International List: N-Z

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ROMANIA

LOST CHURCHES PROJECT–MEDIEVAL FUNERARY EXCAVATION: LIVING AND DYING ON THE EDGE OF EUROPE
(Valeni, Hatghita County, Transylvania, ROMANIA) – 2024

Date: Session 1: June 9 to July 6, 2024
Session 2: July 7 to August 3, 2024

Full project details can be found here and a detailed syllabus here

OVERVIEW

As Europe redefines itself in the wake of the Ottoman invasion, the Carpathian frontier still holds fast against the Eastern invaders. Although Transylvanian suzerainty has passed from the Hungarian Kingdom, to the Ottomans, to the Habsburgs from the 15-17th century, its territory has never been invaded by the Turkish troops. However, the local populations lived under constant social, political, economic and religious stress. Since the Neolithic, Transylvania has been at the crossroads of European identity. During the late Middle Ages, this region goes not only through major political changes, but also through a spirituality crisis, under the pressure of Islam from the East and Protestantism from the West.

During the 18th century, several churches around Odorheiu Secuiesc have been abandoned. What is even more interesting is that those churches were removed from collective memory as well. Not only the written records pertaining to these churches were lost, but the local communities forgot about their existence.

Our excavation aims at retrieving the memory of these churches and to try to elucidate the social, political and religious context that created such an environment that would extract a church from local collective memory.

The Lost Churches Project started in 2013, with the excavation of two of these churches and associated cemeteries: Bradesti and Lueta. Concurrently, our osteology team has uncovered a very strange phenomenon within another church, at Teleac: 69 out of 70 burials were juveniles, with 49 preterm or fetal age, all of which dated to the 17th century.

In 2014, we have started exploring the environment that created this very unique skeletal assemblage, with the excavation of Teleac’ sister church in Valeni, with outstanding results We have discovered the building phases of the ecclesiastic buildings and their relationship to the deceased. Two of theses phases, an early medieval and a Gothic one have been uncovered, but the stratigraphy indicates that there is an even earlier church that we have been identified. The most surprising result of our 2014 campaign is the presence of what appears to be a migration period, pre-Christian tumulus under the church, as indicated by the burial of a horse associated with several individuals buried in fetal position.

Participants enrolled in this program will also have an opportunity to work with commingled human remains. Excavations at the Lost Church of Valeni during summer 2017 revealed an almost intact, stone built, medieval ossuary with excellent preservation, which we completed excavating in 2023.

Our excavation will deploy a bioarchaeological field approach. Within this context, we will concentrate our work on the individuals themselves and their immediate surroundings (i.e. clothing implements, jewelry, coffin and other primary funerary depositions). During one session of the excavation, we expect each participant to fully excavate approximately 2 individuals. Primary processing of the excavated remains, together with various lectures will provide our participants with the necessary training in human anatomy and morphology to be able to fully take advantage of the field experience.

To further expand their skills, several other projects are available to all our participants in osteology and bioarchaeology, as intensive laboratory research programs, respectively:

Adult Osteology Research Workshop

Juvenile Osteology Research Workshop

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ROMANIA

JUVENILE OSTEOLOGY RESEARCH LABORATORY WORKSHOP (Bioarchaeology of Children): MEDIEVAL CRISIS POPULATIONS: VICTIMS OF CHANGE (Odorheiu Secuiesc, Harghita County, Transylvania, Romania)

Date: July 7 to August 3, 2024

Program details can be found here Application form: https://www.archaeotek-archaeology.org/application-bioarchaeology

OVERVIEW

Our Juvenile Osteology Research Workshop is a more advanced continuation of the Adult Osteology Workshop. The aim of this workshop is to provide participants with an intensive review of juvenile osteology and an overview of the ways in which this kind of unique information is interpreted by bioarchaeologists. During the workshop, participants will have the chance to study the growth and development of the human skeleton across various juvenile age cohorts, ranging from pre-natal to pre-adult. Most importantly, participants will have the opportunity to gain hands on experience with the analysis of exceptionally well preserved juvenile skeletal remains.

The aim of this project is to evaluate to what extent and how the major political events of the 16th and 17th centuries have impacted physically local populations, especially the children. During the 2013 season of our Osteology Workshops we uncovered a very interesting and unique phenomenon: during the 17th century, the inside of some of the churches in the region of Odorheiu Secuiesc, in the heart of Transylvania (Romania), was dedicated to infant burials. Our initial study of the church in Teleac/Telekfakva showed one adult, 69 juveniles out of which 48 were of preterm or fetal age.

During the next stage of the project, started in 2014, we started to address how the health of the children in the various cohorts, ranging from preterm to pre-adult, varies in this period of crisis. The very good preservation of the medieval osteological material and the high quality of the recovery during excavation provides a unique opportunity for a very intensive hands-on experience while working with juvenile osteological remains. This laboratory workshop session is intended for students with some previous osteological experience. Knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of the human anatomy and morphology is highly recommended.

