and cataloging finds.

DIRECTORS
Dr. Emily Holt, Archaeological Science Project Officer, Bioarchaeology Unit, Cardiff University (UK) (emilyholt2013@gmail.com)
Dr. Mauro Perra, Director, Civico Museo Archeologico “Su Mulinu” di Villanovafranca (Italy) (perramarro@gmail.com)

ITALY

ROMAN FUNERARY & CREMATION ARCHAEOLOGY: THE NECROPOLIS OF VIA OSTIENSE, ROME (ITALY)

Dates: August 3 to August 30, 2025

Project website: https://www.fieldsciences.org/program/2025-italy-ostiense/

Project syllabus with full details: https://www.fieldsciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Syllabus-Italy-Ostiense-2025.pdf

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Necropolis of Via Ostiense was initially excavated in 1919. Archaeologists exposed 18 complete vaults (columbaria) with over 912 well preserved urns, containing cremated remains of Roman era individuals. The excavators decided not to excavate but leave the urns untouched and in situ, resulting in slow but progressive deterioration of the human remains and artifacts within them. Beginning in 2017, our team began an extensive and detailed study of these unique archaeological remains, micro-excavating each urn to better understand Roman burial practices, technology and cultural preferences. The 2024 will be our eighth season at the site and thus far, we were able to complete the study of 70 individual urns.

The urns at Via Ostiense represent a unique opportunity to study Roman funerary practices. This is the largest concentration of Roman cremated human remains in a single location and all within original context. This wealth of information allows for excellent comparative research, studying changes in cremation technology (temperature and type of fuel used), cultural preferences and choices (type of urns, objects found within them, number of individuals collected in a single urn) and biological elements (examining pathologies, diseases and using aDNA to study population variability). Although human remains at Via Ostiense were cremated, many long bones, teeth, pelvis & vertebra segments – some 10cm long – are still well-preserved and presented in the urns. This allows us to study a whole range of bioarchaeological elements, including pathologies, diseases, gender and age.

The micro excavation of each urn is a careful and detailed process. Students typically excavate a single urn in the season as this is a long and meticulous study of all human and cultural elements deposited in each urn. Students should expect to use both traditional microexcavation techniques and the use of a range of analytical instrumentation, including photogrammetry and portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF).

The relationships to and study of human remains in Europe differ widely from those practice in North America. This is the result of different archaeological histories, traditions, and cultural norms. Archaeology in North American is almost exclusively part of anthropology and under the Social Sciences, emerging from the historical & intellectual tradition for the study of the “other”. In Europe, archaeology is a standalone discipline, usually within the Humanities, studying the past of the “collective ancestors”. These differences will be discussed broadly during the program, exploring the origin and current manifestation of cultural preferences and its relationships to death in each region. While we plan to have lively discussions, our goal is to present students with the different traditions and their reasoning, not to suggest one is better than the other.

This program and its strong emphasis on the careful analytical study of cremated remains is relevant to students who wish to study Roman history, bioarchaeology and physical anthropology. The program will also serve well students who are interested in forensic studies of human remains and students interested in pursuing medical careers.

We will be excavating at an ancient burial ground. This means that respect to the dead will be front and center, and certain behaviour will be observed while at the site and/or at work. The individuals we are studying may be long gone, but we still owe them a debt of reverence for the opportunity to study their remains so that we may better understand, appreciate, and celebrate their lives.

The Via Ostiense project is a collaboration between the Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali of Rome and the Universidad Europea Valencia (Spain).

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Our program presents a unique opportunity to learn how to properly excavate and document cremated burials from an archaeological site and how to reconstruct biological profiles from fragmented and distorted bone elements. Participants will learn about rituals and the process of burning and cremating the human body, as well as excavation methods, documentation and analysis of the findings.

Our program is designed to provide for both students and professionals the knowledge and experience required to study cremation remains and burials. Experience from this program may benefit individuals interested in forensic anthropology, forensic archaeology and bioarchaeology.

While some experience working with human remains (especially cremated remains) will be helpful, beginners are welcome. The first three days of the program will focus on training for work at the site. Each student will be trained in micro-excavation techniques and bio-anthropological studies.

This program provides practical field and lab training and the theoretical structure for find’s interpretation. Participants will be provided with a dossier with information on methods, practice and theory of the archaeology of death, physical anthropology and funerary archaeology.

We will hold a seminar every Friday afternoon. The role of this seminar is to discuss work done during the week, methods, findings, questions and discussion of research. Saturdays are dedicated for excursions to important archaeological and cultural sites in the area.

