MY.SPE.AR. Field School
Type: archaeological fieldwork (Mycenaean & Classical archaeology)
Duration: Monday, June 1 - 30, 2022 (4.5 weeks)
Location: Spercheios Valley & Lamia, Greece
Accreditation: 6-7 ECTS (equivalent to 3 US credits) or Fieldwork Certificate (Univ. of Peloponnese)
Total cost: $4,950 (academic credit or fieldwork certificate)
Included in comprehensive fee: tuition fee, academic accreditation and transcript or fieldwork certificate, room and board, all local transportation, group excursions, museum/site entrance fees
Not included in comprehensive fee: international flight to/from Greece and incidental personal expenses
Positions: 30 undergraduate students
Application deadline: April 20, 2022 (for application instructions, see below)
Links:
University of Peloponnese - Department of History, Archaeology, & Cultural Resources Management
AIA Archaeological Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin
Program Description
The Mycenaean Foundation in collaboration with the Department of History, Archeology and Cultural Resources Management of the University of Peloponnese offer to motivated students from around the world the unique opportunity to participate in the archaeological excavation, survey, and field research of the region of the Spercheios River valley in Greece, associated in Greek mythology with the legendary kingdom of Achilles, and receive top practical training through the MY.SPE.AR. field school.
During field campaigns the students will be trained as trench assistants by experienced field archaeologists in excavation, sifting and flotation, data collection and recording, study/cataloguing of artifacts/ecofacts, museum research, archaeological field survey and geophysical survey (aided by remote sensing devices and techniques). The field school program also includes field trips to museums and archaeological sites in Athens, mainland Greece and select Greek islands, designed to offer the students hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of Prehistoric Aegean and Classical art and archaeology, and the opportunity to immerse in modern Greek culture and language.
In June 2022, the Mycenaean Spercheios Valley Archaeological (MY.SPE.AR) Project (5th campaign) will run for four and a half weeks and will involve extensive excavation on the acropolis of Lamia, regional archaeological survey of the Spercheios Valley, aerial reconnaissance (drone), geophysical survey (Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Ground Penetrating Radar, Magnetometry).
Participants may enroll either for academic credit or fieldwork certificate (University of Peloponnese). Successful completion of the field school will earn 6-7 ECTS (equivalent to 3 US credits), which may be transferred to other academic institutions.
For the MY.SPE.AR. 2022 campaign, positions are open to 30 undergraduate students and 5-6 graduate students. Positions are open on a rolling basis until filled.
Program Structure
Orientation sessions are scheduled in the spring semester of 2022 (including assigned readings).
During excavation, digging is conducted Monday through Friday, from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, with a lunch break at noon; in the afternoon (5:15-6:00 pm) the excavation staff is briefed by the sector supervisors and trench masters on the results and finds of the day, and the program field director assigns tasks and gives detailed directions for the following day (weekends may be used for dig preparation, if necessary). Excavation is hard, physical work, requiring also high-level concentration, and involving multiple tasks (including supervising the workmen, keeping a detailed daily journal, describing, measuring, recording, labeling, drawing, photographing the archaeological finds and contexts, sifting, transporting, storing and cataloguing the finds) and students should be well prepared and trained for it.
Organized excursions and field trips will be scheduled on weekends (or on days of inclement weather preventing digging/surveying) to museums and archaeological sites; field trips locations may include Athens, Thessaloniki, Pella, Vergina, Nafplio, Argos, Mycenae, Tiryns, Corinth, Epidaurus, Pylos, Olympia, Delphi, Thebes, Glas, Meteora, Mystras, Monemvasia, and select Greek islands.
Location, Accommodation, and On-site Administration
The city of Lamia and the Spercheios River Valley are located at a distance of 220 km (two-hour drive) to the north of Athens (the capital city of Greece) and the international airport "Eleftherios Venizelos."
Students and staff are accommodated in air-conditioned cabins by the seashore, surrounded by landscaped grounds, private sports facilities (soccer field, basket ball court, tennis court), a study hall, kitchen and dinning hall, and fronted by a beautiful beach for swimming. Transportation to/from the airport, to/from archaeological site, and for group excursions/field trips is provided by the program (by mini-bus). Dinner is served in designated local restaurants or in the dinning hall of the main camp.
