CHECK BACK IN EARLY 2010
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUMMER 2010 SEASON
San Martino Archaeological Field School
Torano di Borgorose, Italy
The San Martino
Archaeological Field School is a summer program
designed to teach students about archaeological field and laboratory
methods, geophysical prospection in archaeology, and the archaeology of
ancient Italy. The course is taught on site in central Italy, and
participants learn through first-hand experience excavating at the San
Martino site as well as through lab work, assisting in geophysical
studies, lectures, readings, and
guided museum and archaeological site visits. Participants live
in the small town of Torano di Borgorose, where they have the
opportunity to learn about life in modern as well as ancient
Italy.
Participants receive six hours of course credit in Archaeological Field Methods from the Department of Religion and Classics, which sponsors the field school, in collaboration with the Soprintendenza per i beni archeologici del Lazio and the town of Borgorose, Italy. The field school course can also be counted toward the interdisciplinary major in Archaeology, Engineering, and Architecture. Enrollment in the field school is not restricted to University of Rochester students, and applications from prospective participants at other universities are welcome.
Participants receive six hours of course credit in Archaeological Field Methods from the Department of Religion and Classics, which sponsors the field school, in collaboration with the Soprintendenza per i beni archeologici del Lazio and the town of Borgorose, Italy. The field school course can also be counted toward the interdisciplinary major in Archaeology, Engineering, and Architecture. Enrollment in the field school is not restricted to University of Rochester students, and applications from prospective participants at other universities are welcome.
The
San Martino Site
The
San
Martino site features evidence of use by humans from the
prehistoric period up to the present day, with archaeological remains
from every time period in between.
Recent finds indicate that part of the site may have been occupied by huts in the prehistoric period, probably in the Iron Age. At the site there is also part of an imposing polygonal wall thought to have been built in the fourth century BC, when the area was home to the ancient tribe known as the Aequi or Aequiculi. The wall may have been part of a religious sanctuary, although this hypothesis is currently unverified. In the next phase, in the late fourth century BC, the Romans conquered the territory of the Aequi and a Roman-style villa was built at the San Martino site. The villa was the principal structure there throughout the Roman period and into late antiquity. Subsequently, a Christian church was erected, perhaps as early as the paleochristian period.
The site is dominated today by the medieval church of San Martino, a typical twelfth- or thirteenth-century AD Abruzzese church, with some later additions, that was probably built onto the paleochristian structure. Notices in historical documents indicate that in the Middle Ages there were also a monastery and later a hospital connected with the church of San Martino. Archaeological evidence of use of the site in the Middle Ages and after includes burials and a large cistern. The church building suffered damage in the powerful earthquake that struck the region in 1915, and the church then fell into disuse. Recent work to restore San Martino to a functioning church has also led to the current program of archaeological excavations.
The first two seasons of archaeological work were carried out at the site in the summers of 2007 and 2008. In these campaigns, the prehistoric and Roman remains were first identified, and the basic chronology of the site was established. In 2009, archaeological work will continue with the goals of: increasing our understanding of the prehistoric phases of the site; uncovering a larger expanse of the Roman villa; and conducting testing with a magnetometer to determine other areas of archaeological interest, particularly near the polygonal wall.
Torano di Borgorose and Cicolano
The
archaeological team
is hosted by the town of Torano
di Borgorose, where
the San Martino church is located. Situated
near the border between the Abruzzo and Lazio regions, Torano
is a small town typical
of Cicolano, the scenic mountainous area that surrounds the town.
The people of Torano have been very welcoming and supportive of the
American project at San Martino, and in the past they have
organized a dinner for us each year and invited us to participate in
local festivals.
Basic services are available in Torano, which has a post office, a cafe, and several small shops where essential supplies can be purchased. A well-stocked larger store and a supermarket are a short drive from Torano, and there are several excellent yet inexpensive restaurants in the area that serve local specialties. Torano is near the A-24 super highway and thus connected by regular bus service to Rome, which is about 60 miles away. Avezzano, on the main train line from Rome to Pescara, is less than 20 miles away. Also nearby is the "Montagne della Duchessa" Nature Preserve.