In addition to hands-on laboratory instruction, participants will also contribute to numerous seminar discussions and hear lectures on topics related to the bioarchaeology of children. The workshop comprises daily intensive lectures on infant anatomy and pathology, group discussions, laboratory work, bone restoration and analysis, leading to individual and group research projects and presentations as part of the Eleventh International Osteology and Bioarchaeology Student Colloquium in Odorheiu Secuiesc. Topical areas to be included involve the following subject areas: an overview of the bioarchaeology of children, growth and development, weaning and dietary stress, juvenile trauma and pathology, and reconstruction and interpretation of infant mortality. Moreover, seminars and lectures will introduce how novel technological applications (i.e., histology, CT imaging) have been utilized by bioarchaeologists who study juvenile remains.

Students who wish to expand their skills and experience in the field can register for an additional 4 week session of the Medieval Cemetery Funerary Excavation, immediately preceding the Juvenile Osteology Workshop. Note that previous experience in human anatomy and osteology, such as our Adult Osteology Research Laboratory Workshop or equivalent, is recommended but not mandatory.

Academic Credit (optional): 3 or 6 undergraduate (graduate – if applicable) credits can be earned through University of South Florida – additional USF tuition fees apply. See USF Program Brochure for more information. USF procedures and deadlines apply. Contact Dr. Jonathan Bethard at USF for more details.

Project Director: Prof. Jonathan Bethard, Dept. of Anthropology, University of South Florida (e-mail jbethard@usf.edu)

This field school is one of several operated in collaboration with ArchaeoTek archaeology@archaeotek.org

ROMANIA

SÂNPETRU BIOARCHAEOLOGY FIELD SCHOOL: UNEARTHING THE MEDIEVAL PAST OF TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA

Dates: July 7 to August 3, 2024 Click here for project syllabus with full details

FIELD SCHOOL DIRECTOR(S)
Dr. Annamaria Diana, Bioarchaeologist/Independent Researcher (annamaria.diana@outlook.com)
Dr. Daniela Marcu Istrate, Institute of Archaeology ‘V. Pârvan’, Bucharest (dmarcuistrate@gmail.com)

For a detailed 2024 program syllabus, click here

OVERVIEW

The field school takes place in the quaint village of Sânpetru, located a few km north of Braşov, in southeast Transylvania (historical region of Romania), and is part of the broader Braşov Bioarchaeology Project, established in 2014 after rescue excavations in the centre of Braşov exposed a large medieval cemetery and associated medieval and post-medieval structures. Our team has since explored the history and development of Braşov and environs through the analysis of archaeological and bioarchaeological evidence.

Located in the heart of the Carpathians and founded in the 12th century by Central European colonists (generally referred to as Saxons), invited as settlers by the Hungarian king Géza II, the city of Braşov (called Kronstadt/Corona in medieval times) was a crossroads during the Middle Ages for travelers, merchants and diplomats from central Europe and the Middle East, where communities from various ancestral backgrounds coexisted. Such a multi-cultural reality, still poorly understood, was the result of centuries of population movement across Transylvania. From pre-Roman times to the Middle Ages, the fertile Transylvanian lands were traversed and pillaged by nomadic tribes, colonised by European settlers, or disputed and conquered by more powerful entities. The Saxon cities of Transylvania (Braşov, Sibiu, Sighişoara, to name a few), are emblematic of the persistence of this historical heritage.

The Sânpetru Bioarchaeology Field School combines training in both bioarchaeological analysis and archaeological fieldwork, and in 2024 aims to achieve two crucial research objectives:

1) The post-excavation processing (cleaning and drying) and organization (anatomical sorting and preparation for storage) of human skeletal remains from the Braşov medieval parish church cemetery, an extremely interesting site not only for its complex stratigraphy and abundance of finds, but also because of its uninterrupted use by the wealthy and upper echelons of Braşov society for over five centuries, between the 12th and the 18th century AD. This was rare for Transylvanian cemeteries, the use of which was discontinued after the Reformation. Students will be able to learn new skills, both practical and theoretical, by working with skeletal materials from single, multiple and commingled burials.

2) To continue exploring the history and origin of the fortified Saxon church of Sânpetru, a village known for this religious building and for its 14th century painted chapel. During the 2023 season, two trenches (S.18 and S.19) relative to the outer fortified walls were excavated. Students were able to expose and retrieve an articulated calf skeleton, evidence of wall collapse, and a very interesting arched structure, together with pottery sherds from diverse historical periods, and scattered animal and human bones.

The 2024 excavations in Sânpetru will also aim to:
● Further our knowledge of the structural remnants discovered in the 2023 season;
● Continue investigating the origins and development of the settlement, which was donated to the Order of the Cistercians in 1240 AD;
● Clarify the relationship between the 13th century fortified structures and the religious buildings with them associated.

Students will also be able to witness the ongoing process of conservation and restoration of the church and associated fortified enclosures and to participate in cultural heritage activities. This is a unique opportunity which will allow students to experience the importance of interdisciplinary projects and discover how the combined efforts of researchers from diverse fields of study can answer compelling research questions and bring back to life sites rich in culture and heritage.

ACADEMIC CREDIT UNITS & TRANSCRIPTS

Credit Units: Attending students will be awarded 6 semester credit units (equivalent to 9 quarter credit units) through our academic partner, Connecticut College. Connecticut College is a highly ranked liberal arts institution with a deep commitment to undergraduate education. Students will receive a letter grade for attending this field school (see assessment, below). This field school provides a minimum of 270 hours of experiential education. Students are encouraged to discuss the transferability of credit units with faculty and registrars at their home institution prior to attending this field school.

