Come to Rome and engage history: exploration, archaeology, and conservation!

AIRC SUMMER ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL 2012 (June 18-July 27)

Ostia Antica: AIRC Harbor Structure Investigation (Tor Boacciana)

and Conservation on Via della Foce

AND

University of Rome "La Sapienza" Excavations

on the Northeastern Slopes of the Palatine Hill

GENERAL INFORMATION AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERNSHIPS 2012

Introduction

The American Institute for Roman Culture’s Summer Archaeological Field School is an intensive six-week educational program in Roman archaeology led by AIRC faculty and affiliated expert archaeologists. The program offers students a unique combination of (1) one week of specialized academic instruction on the topography and development of Rome, including visits to major museums and open-air sites to augment field studies and provide participants with a broader context of what life was like in the ancient city, and (2) five weeks of hands-on fieldwork at an important archaeological site in the city and environs. In 2012 the program will be held from June 18 through July 27 and will take place at both Ostia Antica, the harbor city of ancient Rome, and the Palatine hill in the heart of the city.

Click here to learn how to apply.

Click here to read a recent article on AIRC's Ostia project in Popular Archaeology online.

Why Choose This Program?

Get a broad perspective 
The AIRC Summer Archaeological Field School offers its participants both a synchronic (single-period) and a diachronic (multi-period) approach to the study of Roman culture. Through this dual approach, which provides depth and breadth simultaneously, participants will gain a comprehensive historical and cultural appreciation of Rome and Roman civilization, from its rise to power to its decline, understanding how it set a standard of cultural values that continues to exert influence over the entire Western world to this day.

Gain valuable experience 
During the fieldwork component, participants will:

• be offered a focused look at the techniques and methodologies of modern archaeological research, through which we are able to explore past cultures and understand more about their histories and origins;
• learn the importance of archaeological record-keeping, including the proper methodology for conducting excavations, archaeological drawing, note-taking, and identifying/organizing/cataloguing finds;
• become familiar with a variety of Roman artifacts and building techniques/materials and practice "reading" art, architecture, and other traces of this civilization’s material culture to reconstruct the wider cultural framework;
• become acquainted with the city of Rome and its port at Ostia and their rich archaeological record;
• be introduced to the principles of conservation of the material remains of the past.

Live in Rome 
Participants are lodged in small groups (generally 4-6 people) in typical Italian houses in the historic center, where they eat/drink, shop, and interact with contemporary Romans. Modern Rome is an ideal place to live and study, offering all of the amenities and attractions of a major European capital with an international character, while retaining the charm and feel of a small city with a strong local color. It is well-connected to most major European (and some Italian) destinations via low-cost airlines operating out of its two international airports, as well as to the rest of Italy via the extensive network of the Italian National Railways—Florence and Naples are just 90 minutes away by rail, and the nearest beach is just 30 minutes away at Ostia Lido.

Make friends 
The Summer Archaeological Field School also offers the chance to meet, and make lasting friendships with, like-minded people representing a wide range of majors at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels from all parts of the United States, and even the world. The 2011 program included participants from USC, Carthage College, Cornell University, University of Chicago, UCLA, Johns Hopkins University, University of California at Berkeley, University of Maryland, Rutgers, Bryn Mawr, Syracuse University, St. Cloud University, University of Mary Washington, UVA, Georgetown, Vassar, University of Puget Sound, William and Mary, Goshen College, Lycoming College, and Wellesley College. They were joined by students from University of Toronto, Memorial University, and Capilano University in Canada, as well as from University of Edinburgh, and Macquarie University and University of Sydney in Australia.

For information on other AIRC summer programs, click here.