Accommodations and Meals
Participants live in hostel-style accommodations, with cots for three to five people in each room and shared bathrooms and showers. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided during the week and on some weekend days. Breakfast is self-service, with cereal, milk, fruit, cookies, coffee, and tea available. Lunch is taken picnic-style at the site. Dinner is a hot meal prepared by a local cook whose recipes consistently receive rave reviews from dig participants. Participants also have access to and are welcome to use the kitchen on their own. Occasional meals out are provided as a part of the program as well.
A Typical Day
8:00
AM: Depart
for the site
8:00 - 10:30 AM: Work at the site
10:30 - 10:45 AM: Snack break, fruit and cookies provided
10:45 AM - 12:30 PM: Work at the site
12:30 - 1:00 PM: Lunch break, picnic lunch provided
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Work at the site
3:00 PM: Close down work at the site, return to the dig house
3:30 - 5:30 PM: Lab work, class meeting, field trip or dig house cleaning duty (depending on the day)
5:30 - 7:30 PM: Free time
7:30 - 8:30 PM: Dinner
8:30 - 11:00 PM: Free time
11:00 PM - 7 AM: Quiet hours in the dig house
The
San
Martino site features evidence of use by humans from the
prehistoric period up to the present day, with archaeological remains
from every time period in between. Recent finds indicate that part of the site may have been occupied by huts in the prehistoric period, probably in the Iron Age. At the site there is also part of an imposing polygonal wall thought to have been built in the fourth century BC, when the area was home to the ancient tribe known as the Aequi or Aequiculi. The wall may have been part of a religious sanctuary, although this hypothesis is currently unverified. In the next phase, in the late fourth century BC, the Romans conquered the territory of the Aequi and a Roman-style villa was built at the San Martino site. The villa was the principal structure there throughout the Roman period and into late antiquity. Subsequently, a Christian church was erected, perhaps as early as the paleochristian period.
The site is dominated today by the medieval church of San Martino, a typical twelfth- or thirteenth-century AD Abruzzese church, with some later additions, that was probably built onto the paleochristian structure. Notices in historical documents indicate that in the Middle Ages there were also a monastery and later a hospital connected with the church of San Martino. Archaeological evidence of use of the site in the Middle Ages and after includes burials and a large cistern. The church building suffered damage in the powerful earthquake that struck the region in 1915, and the church then fell into disuse. Recent work to restore San Martino to a functioning church has also led to the current program of archaeological excavations.
The first two seasons of archaeological work were carried out at the site in the summers of 2007 and 2008. In these campaigns, the prehistoric and Roman remains were first identified, and the basic chronology of the site was established. In 2009, archaeological work will continue with the goals of: increasing our understanding of the prehistoric phases of the site; uncovering a larger expanse of the Roman villa; and conducting testing with a magnetometer to determine other areas of archaeological interest, particularly near the polygonal wall.
Torano di Borgorose and Cicolano
The
archaeological team
is hosted by the town of Torano
di Borgorose, where
the San Martino church is located. Situated
near the border between the Abruzzo and Lazio regions, Torano
is a small town typical
of Cicolano, the scenic mountainous area that surrounds the town.
The people of Torano have been very welcoming and supportive of the
American project at San Martino, and in the past they have
organized a dinner for us each year and invited us to participate in
local festivals.Basic services are available in Torano, which has a post office, a cafe, and several small shops where essential supplies can be purchased. A well-stocked larger store and a supermarket are a short drive from Torano, and there are several excellent yet inexpensive restaurants in the area that serve local specialties. Torano is near the A-24 super highway and thus connected by regular bus service to Rome, which is about 60 miles away. Avezzano, on the main train line from Rome to Pescara, is less than 20 miles away. Also nearby is the "Montagne della Duchessa" Nature Preserve.
