Europe - Italy - The American Institute for Roman Culture Villa delle Vignacce Summer Archaeology Field

Can You See Yourself Saving Rome?

The American Institute for Roman Culture

Villa delle Vignacce Summer Archaeology Field School

The American Institute for Roman Culture Summer Archaeology Field School is a six-week intensive learning opportunity in Roman archaeology.  The program will be held from June 19 through July 31, 2010 and offers students a unique combination of 5 weeks of on-site field work and one week of specialized academic instruction by expert archaeologists and AIRC professors.  As the program is centered in Rome, there will also be visits to major Roman museums and open-air sites to augment field studies and to provide participants with a broader context of what life was like in ancient Rome.

Participants in the field school will be given the opportunity to develop their archaeological expertise in the fifth season of excavation and preservation at the Villa delle Vignacce. Students will work with professional archaeologists to explore and preserve this unique and important site located within Rome’s famed Park of the Aqueducts. The site is proving to be one of the city’s most exciting new excavations, having recently garnered international press attention as one of Ancient Rome’s “at-risk” archaeological sites, threatened as the result of previous neglect and vandalism.

Participants will also explore both the urban development and the material culture of Rome from the 1st to the 6th century AD, investigating in detail many diverse aspects of ancient Roman civilization. Through the examination of material evidence, program participants will have ample opportunity to learn from archaeological evidence as well as the many historical monuments and world heritage sites located in the area.

This season’s summer program aims to supply participants with both a synchronic and diachronic approach to the study of Roman civilization. Through this dual approach those involved in the program will gain a more comprehensive historical and cultural overview of Roman civilization, from its rise to power in this rich Mediterranean area to understanding how this civilization set a standard of cultural values that have had a lasting influence over the entire Western world to this day.

Participants will:

Be offered a focused look at the practices and methodology of modern stratigraphic archaeology, 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 archaeological finds.
• Become familiar with a variety of Roman artifacts and building techniques/materials and will practice "reading" art, architecture, and other traces of this civilization’s material culture to reconstruct the wider cultural framework.
• Become acquainted with suburban Rome and its rich archaeological record.
• Be introduced to the principles of historical conservation of the material remains of the past.

• The field study will be assessed by the following:

--Attendance
--Participation
--Exam
--Excavation Journal

Types of Participants

While no prior experience is necessary, it is encouraged. NOTE: This program is physically rigorous and requires long hours in conditions that can make the experience challenging, both physically and mentally.

Educational Requirements
Whether you are a graduate or undergraduate Archaeology or Anthropology student or simply someone interested in learning more about the field of archaeology, this program will provide an exciting and unique opportunity for a first-hand look at archaeological fieldwork.

Experience Required:
There are no pre-requisites and no experience of archaeology or knowledge of Italian is expected – only a desire to dig and to learn more about Roman civilization. 

Program Bibliography

Thomas Ashby and Giuseppe Lugli, Bulletino Comunale. 183-192. 1928.

Filippo Coarelli, Dintorni di Roma (Laterza). 144-146. 198

Course Text

Archaeology. Theories, Methods and Practice, by C. Renfrew & P.G. Bahn, London 1991

Suggested Readings

Selected parts of the following books are recommended for a greater understanding of both Roman Culture and Archaeology. These should be read before arrival to Rome.

·            Rome, An Oxford Archaeological Guide, by A. Claridge, 1998

·            A History of Rome, by M, Le Glay, 2000

·            Techniques of Archaeological Excavation, by P. Barker, 1996

·            Excavation, by S. Roskams, 2001

·            A History of Archaeological Thought, by B.G. Trigger, 2005

·            Archaeological Theory. An introduction, by M. Johnson, 1999

·            Villa to Village, by R. Francovich and R. Hodges, 2003




Application Deadline and Program Costs

Price: $4200 includes tuition, housing in the center of Rome in shared apartments with other excavation participants, weekday lunches while working on the excavation site, and entry fees for national museums during class days.

How to Apply

Applications due: March 15, 2010. Students should plan to apply early, as space is limited. Application materials consist of: 

·         a one-page 500-700 word essay describing your interest in Rome and why you would like to participate in the AIRC excavation;

·         a letter of recommendation from one professor,

·         a copy of your curriculum vitae.

·         Phone interview with AIRC project staff.

Inquiries and Application Documents should be submitted to:   
studyabroad  (at) romanculture.org