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SPAIN

In Search of the Buried Viscounts: Bioarchaeology at a Medieval Franciscan Convent (Chelva, Spain)

Dates: Session 1: May 4-31, 2025 or Session 2: Sept. 7 to Oct. 5, 2025

Project website: https://www.fieldsciences.org/program/2025-spain-chelva-church-i/

Project website for Winter 2026 session (Jan. 4-31, 2026; application deadline Dec. 31, 2025): https://www.archaeological.org/fieldwork/2026-spain-chelva-forensic-i/

Project syllabus can be found at https://www.fieldsciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Syllabus-Spain-Chelva-Church-2025-Session-I.pdf

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Chelva Monastery was established 1390 CE, the oldest Franciscan mission in Spain. By the 16th century, the Church of San Francisco was built attached to the convent, in a Late Gothic style. According to written records, between 1551-1558 CE the Viscounts of Chelva – important leaders of the Iberian period – were buried under the alter of the church (Fig 1). This project is design to verify the validity of these textual records, excavate the remains of these important figures and study the life and death of elite, individuals from the nobility class of the period.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

The objective of this program is to enable students to better understand how archaeology is practiced in the field, to explore the diverse lifestyle of people in the past and to gain basic understanding of the evolution of cultural complexity. This program also trains students for potential careers in the Cultural Resource Management sector.

To achieve these objectives, this course has three primary goals: (1) to provide students a practical working knowledge of archaeological field methods, excavation, including excavation of human remains, laboratory analysis, artifact cataloging, and conservation; (2) to introduce students to the intellectual challenges presented by archaeological research, including research design, the interpretation of data, and the continual readjustment of hypotheses and field strategies with regard to information recovered in the field; and (3) to train students in documenting and filing paperwork in accordance with laws and regulations design to protect cultural resources.

The course will take place in the medieval Franciscan convent, located ½ mile outside the modern town of Chelva. Students will participate in the following research activities:

Excavations: Students will participate in guided excavations at the Church of San Francisco. Bio-anthropology: Students will conduct excavation and documentation of burials and human remains.

Recordation: Students will participate in filling out specific excavation forms, map finds, and record stratigraphy. Many of these forms are relevant to commercial archaeology and cultural resource management sector.

Cataloging: Students will participate in field sorting and cataloging of finds.

Laboratory: Scheduled lab tasks will include washing, sorting, drawing, and cataloging of finds.

DIRECTOR: Dr. Llorenç Alapont Martin, Prof. Physical and Forensic Anthropology, Universidad Europea Valencia, Spain (llor.alapont@gmail.com)

Mr. Juan José Ruiz Lopez, Fundación Antonia Calavel, Spain (juanjoruiz4@hotmail.com)

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SPAIN

Forensic Archaeology of Mass Executions During the Spanish Civil War (Chelva, Spain)

Dates: June 1 to June 28, 2025

Project website: https://www.fieldsciences.org/program/2025-spain-chelva-civil-war-ii/

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Spanish Civil War was fought from 1936 to 1939, between Republican and Nationalist forces. The war began in 1936, when General Francisco Franco initiate a coup d’état against the democratically elected Republican Spanish state. Franco wanted to establish a fascist state in Spain and was supported by the then contemporary fascist regimes of Germany and Italy. The Spanish Civil War is considered by many around the world as a struggle between dictatorship and democracy and was internationalised almost immediately. Volunteers from around the world joined combatants of both sides. By 1939, Franco’s forces won the war, and the regime began an intensive, long-term process of liquidation of its foes.

Castellón began to be directly affected by the Spanish Civil War at the end of March 1938. With the defeat of Republican forces at Teruel, General Aranda – the commander of the Nationalist army – advanced toward Castellón. The town fell to the Nationalist forces on June 14, 1938, and the regime began its ‘liquidation’ program immediately. This program is focused of studying human remains from the long liquidation process at Castellón.

The ‘liquidation’ of political opponents at Castellón took place in three different phases. From July to October 1938, irregular killings were carried out in the streets and exits of the town, on the roads or in local cemeteries. From November 1938 to February 1939, official files were created for detainees. No judicial process was followed, and immediate death sentences were signed by the military. The third phase was an institutional one. The regime created official War Councils, and a semi-judicial process was followed before death sentences were issued. That phase lasted until 1956. The vast majority of those executed in Castellón and its hinterland were killed during the third phase.

Recent excavations of a mass grave at the cemetery of Castellón, human remains of 51 individuals were exhumed. Due to legal protocols and chain-of-custody procedures followed by the Spanish authorities, the remains were transferred to Chelva, the Valencia regional hub for Civil War human remains.

This field school is focused on studying the remains to determine identity, cause of death and other forensic elements. We have two main goals. The first is to create proper documentation standing to contemporary legal standards so perpetrators can be prosecuted (a political decision) and historical truth established. Second, we hope to identify victims from mass graves and return to families so individuals may be intern with named, marked graves.