Program Director: Prof. Llorenc Alapont Martin, Professor of Physical and Forensic Anthropology, Universidad Europea Valencia Email: llor.alapont@gmail.com

ITALY

ITALY & THE AEGEAN IN THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN: THE PORT CITY OF ROCA VECCHIA DURING THE BRONZE AGE (SOUTHERN ITALY)

Project date: August 31 TO September 27, 2025

Project website: https://www.fieldsciences.org/program/2025-italy-roca-vecchia/

Project syllabus with full details: https://www.fieldsciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Syllabus-Italy-Roca-Vecchia-2025.pdf

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Bronze Age fortified settlement of Roca Vecchia is located on the Adriatic coast of Southeastern Italy at the narrowest passage of the Otranto Channel. It was a strategic key-site for crossing routes between the Aegean and the Central Mediterranean and its topography was closely related to the protected Torre dell’Orso Bay. Maybe more importantly, the ancient site of Roca Vecchia includes the Grotta Poesia cave, an important cult center since prehistory. The Bronze Age site was settled from the mid-17th to the late 11th century BCE and was protected by a massive wall, repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt over time.

Findings from the Middle Bronze Age levels (17th -14th century BCE) attest to the early involvement of Roca Vecchia within the Aegean trade & commercial network. Artifacts recovered at the site include an unusual variety and peculiarity of products such as Lustrous-decorated, Burnished, Matte-painted and Minyan-type pottery imports, as well as locally manufactured Italo-Minoan ceramics. These findings indicate active & extensive trading along the southern Adriatic routes already at these early dates.

At its peak, Roca had complex fortification walls with at least five gates and a monumental main entrance. But by the mid-14th century BCE, Roca was attacked and destroyed by fire after a prolonged siege. Among the extraordinary finds sealed under the collapse of the defensive stonework, it is worth mentioning a huge quantity of complete locally handmade stone-tempered vessels, the remains of a group of seven unarmed people who died by asphyxia while trying to hide in a corridor, and the remains of a young warrior armed with an Aegean bronze dagger.

Despite the unquestionable local identity of the site, Late Bronze Age Roca yielded more Aegean type ceramics than any other settlement in Italy (including a large variety of both imports and their imitations). Roca appears to have been characterized by cultural hybridization of the local Italian population with Minoan and Mycenaean migrating elements.

Recent investigations carried out in Roca – in areas that include the “Cult Center” and the monumental buildings of the “Hut-temple” – suggest that extensive ritual practices took place at Roca. Ceremonial and ritual activities incorporated symbols of both local and Aegean origin, suggesting strong incorporation of local and external religious traditions and practices.

Late and Final Bronze Age evidence from Roca also includes artifacts of local specialized craftsmanship of exotica such as ivory and amber, as well as metalworking activities in bronze and gold. Indeed, Roca has the richest collection of gold items ever found in the Italian Bronze Age (including gold sun discs and ornaments), pointing to the important and prominent role Roca played in the central Mediterranean area.

During the forthcoming season, we plan to continue investigating both Bronze Age fortifications and the settlement area, as well as funerary evidence dating to the second and first millennium BCE. For the 2025 season, we plan to investigate the area close to the internal wall of the Middle Bronze Age fortification, near the Postern C access. Students will excavate and document the multilayered stratigraphy and explore evidence related to the 14th century BCE battle which destroyed the earliest fortress of Roca. In addition, students will be engaged with documentation and analysis of artifacts and human remains recovered during the 2023 field season from the burial area of Grotta Poesia.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The main objective of this field school is to provide students with a well-rounded understanding of archaeological fieldwork practice in the context of the ancient Mediterranean. Students will learn how research is designed and planned, its everyday routines on and off-site and ongoing scientific interpretation. As such, this experience aims to nurture students’ long-term interest in Mediterranean archaeology, and to allow them to develop the broader skills necessary to work in this and related disciplines, including self-confidence in field data-capture, hypothesis formulation, critical thinking, and teamwork. Students will receive lectures, where they will be provided with all the information needed to fully engage in the field activities. At the same time, students will help with opening the site. During the weeks of fieldwork, students will conduct excavation and laboratory work during weekdays. Weekends are dedicated to on and off-site documentation, museum visits and field trips.

More specifically, students will participate in the following activities:

Lectures: These will be concentrated in the first week and cover the fundamentals of Italian archaeology and history, provide background on the excavation history of Roca Vecchia, and introduce students to the stratigraphic method of excavation and its single context recording system. The lectures will take place at the field school’s accommodation facilities.

Excavation: Students will spend four weeks excavating at Roca Vecchia. The site’s stratigraphy is complex, which will allow students to gain confidence in digging with every tool available to archaeologists. By working alongside expert trench supervisors, students will learn proper procedures for excavating a diversity of contexts, from large demolishment deposits, to floor surfaces and to standing Bronze Age architecture. Students will be taught how to recognize, retrieve and document all artifact and ecofact types found at the

site.

Laboratory: In the afternoons and (depending on progress) some mornings, students will participate in laboratory activities. Most of the finds at Roca Vecchia consist of pottery of various types and sizes. Students will learn to recognize different pottery styles and engage in classification and seriation. types present at the site. Roca Vecchia has also produced a wide array of other artifact classes, including metal ornaments, charred wood, faunal and human remains. Students will learn how to identify those artifacts and how to clean, catalogue, document and store them.