The director and assistant archaeologists are on-site throughout the campaign season, and have made arrangements with local liaisons in case of emergencies. The director, senior staff, and the students can be reached by phone or e-mail. The city of Lamia is served by a state hospital and private clinics.
Academic Requirements
Academic requirements are listed in the A.I.A. Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin. The successful applicants will be assigned readings on Mycenae during the orientation sessions in the spring semester prior to the commencement of the field campaign.
Certain eligibility criteria may be waived and equivalency of prerequisites is determined at the discretion of the program director.
Costs
The regular comprehensive program fee is $4,950. This comprehensive fee covers tuition, academic accreditation and transcript, room and board, International Students Insurance, all local transportation, group excursions, museum/site entrance fees. International flight to/from Greece and incidental personal expenses are not covered by the field school program. To become a Friend of the Foundation and be eligible for special discounts, offered frequently, please follow the instructions at http://www.mycenaeanfoundation.com/fundraising-and-contributions
Application and Schedule of Payments
Apply early; positions are limited and open on a rolling basis until filled.
Application procedure, schedule of payments and refunds:
- Send a brief letter of interest by email to [email protected] with cc to [email protected]
- Visit at http://culttech.uop.gr/myspear.html, download and fill out the MYSPEAR 2022 application form
- Submit the completed application form and all required documents (photocopy of valid passport page, unofficial transcript of grades, and a letter of recommendation) by email to [email protected] with cc to [email protected]
- Download, check the appropriate boxes, acknowledge and agree, name/sign, date, and submit the Waiver Form (Release, Indemnity and Hold Harmless Agreement) by email to [email protected] with cc to [email protected]
- A non-refundable confirmation fee of $350 must be paid to the Mycenaean Foundation by PayPal (see link below) within three (3) days of submitting the application (this fee will be transferred to the Laboratory of Archaeometry, Department of History, Archeology and Cultural Resources Management, University of the Peloponnese). Failure to do so within the deadline will result in the deactivation of your application. Notification of admission will be sent within two (2) weeks from the date of submission of application and/or deposit of confirmation fee. Application deadline: April 20, 2022.
- The balance of the program fee ($4,600) must be paid directly to the Mycenaean Foundation by PayPal (see link below) or e-banking (request banking instructions) within ten (10) days from the date of notification of admission (upon payment, please, include your name and email address to receive acknowledgement and/or payment invoice). The comprehensive fee covers all program-related costs (accommodation, board, transportation, field-trips, etc.). Failure to do so within the deadline will result in the deactivation of your application.
Submit payment by PayPal (below) or ebanking (instructions will be emailed upon request)
Refund Policy
In order to plan and maintain service effectively, the Mycenaean Foundation must make financial commitments well in advance of the beginning of the program, assuming that all participants enroll for the full program. If a student withdraws from the program prior to departure, only the amount of money that has not been committed for the student's participation may be refunded, and a late withdrawal fee will be assessed: 20% of the fee (withdrawal up to a month before departure) or 50% of the fee (withdrawal in the last month before departure). After the student's arrival at the site, a partial refund may be made only in case of serious illness or an emergency that would require the student to return home.
Student Responsibilities
Students in the program are expected to respect the rights of the other students, the staff and the faculty. The program director serves as Judicial Hearing Officer for all alleged violations.
For More Information
Contact: Prof. Christofilis Maggidis at [email protected] and [email protected]; cf. also the listing in the A.I.A. Fieldwork Opportunities.
Accreditation and Statement
The University of the Peloponnese is a fully accredited state university in Greece and the European Union.
The University of the Peloponnese and the Mycenaean Foundation are organizations that value free inquiry and justice, respect pluralism, diversity, and equal opportunity, promote tolerance, civility, and mutual understanding. The above organizations do not discriminate on such bases as race, color, sex, political and religious beliefs, marital status, age, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origins, veteran's status, or disability.
The above information is accurate as of this printing, but is subject to change without notice.