Each student will be responsible for the complete recording & study of at least one individual, and more if time permits. This program includes extensive travel to local Civil War sites, including Teruel and Valencia. Students will learn how to contextualize the analysis of human remains with historical events, how to engage with stakeholders and how to study victims of war atrocities and mass burials.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Our program is designed to train students and professionals. Experience from this program may benefit individuals interested in forensic anthropology, forensic archaeology and bioarchaeology. While some experience working with human remains will be helpful, beginners are welcome. The first two days of the program will focus on training in ethics, international field and laboratory work protocols in forensic anthropology, human rights and their legal context in conflicts. Each student will be trained in the techniques of forensic anthropology methods. The two main objectives of this training are:

1. To develop and extend skills in the identification and analysis of skeletal human remains.
2. To provide the theoretical and practical knowledge to study and investigate real cases and produce scientific and technical reports. This field school is aimed to be practical and applied. The four weeks will be dedicated to analysing human remains in the lab. The laboratory work will be complemented with workshops and visits to museums and sites and lessons focused on field work, exhumation, and postexcavation work. Each student will be assigned the remains of a single individual (both inhumed and cremated), which they will have to document for the entire process. Students will have the guidance, assistance and help of staff members at all times. A seminar will be held each Friday afternoon, where we will discuss work completed during the week, methods, findings and questions. Saturdays and Wednesdays are dedicated to excursions to important archaeological and cultural sites in the area. Sundays are rest & recuperating days.

OSTEOLOGY AND HUMAN ANATOMY ❖ Identification of human skeletal remains ❖ Morphology and variation of the skull ❖ Human muscle-skeletal anatomy ❖ Identification of the immature skeleton, individual bones. ❖ Identification and study of cremated bones. Quantitative and analytical methods ❖ Osteometry and anthropometry Application of methods, measurements and instruments. Quantification and comparison. Use of standards

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RECORDING AND GRAPHIC RECONSTRUCTION OF BONES AND SKELETONS ❖ Techniques and methods of graphic field recording 1: field drawing, topography, total station, 3D scanner, photography and drones. ❖ Techniques and methods of graphic field recording 2. Photography, photogrammetry and scanner. ❖ Techniques and methods of graphic recording in the laboratory: drawing, photography and scanning of human remains. ❖ Data processing in the laboratory: digitalisation. ❖ Reconstruction and recreation of burial and gesture. ❖ Physical and computerised facial reconstruction

FORENSIC ANALYSIS AND COMPLEMENTARY STUDIES ❖ The deontology of death and professional practice ❖ Judicial expertise. protocols, excavation and study of mass graves, civil war, conflicts. ❖ Quantitative methods in anthropology. Application of statistical and numerical methods and numerical methods in quantitative problems in biological anthropology, palaeoanthropology, osteo-archaeology. ❖ Chemical analysis of skeletal remains. Contribution of stable isotopes to osteo-archaeology. ❖ Molecular analysis and DNA ❖ Radiometric dating (carbon 14) ❖ Radiological study of anthropological remains (radiology, tomography). ❖ Microscopic analysis of skeletal remains ❖ Development of analytical methods in osteo-archaeology.

DIRECTOR: Dr. Llorenç Alapont Martin, Prof. Physical and Forensic Anthropology, Universidad Europea Valencia (llor.alapont@gmail.com)

Archaeology of Violence of the Spanish Civil War and medieval city research (Belchite, Spain)

Dates: July 15 to August 30, 2025

Project website: https://www.archaeological.org/fieldwork/archaeology-of-the-spanish-civil-war-and-medieval-city-in-belchite/

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The target of the project on 2025 in the old quarter will be: 1- Digging the medieval synagogue and document in a map all the civil war materials of the battle of 1937 in the medieval quarter. 2- Research on the origins of Belchite doing test in the medieval quarters.

DATES (Minimun stay 15 days). You can be the whole season or a month also.
First team 15- 30 July. Second team 1-15 August. Third Team: 16-30 August.

HOW TO GET THERE
Daily trains and buses depart for Zaragoza from Madrid and Barcelona. From Zaragoza, there is a bus service to Belchite, making ten trips a day, that leaves from the central bus station. A timetable will be supplied.

ACCOMODATION
Accommodation and dinners in a restaurant will be provided in the new village, just a 10-minute walk from the excavation site.

FEE: The fee for 15 days of fieldwork is €1000. This includes accommodation, dinners, work materials, and various lectures and cultural excursions.

BOOKING YOUR PLACE: Contact the director, Alfonso Fanjul. Alfonso Fanjul Peraza schoolofarchaeology@gmail.com

Oviedo, Asturias 33199, España

Phone: (+34) (code for Spain) 679079076

WORK SCHEDULE
On the first day there will be a guided tour of the ruins of the old city, as an introduction to the project, and on the same day talks will be given on the history of the area, the work schedule for the project and safety guidelines for the works of clearing. Team members will work five days a week, leaving a day free to visit the battlefield and a rest day. Work at the excavation will begin at 7am on weekdays in order to avoid high midday temperatures. In the afternoon, after the lunch break, there will be laboratory tasks and a series of seminars on different aspects of the Spanish Civil War. Between lunch and the laboratory work, team members will have access to the municipal swimming pool. Dinner will be in a local restaurant.