Documentation: Students will learn the different aspects of archaeological documentation. Students will learn how to keep an excavation diary, fill-out context sheets, use a level, draw sections and photograph excavation areas. During lab work, students will learn how to catalogue finds and photograph and draw special finds.

Seminars: This research project is multidisciplinary, directed by a group of specialized scholars who are specialists in different aspects of archaeological research. During the field season, project staff members will present seminars about their own research. These will include topography, stratigraphy, epigraphy, zooarchaeology, physical anthropology and archaeoethnobotany.

Field Trips: Field trips will take place during weekends. Trips will include: (1) visit to archaeological museums in the region to introduce students to the diverse ancient cultures of the region; (2) visit archaeological sites and other ongoing archaeological excavations; and (3) sightseeing of some of the regional cities of historical and archaeological interest, including Lecce.

At the completion of the field school, students will be able to: • Master with confidence all aspects of stratigraphic excavation, at different levels of detail, using a variety of tools (from brushes to trowels, pickaxes, and shovels). • Independently conduct every step for single-context sheet recording, including mapping with survey equipment, context description and interpretation, and drawing and photography. • Know what the proper procedures are for processing, documenting, and storing finds in the lab and how to effectively carry them out. • Have a solid grasp of the basics of ceramic analysis. • Understand the role of Roca Vecchia within the broader framework of southern Italian archaeology. • Be able to engage with the theoretical underpinnings of research at Roca Vecchia, which include migration, culture contact and identity. • Have gained familiarity with the culture of southern Italy, and particularly the Puglia region.

DIRECTOR: Prof. Teodoro Scarano – Associate Professor of Prehistory and Protohistory (SSD L-ANT/01), Dipartimento di Beni Culturali-Università del Salento (teodoro.scarano@unisalento.it)

ITALY

ARCHEODIG PROJECT AT THE ROMAN SEASID SETTLEMENT OF POGGIO DEL MOLINO (near Populonia, Tuscany)

Date: Multiple sessions in May, August, and September 2024.
See the project website for date and cost options: click here

Overview

The excavation of the Roman settlement of Poggio del Molino, the only example of a Roman villa in the territory of Populonia systematically investigated, is conducted under the scientific direction of the University of Florence (in agreement with Municipality of Piombino) and the professionals of the Archeodig Project, with the support of the non-profit organisations Past in Progress and the Earthwatch Institute.

The archaeological site extends over the northern and eastern slopes of a promontory that acts as a watershed between the beach of Rimigliano in the north, the Gulf of Baratti to the south and the northern boundary of the town of Piombino (Livorno).
The Roman structures are located on a plateau, about 20 meters above sea level, that dominates the stretch of sea between San Vicenzo and the Isle of Elba in the west, and the Metalliferous Hills and the plains of Campiglia lagoon to the east.

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In the first half of the 1st century BCE, without the threat of pirates, the building was re-purposed as a farm with an adjoining ‘cetaria’, or small home-based factory, producing ‘garum’ (fish sauce), equipped with pools for soaking the fish, which we can still see today.
Around the middle of the 2nd century CE, after a thorough renovation, the building took on the characteristics of a maritime villa which was later destroyed around the end of the 3rd century CE, probably by an earthquake. The villa was organised around an open area, set out as a garden and exploited the same two accesses used in the earlier phases. The western entrance gave access to the main living area (cubicula and dining rooms), decorated with mosaics and frescoes and to the bath complex via a corridor overlooking the sea. The slave quarters, of which are known the kitchen and other utility rooms, still under excavation, was accessed via the eastern entrance.

In the 4th century, after the destruction, the eastern sector of the complex is reoccupied and used for activities connected with iron working. In addition to a large amount of iron slag and hematite, a furnace connected with a forge have been documented.

Even in the 5th century, the site experienced a significant phase of inhabitation connected with the presence of a gathering place, probably linked to early Christian worship, and of a tomb set in a wall of the villa ruins.

Today, the top of the hill is occupied by the beautiful Villa del Barone, built in 1923 by Baron Luigi De Stefano and Assunta Vanni Desideri, the daughter of Eugenio. From a paper of the 16th century, the “Bandita di Porto Baratti”, and other archival documents we know that the Poggio owes its name to the mill which was a part of Torre Nuova (“Torre Nuova del Molino”), the building of coastal defense and a lookout built in the early sixteenth century by Cosimo I de’ Medici, on the slopes of the promontory.

Teams will work between the remaining walls of the Roman villa of Poggio del Molino (Hill of the Mill), overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. The villa was established at the start of the 1st century A.D. when the main city of Populonia was mysteriously abandoned. The villa area has been exposed to continued habitation right up until the end of the 5th century and so is one of the few existing sources of information from this extended time period.

Activities include:

• Removing soil around artifacts with trowels, brushes, and other tools.
• Help record excavations where objects have been uncovered
• Clean and catalog finds, analyse the source and age of building materials.
• Reconstruction from pottery finds
• Other site visits