March 18, 2016 San Gemini Preservation Studies | Excavations of Roman Baths
EXCAVATIONS OF THE BATHS AT ROMAN CARSULAE (ITALY)
June 12 – July 23, 2016
and related programs:
Restoration and Analysis of Archaeological Ceramics
May 30 – June 24, 2016
Athens: Heritage and Modernity
Exploration of the coexistence between historic and modern Athens, Greece
June 26 – July 7, 2016
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EXCAVATIONS OF THE BATHS AT ROMAN CARSULAE (ITALY)
June 12 – July 23, 2016
We are now accepting applications from students and volunteers to participate in our tenth season of excavations of the baths at Roman Carsulae. The application deadline is April 15, 2016.
Project and Location
The Roman city of Carsulae, founded in the third century BCE along the Via Flaminia in modern Umbria, was extensively excavated by the Soprintendente for Umbria, Umberto Ciotti, from the 1950s to the 1970s. He uncovered a number of its public buildings including the forum, amphitheatre and theatre and transformed the entire area into an archaeological park. In 2004, our team, under the direction of Jane K. Whitehead and the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell’Umbria commenced a long term project to re-excavate the baths, which are located just south of the city limits and were left exposed after Ciotti’s excavation 40 years earlier.
In 2011, we received grants from Italian sources, in particular the Associazione Valorizzazione del Patrimonio Storico, which enabled us to construct a roof over the remains of the baths. Because it affords greater protection from the elements, during the 2012 and 2013 seasons we were able to open up areas that were more fragile, thus further exposing the structure.
We plan to dedicate our 2016 season to excavating the remainder of the areas beneath the protective roof. We will also collaborate with our colleagues with the San Gemini Preservation Studies program and the Soprintendenza on a comprehensive plan for the conservation of the bath building.
Program
The field program welcomes both students and volunteers. No experience is necessary, only an enthusiasm for archaeology and the ability to work hard in rigorous conditions. Participants are instructed in excavation strategies, techniques and recording, the formulation of research questions and priorities, identification and handling of artifacts, drafting of site plans, and analytical rendering. Throughout the season, participants are given the opportunity to work with our conservators in the lab cleaning and consolidating small finds, or in the field helping to conserve the mosaics we have discovered over the course of the excavations.
Cost
The program fee is $950.00 per week, which includes a shared room as well as breakfast daily and lunch and dinner five days a week. All equipment and local transportation is also provided. The minimum length of stay is three weeks, however in order to experience all stages of an excavation we strongly encourage participating in the full six-week program. We offer a discounted rate to those who opt to enroll for the full six weeks. Contact us for further details.
There are two possible start dates this year: Sunday, June 12 and Sunday, July 3.
Credit
We are not offering credit this season, however we are happy to work with your university.
Accommodations and Meals
We stay at the Albergo Duomo, three or four people to a room, in the charming hill town of San Gemini, just three kilometers from Carsulae. All rooms have private baths and air conditioning, and the hotel is equipped with free wireless. Our meals are eaten in the elegant dining room of the hotel.
Schedule
Participants work in the field Monday through Friday from 6 AM to 1 PM (or an hour earlier, depending on the weather). After lunch and a well-earned siesta, afternoons are spent in the lab processing each day’s finds and attending classes, lectures, or working with our conservators. Weekends are open for travel or relaxation. Group trips to nearby sites of interest are often available.
For further details and to apply please visit our website.
The application deadline is Friday, April 15, 2016.
Related programs:
Restoration and Analysis of Archaeological Ceramics
May 30 – June 24, 2016
Our colleagues at San Gemini Preservation Studies offer a number of programs that also take place during the summer in San Gemini. We encourage you to look at their website and consider participating in one of their courses before or after your time spent working with us. Of particular relevance to our project is the Archaeological Ceramics Conservation program, which provides an excellent background in analysis and restoration (very useful when working in the field and lab) and offers a rare opportunity for students to be trained in both disciplines by experienced field archaeologists and conservators while working with original archaeological artifacts.
Athens: Heritage and Modernity
Exploration of the coexistence between historic and modern Athens, Greece
June 26 – July 7, 2016 (check-in Saturday, June 25 – check-out Friday, July 8)
This twelve day trip is a thoughtful exploration of the history, preservation and conservation issues facing the city, organized around a series of lectures and visits led by some of the top Athenian archaeologists, architects, historians, conservators and planners who have been dealing with the problem of surveying, planning, and preserving monuments and cultural heritage in the midst of a growing modern city.
The faculty of this program includes internationally renowned scholars, such as Dr. Manolis Korres, who was Chief Architect on the Acropolis Restoration Project, who will be leading lectures and visits to the Acropolis area, as well as Dr. Fani Mallouchou Tufano, an expert on the history of restoration and was director of the Documentation Office of the Acropolis Restoration Service.
More information can be found at their website.