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SPAIN

2024 Spain: Exhuming Human Remains from Modern Mass Burials: Forensic Archaeology from the Battle of Teruel, Spanish Civil War

Dates: June 2-29, 2024 Application Deadline: March 1, 2024
Program Syllabus: https://www.fieldsciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Syllabus-Spain-Teruel-2024.pdf

OVERVIEW:

The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was a global political event and experimental grounds to test modern weaponry and war tactics. One of the most consequential battles of the war was the Battle of Teruel, fought between December 1937 and February 1938. The vicious battle took place during one of the worst winters in Spain and considered to be the ‘Stalingrad’ of the Spanish Civil War. More than 40,000 soldiers from both sides died there. At least 406 of these soldiers were buried in a large mass grave at the site of San Blas, a small cemetery on the outskirts of Teruel. The soldiers were buried side by side, regardless of the side they fought for, with their weapons, uniforms, boots, and personal objects. This mass burial is the focus of this program.

Initial investigations at San Blas were carried out in 2022 and the remains of 18 individuals were recovered. One individual wore a uniform with brass buttons with symbols of the U.S. Army and other American artifacts. This suggest that American members of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion were buried at San Blas, and that more U.S. citizens may be recovered there.

This program is design to train students in the process of human remain exhumation from mass graves. The goal is to identify and bring closure to families and decedents of these dead. In addition, this program train students how to plan, execute, record, document and identify individuals from mass burials. While our hope is that such skills will not be needed, reality is different, and professionals trained in excavation of mass burials are still needed across the world.

This program will extract an emotional toll on its participants. Families of the deceased will be present and there is still a deep political division in Spain about its civil war. This program requires resilience, perseverance, strong ethics and attention to details. Consider how challenging this program is before applying.

PLEASE READ BEFORE APPLYING

This program is focused on exhumation of human remains who perished during the 1937-38 Battle of Teruel, one of the most vicious of the Spanish Civil War. The program is designed to train students in the excavation and exhumation of mass burials in conflict zones and prepare participants with methodological and legal issues (chain of custody, documentation, etc) that are crucial elements of such work. This program takes place where family & community members are alive and have deep and intensive interest in the exhumation work.

This program is emotionally and physically demanding, requiring the utmost respect for the dead and the living. Students should be aware of the challenges and should attend only if they feel this type of experience is for them. This program DOES NOT offer onsite professional grief counseling.

DIRECTOR: Dr. Llorenç Alapont Martin, Prof. Physical and Forensic Anthropology, Universidad Europea Valencia (llor.alapont@gmail.com)

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TURKEY

THE BONCUKLU PROJECT, TURKEY: INVESTIGATING THE SPREAD OF FARMING IN THE NEAR EAST

Date: July 22 to August 20, 2022 Enrollment Status: Open, Payment deadline: April 15, 2022

Full program details can be found here

OVERVIEW

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For the project website, go here.

FIELD SCHOOL DIRECTORS:

Prof. Douglas Baird, Dept. of Archaeology, University of Liverpool, UK (dbaird@liverpool.ac.uk) Prof. Andrew Fairbairn, School of Social Sciences, University of Queensland (a.fairbairn@uq.edu.au)

This field school is one of many operated in collaboration with the Institute for Field Research (IFR)

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UNITED KINGDOM

Rampart Scotland: Excavations at King’s Park Fort, Stirling (Scotland), and Battle Hill, Huntly (Scotland)

Project dates: King’s Park Fort, Stirling: Aug. 5-15, 2025; Battle Hill, Huntly: July 15-25, 2025

Project website: http://www.rampartscotland.co.uk/index.php/join-the-team/

King’s Park Fort, Stirling (5th – 15th August 2025)

The King’s Park, Stirling, is the oldest and best preserved Royal Park in Scotland and surrounds Stirling Castle, the ancient capital of Scotland. In December 2017, path works within the castle identified a previously unrecorded late prehistoric defended fort, built on the highest point in the park and right next to a golf course!

Stirling sits at the lowest crossing point of the River Forth and was the only way for armies to invade or resist invasion and of course played a key role in both the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the Battle of Bannockburn. The same factors exploited by Bruce and Wallace also influenced the Roman occupation of Scotland and the King’s Park fort most likely dates to this period when a series of enclosures where built at key locations to exploit Roman trade with the northern Scotland. The 2023 season also found a previously unknown Bronze Age burial cairn which will also be dug in 2025. Join us as we continue to uncover the King’s Park Fort!

The King’s Park fort is part of a long term, relaxed and open series of projects to explore the Late Prehistoric settlement patterns of the Forth Valley and will run from the 5^th to 15th August 2025. The project will be run by Dr Murray Cook and you can read more about Murray’s wider research at SCARF and at Stirling Archaeology on Facebook.

For more information, or to book your place contact the Project Director Dr Murray Cook at: info@rampartscotland.co.uk

The King’ Park Fort is the latest season in an ongoing program of research into Forth Valley’s Late Prehistoric settlement pattern and how the native peoples interacted with the Roman conquest.

The training is relaxed and easy going and you can learn as much or as little as you want to. You will have the opportunity to excavate archaeological remains that have never been examined before.