Accommodations and Meals
Participants live in hostel-style accommodations, with cots for three to five people in each room and shared bathrooms and showers. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided during the week and on some weekend days. Breakfast is self-service, with cereal, milk, fruit, cookies, coffee, and tea available. Lunch is taken picnic-style at the site. Dinner is a hot meal prepared by a local cook whose recipes consistently receive rave reviews from dig participants. Participants also have access to and are welcome to use the kitchen on their own. Occasional meals out are provided as a part of the program as well.
A Typical Day
8:00
AM: Depart
for the site8:00 - 10:30 AM: Work at the site
10:30 - 10:45 AM: Snack break, fruit and cookies provided
10:45 AM - 12:30 PM: Work at the site
12:30 - 1:00 PM: Lunch break, picnic lunch provided
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Work at the site
3:00 PM: Close down work at the site, return to the dig house
3:30 - 5:30 PM: Lab work, class meeting, field trip or dig house cleaning duty (depending on the day)
5:30 - 7:30 PM: Free time
7:30 - 8:30 PM: Dinner
8:30 - 11:00 PM: Free time
11:00 PM - 7 AM: Quiet hours in the dig house
Academic Program Highlights
The academic program includes:
- Two nights in Rome, with a guided walking tour of downtown Rome and visits to the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia and the archaeological remains under the Basilica of San Clemente
- Fieldtrip to L'Aquila, with visits to the Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo and the archaeological site of Amiternum
- Fieldtrip to the archaeological site of Alba Fucens
- Fieldtrip to Sulmona, with visits to the Sanctuary of Hercules Curinus archaeological site and the Museo Civico di Sulmona (if open)
- Fieldtrip to less well-known (but very interesting) archaeological sites near Torano
- Instruction on site in archaeological field methods
- Instruction
in
archaeological laboratory work
- Instruction on site in geophysical prospection in archaeology (focusing in the 2009 season on magnetometry)
- Class
meetings and
lectures about the archaeology of Italy, archaeological field methods,
and geophysical testing in archaeology
Instructors
Elizabeth Colantoni, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Rochester
Cindy Ebinger, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester
Program Costs and Scholarships
Estimated Program Fee: $4500
This fee includes tuition for six credit hours and all expenses (room, board, program-related transportation within Italy, museum admissions) for the duration of the program, with the exception of some meals on weekends. Airfare to Italy is not included in the fee, and participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements to Italy.
The actual program fee will be posted once it has been officially established with the university administration; the fee is not expected to change substantially, if at all.
Some scholarship money is available for University of Rochester students.
Applicants are also encouraged to apply for outside scholarships in support of participation in archaeological excavations:
- American Philological Society/Archaeological Institute of America Minority Student Summer Fellowship, deadline: 12 December 2008
- Etruscan Foundation Fieldwork Fellowship, deadline: 20 February 2009
- Archaeological Institute of America Jane C. Waldbaum Field School Scholarship, deadline: 15 March 2009
Program Dates
The dates for the 2009 field season are 8 July - 7 August 2009. Participants are expected to arrive in Rome by the evening of 8 July, and they are expected to remain on the program until the morning of 7 August.
Application and Enrollment
There are no pre-requisites for participation in the program: no previous archaeological experience or knowledge of Italian is necessary. Participants must, however, apply and be accepted to the program. Once accepted, participants must enroll in the course Archaeological Field Methods for six credit hours.
All participants will need a valid passport for international travel and a visa for study in Italy. We will assist participants in obtaining the Italian study visa. Information about obtaining a U.S. passport can be found on the U.S. Department of State web page.
A copy of the application form, with instructions for submission, is available here.
Application Deadline: 20 March 2009. Space is limited, and early applications are encouraged.
Further Information
For further information about the program, please contact Professor Elizabeth Colantoni at elizabeth.colantoni@rochester.edu.
Page updated: 28 October 2009