Archaeological Internships 2012

The American Institute for Roman Culture will offer two unpaid intern positions as part of its 2012 Summer Archaeological Field School in Ostia Antica outside of Rome.

Prerequisites

The ideal applicant (1) is a veteran of a previous AIRC Summer Archaeological Field School or (2) has at least one season of experience at a Roman-period archaeological site in Italy.

Applications that do not meet these criteria will be considered, but such applications should demonstrate significant compensatory education, experience, or training.

Program Dates

Monday, June 18 to Friday, July 27. In order to be considered for an intern position, applicants MUST be available for the ENTIRE period (6 weeks). The ability to be available before the start of the program (on or before Friday, June 15), to help AIRC staff and faculty prepare for the start of the program, is an advantage.

Descriptions and Responsibilities/Duties

1. Assistant to the Artifact Specialist: this intern will assist the project’s artifact specialist in all aspects of managing the material remains recovered from the site, including washing and cleaning, sorting, labeling, data recording and cataloguing, classification and analysis, visual documentation, and storage. This intern will be expected to supervise and train the field-school participants in the handling of artifacts on an occasional basis.
2. Video Production Assistant: this intern will assist the AIRC video production team in all aspects of audio-visual documentation of ongoing archaeological excavations and other cultural sites, including the AIRC site at Ostia Antica and sites located around Rome and its environs. The intern will help transport, set up, and use audio and video equipment and accessories (cameras, microphones, tripods/stands, reflectors, etc.), as well as manage and edit audio and video resources using industry-standard software (non-linear editing, image and sound manipulation).

Specific experience with artifact management or audio-video production is an advantage but not a requirement; some on-the-job instruction will be provided for both positions.

Both interns will be expected to assist AIRC faculty during the first week’s mini-topography course and to perform occasional urgent project-related duties that will be assigned by AIRC staff and faculty as needed during the course of the program (e.g., transporting documents and materials between Rome and Ostia).

When not actively engaged in their primary duties, both interns will be expected to participate in the ongoing activities at the Ostia site, including excavation, documentation, and conservation work.

Both interns will work under the supervision of the coordinator of the Summer Archaeological Field School (Alberto Prieto) and report directly to him, AIRC Executive Director Darius Arya, and AIRC Programs Director Shelley Ruelle.

Benefits

AIRC will cover the following costs for the two intern positions:

• welcome and farewell dinners in Rome;
• local transportation in Rome and between Rome and Ostia on working days;
• mid-morning snack (Monday-Friday) and lunch (Tuesday-Friday) on-site at Ostia (weeks 2-6).

Successful applicants must provide for all other meals (including Monday lunches at Ostia), transportation costs, and other expenses. AIRC will NOT provide accommodation in Rome; successful applicants must arrange their own lodgings. AIRC can provide limited assistance in searching for lodgings online. Alternatively, housing can be arranged through ACCENT International with the Summer Archaeological Field School participants, in which case successful applicants must be able to pay the student housing fee assessed by ACCENT.

Application Instructions

The application consists of:

• an up-to-date CV/resume listing all pertinent education and experience (esp. archaeological or multimedia experience)
• a personal statement (maximum 400 words) specifying the position desired (1 or 2) and the reasons/motivations behind the application. Why do you want to work at Ostia Antica? Why are you applying for an internship in (1) artifact management or (2) audio-video production? What are your short-term and long-term academic/professional goals, and what do you expect to take away from this experience that will contribute to them (specific skills, knowledge, connections, etc.)?

The application materials must be submitted to AIRC's Associate Director of Archaeology, Alberto Prieto: albert at romanculture.org.

Deadlines

Applications must be received by March 30, 2012. Notifications will be sent by April 5, and successful applicants must respond by April 12.