• Project Dates: 5^th to 15th August 2025
• Location: City of Stirling, Scotland.
• Contribution: £550 UK pounds for the length of the season or £55 per day, no minimum attendance. The price only includes training and participation in the project, you must provide your own food and accommodation (N.B. Deposit of £200 is non-refundable).
• Project type: Open to students and volunteers (minimum age accepted: 17 years old) – Places are limited so early booking is recommended.
• Accommodation: No accommodation provided but there are numerous hostels, B&Bs and hotels in Stirling and the site is a 10 minute walk from the city centre..
• Experience required: None, as professional archaeologists will always be on-site to provide guidance.
• Other activities: We hope to organise two trips to see contemporary sites in the evening .
• What to wear: Scottish weather can change at any time, sometimes with four seasons in one day. It is recommended that you come prepared with a range of clothing including clothes for sunny weather, cold weather and hard rain; light-weight clothing, a waterproof coat and stout boots, sun block and a hat are suggested.

 

Battle Hill – Prehistoric Landscape Project (15^th to 25^th July 2025)

Battle Hill, Huntly – named after a daring raid in 1307 during the Scottish Wars of Independence – contains a variety of previously unmapped prehistoric sites including Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age lithic scatters, a possible Iron Age hillfort, and a 3000 year old upstanding hut circle as well as a potential Neolithic/Bronze Age cairn measuring 20-30m in diameter and up to 3m high! Hillforts are elite Iron Age settlements often surrounded by banks, ditches and palisades, found in prominent locations such as Battle Hill.

Battle Hill preserves a prehistoric landscape built on higher, more marginal ground at a time when the climate was warmer meaning it was possible to live there. As the climate worsened the structures were abandoned. Avoided by subsequent farmers who built and farmed around them, the remains eventually became preserved within the forest itself.

Join us as we continue the first excavation of Battle Hill and uncover its rich secrets!

The Battle Hill Prehistoric Landscape Project is the 22nd season of a long-term, relaxed and open series of research and training excavations into Prehistoric Aberdeenshire and will run from the 15^th to 25^th July 2025. The project has to date produced over 12 publications and Dr Murray Cook’s PhD. You can read more about the archaeological landscape and some of the work we’ve done here.

The 2019 season identified a new possible cairn under a 1000 year old bank and revealed more features of the 2500 year old hillfort.

You can view the 2017 report here to find out more about the site and what we’ve been up to.

For more information, or to book your place contact the Project Director Murray Cook at: info@rampartscotland.co.uk

The Battle Hill Prehistoric Landscape Project is the latest season of research into Aberdeenshire’s prehistoric settlement patterns. Previous seasons have explored Roman marching Camps, vitrified forts, Pictish settlement and Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age lithic sites and cairns.

The training is relaxed and easy going and you can learn as much or as little as you want to. You will have the opportunity to excavate archaeological remains that have never been examined before.

• Project Dates: 15^th to 25^th July 2025
• Location: Huntly, Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland.
• Contribution: £550 UK pounds or £55 a day. The price excludes accommodation and, food. Transport to and from the site can be organised for those staying locally. (N.B. Deposit of £200 is non-refundable). A limited number of places are available in the dig accommodation at cost…please ask for details.
• Project type: Open to students and volunteers (minimum age accepted: 17 years old) – Places are limited so early booking is recommended.
• Experience required: None, as professional archaeologists will always be on-site to provide guidance.
• Other activities: Trips to local archaeological/historical sites.
• What to wear: Scottish weather can change at any time, sometimes with four seasons in one day. It is recommended that you come prepared with a range of clothing including clothes for sunny weather, cold weather and hard rain; light-weight clothing, a waterproof coat and stout boots, sun block and a hat are suggested.

The Battle Hill Prehistoric Landscape Project is co-directed by Dr Murray Cook and run in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council.

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UNITED KINGDOM

Bainbridge Archaeological Training Field School 2025 (Bainbridge, Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, UK)

Dates: Sept. 8-19, 2025

Project website: https://mercian-as.co.uk/bainbridgetrainingdig.html

Join Mercian Archaeological Services CIC in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales for this week-long training excavation, which focuses on the teaching of archaeological excavation methods.
As well as offering the very best in archaeological training and support, this training excavation is tailored towards enabling attendees to fulfil requirements of the Archaeological Skills Passport.

The beautiful village of Bainbridge was formerly the administrative centre of the medieval Forest of Wensleydale, and the magnificent Bolton Castle near Leyburn dominates the valley to the east. A Roman fort looms large over the village of Bainbridge on the eastern side.

The site of the excavation is overlooked by a Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age Slight Univallate Hillfort. This fort occupies the high ground at the top of a steep slope on the southern side of the site.

We will be concentrating our excavations on the possible medieval manorial complex to the north of this fort, which has been identified from earthworks and recently discovered pottery (see below).

The area is famous not only for its beautiful landscape, but also its world famous cheese, and as the backdrop to the television series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’.

Archaeological Training Excavation:

As stated above this course focuses on excavation, it is suitable for all levels from beginner to experienced digger.

For those wishing to develop their skills, for students and post-graduates seeking to fulfil the practical experience requirements of their courses… for those wishing to pursue a career in archaeology, or improve their knowledge to give them the edge at work… for those looking to acquire cross-transferable skills… for volunteer diggers wishing to raise their game, impress their friends, and increase their enjoyment of archaeology and heritage through a greater skill set and knowledge base…. through to people simply wishing to learn for the love of learning…

Everyone is welcome… no previous knowledge or experience is required…

The beautiful village of Bainbridge was formerly the administrative centre of the medieval Forest of Wensleydale, and the magnificent Bolton Castle near Leyburn dominates the valley to the east. A Roman fort looms large over the village of Bainbridge on the eastern side.

The site of the excavation is overlooked by a Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age Slight Univallate Hillfort. This fort occupies the high ground at the top of a steep slope on the southern side of the site.

We will be concentrating our excavations on the possible medieval manorial complex to the north of this fort, which has been identified from earthworks and recently discovered pottery (see below).

The area is famous not only for its beautiful landscape, but also its world famous cheese, and as the backdrop to the television series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’.

About the site

A great starting point for information on the area around Bainbridge is the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Archaeology webpage:

http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/living-and-working/historic-buildings/archaeology

A further resource relating to Bainbridge and the wider landscape is the ”Out of Oblivion – A Landscape through time” website.

This site is based on the Historic Environment Record (HER) maintained by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

The aim is to “increase your enjoyment of the Yorkshire Dales and to help you understand more about the unique cultural landscape of the area created through the interactions of people and nature over thousands of years”.

http://www.outofoblivion.org.uk

Historical and Archaeological background:

The name Bainbridge comes from its location at the place where the “Cam High Road”, a Roman Road crossed the river Bain. To learn more about the Cam High Road see the webpage http://www.outofoblivion.org.uk/record.asp?id=424.

A Roman fort overlooked this crossing and a settlement grew around the fort named ‘Virosidum’.

The modern village is overlooked by the remains of this fort – ‘Bainbridge Roman fort and annexe’, which is located on the eastern edge of Bainbridge.

More information about the Roman Fort and settlement can be found on the following pages:

List Entry Number: 1017920 https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1017920

Historical Environment Record No: MYD4272 http://www.outofoblivion.org.uk/record.asp?id=116

Virosidvm, Roman Fort & Minor Settlement: http://roman-britain.co.uk/places/virosidum.htm

The village of Bainbridge grew in medieval times in the shadow of this fort and on the crossing of the Bain. Bainbridge was formerly the administrative centre of the medieval Forest of Wensleydale. The site of the excavation lies in fields to the south of the village core. The site contains a large number of earthworks. These include a linear holloway identified as the “Cam High Road”, a Roman Road which runs to the south of Bainbridge, and a Slight univallate hillfort dating from the late Bronze Age to Iron Age (see below).

Many other earthworks are identified as being associated with the late medieval Manorial complex for Bainbridge which is believed to have occupied the site.

Pottery discovered on mole-hills during recent topographic survey by Mercian, has suggested occupation on the site throughout the medieval period. The excavation will be testing theories regarding the medieval occupation of the site.

Due to the very rare status of Slight Univallate Hillforts, and particularly one located so far north, the Bainbridge site is protected as a Scheduled Monument.

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1009323

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UNITED KINGDOM

Isotope Analysis of Archaeological Materials (Cardiff, Wales, UK)

Dates: July 28 to August 8, 2025

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

A project video can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UiGc9ffH2E

Course syllabus can be seen at https://www.fieldsciences.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Syllabus-UK-Cardiff-2025.pdf

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Isotope analysis of ancient materials has become a key component of the archaeologist’s toolkit. Strontium and sulfur isotopes help document ancient mobility patterns. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes provide insights into animal and human diets. Oxygen isotopes help reconstruct environmental change. The list of relevant isotopes is long and all provide important archaeological data about life and choices humans made in the past. Understanding how isotope analysis works, therefore, is an essential skill for archaeologists, whether as archaeological scientists pursuing isotope analysis for their own research or as critical consumers of their colleagues’ conclusions.

This program provides a hands-on introduction to the basics of archaeological isotope analysis. Students will work with the semi-commercial unit Cardiff University BioArchaeology (C.U.BA), learning the theoretical foundations of isotope analysis and gaining practical experience with sample selection, physical and chemical sample preparation, sample analysis and laboratory safety. Students will work with materials from a variety of sites and time periods. Students should expect to analyze materials coming from animal and human remains found in archaeological contexts.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The main objective of this program is to introduce students to the theory and practice of archaeological isotope analysis.

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DIRECTORS:

Dr. Emily Holt – Archaeological Science Project Officer, Cardiff University BioArchaeology Lab, UK (holte@cardiff.ac.uk)

Dr. Richard Madgwick – Professor of Archaeological Science, School of History at Cardiff University, UK (madgwickrd3@cardiff.ac.uk)

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UNITED KINGDOM

The Cerne Abbey Research Project, southwest England

Dates: In 2025 we will be running four 5 day sessions: July 12-16, July 18-22, July 24-28, and July 30-August 3

Program website: https://www.hugh-willmott.co.uk/cerne
Program videos: https://youtu.be/ctpRkJvZUvo and https://youtu.be/uo5n1Tkp1mY

DIRECTOR:Dr. Hugh Willmott, Senior Lecturer, European Historical Archaeology, University of Sheffield (h.willmott@sheffield.ac.uk)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Founded in AD987 by Æthelmaer the Stout on the site of an earlier Christian community, Cerne Abbey grew to become one of the most important monasteries in the South West of England. Shortly after its closure during the Dissolution in 1539 the site was comprehensively demolished save for a gatehouse, and the precise location of its buildings lost until archaeological work started in 2022.

The abbey sits at the feet of the famous chalk-cut figure of a club-wielding giant that dominates the village of Cerne Abbas. Recent dating of the figure by the National Trust has shown that the giant was an Anglo-Saxon creation, and it seems directly connected to the earliest monks residing there. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey undertaken by the University of Sheffield last year provided the first ever evidence for the medieval abbey, and potentially its Anglo-Saxon predecessor beneath. Not only did it reveal an amazingly clear plan of the cloistral ranges, the survey showed that the buildings remained surprisingly intact with walls up to four feet tall in places.

Excavations in 2023 started to investigate these results, with a trenches located over the southwest corner of the cloister, which includes part of the west range and the north aisle of the monastic church. Although heavily robbed, our work revealed evidence for decorative tiled floors and even an intact burial in the cloister walk way. It seems that the cloister was extensively rebuilt in the 13th century and elaborately decorated with Purbeck marble detailing. We found a number of fragments of highly decorative carved stone that still retained evidence of original paintwork in red, white and orange) as well as surface gilding. These almost certainly came from a very important structure within the abbey church, possibly a tomb or even a shrine.

In 2024 we focused on locating the west end of the monastic church. Although this area was heavily disturbed by post-medieval robbing, we found sections of intact flooring and evidence for earlier phases of construction that were destroyed in a major 13th-century remodelling. A second trench was located over a building and open area to the north of the cloister. This appears to have originally been built as a high-status medieval hall, possibly an earlier abbot’s lodging, which by the 15th century was being reused as a glazier’s workshop.

We are now accepting applications for 2025

https://www.instagram.com/cerne_abbey/

https://bsky.app/profile/hugh-willmott.bsky.social

 

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UNITED KINGDOM

STRATA FLORIDA ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD SCHOOL (Wales, U.K.)

Date: June 16 to July 14, 2025

Project website:https://www.strataflorida.org.uk/archaeology-field-school.html

The full Summer 2025 project brochure is coming soon; the 2024 brochure can be found here

Introduction
Excavations have been running at Strata Florida for 20 years, and the Trust now runs a public dig open to all.

We offer a fully accessible training programme, including a wide variety of archaeological excavation and survey techniques, from understanding how to correctly use a trowel to the collection of geophysical data for archaeological mapping. We offer a mixture of residential courses and day courses, and we welcome people of all ages, those with no prior archaeological experience as well as those wanting to build upon previous skills.

Ours aims to be the most inclusive archaeology school in the UK. We work with wellbeing and mental health support partners to deliver onsite support to participants. Our mission is to share Strata Florida’s unique history, archaeology, heritage and links to Welsh culture with as diverse an audience as possible, including members of the public, students, volunteers and others.

Volunteers are welcome to join the excavation team in summer 2025, although places are very limited.

Four 5-day sessions are being offered and each session costs £350 (approximately $440 USD but do check at the time of booking). This fee includes supervision, instruction, camping and food whilst on site and days off (see below).

Participants will be involved and trained in all aspects of the fieldwork, including;

• excavation using hand tools (trowel, mattock, shovel)
• single context recording
• drawing of sections and plans (both by hand and GPS)
• 3D artefact recording with GPS
• artefact processing
• ground penetrating radar survey

We will also be undertaking further topographic survey (with a UAV) and GIS mapping, and whilst these activities by their nature do not allow mass participation, students with a particular interest in these areas will be able to observe and learn from the project team.

UNITED KINGDOM

CCCU Culver Archaeological Project International Field School (East Sussex)

Dates: May 19 to June 27, 2025 Application deadline: March 1, 2025

Project website: https://www.culverarchaeologyproject.co.uk/ and https://www.culverarchaeologyproject.co.uk/field-school

Project application link: https://www.culverarchaeologyproject.co.uk/apply

An excavation in East Sussex exploring the historic landscape of the Sussex Ouse Valley.

The Culver Archaeological Project (CAP) involves the local community, students, trained archaeologists and volunteers in the investigation of the historic environment under the supervision of the project director, Robert Wallace, who holds a postgraduate degree in Field Archaeology from the University of Sussex, and corporate member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA). CAP was founded in 2005 by Rob to investigate the historic landscape surrounding the Barcombe villa complex and has developed over the years to research the historical environment of the alluvial plain of the Upper Ouse Valley in the parishes of Barcombe and Ringmer.

Culver Archaeological Project is a long-standing research excavation of a rural Romano-British settlement in Barcombe, East Sussex. Working in partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), we offer comprehensive archaeological training. Participation in the field school includes:

• 2 weeks in class training in Canterbury, 2 weeks of hands-on training on-site in Sussex and 2 weeks supervised excavation.

• Training includes site formation processes, excavation and recording, environmental sampling, finds processing, geophysical survey, photography and more!