Archaeology Defined
Study the human past through recovery and analysis of material culture. Research time periods from early human prehistory to the human activity of yesterday. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, ecofacts, and cultural landscapes. From classical to underwater to environmental archaeology, get the best hands-on excavation, survey, and lab methods training.
*Most of our archaeology field schools fall under more than one specialization listed below.
Gain hands-on field experience in excavation and documentation of archaeological sites and recovered materials. Adventurous spirit required.
Most of humanity’s accomplishments predated writing. Delve deep into the trenches in search of the origins of technology, art, agriculture, social complexity, and the very beginning of our own species.
Explore the rise and fall of vast empires that once stretched from the Atlantic across the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. Uncover the expansive cities, forts, villas, and temples that still dot these ancient landscapes today.
The massive Near Eastern mounds (tels) hide clues to contested narratives that still shape our world. Grab a trowel and a canteen, and join our experts as they shed new light on the ancient past.
Study cultures and people of the ancient and more recent past, for which we have detailed written and pictorial records in addition to material remains.
The dead tell fascinating tales. Use methods of biology and forensics to study archaeological human remains to reconstruct past populations’ migrations, activities, diet, health, and death.
Much of our world heritage lies along coastlines, below the world’s oceans and lakes. Dive beneath the waves to discover, document, excavate, and preserve submerged settlements and fragile shipwrecks.
The past is a non-renewable resource. Gain training in the evaluation, management, protection, and preservation of cultural heritage sites from an applied perspective, one of the fastest-growing specializations in archaeology today.
Where the ancient past meets the digital future. Learn to develop tools and applications for digitization, analysis, and visualization of large datasets generated by field research and museum collections.
Find clues on how humans modified and interacted with their natural environment, and what these ancient landscapes can teach us about climate change today.
Learn from and work with local communities surrounding the field site. Engage in community activities from local museums to elementary school science fairs, and practice methods of communicating research to the public.
Transport back to your period of study by practicing past technologies of the time. Empirically analyze methods and test hypotheses by replicating materials that appear in the archaeological record.
Apply methods from the earth sciences to archaeological investigation. Learn about soil science, hydrology, geomorpholocial processes, and use remote sensing technologies such as LiDAR, magnetometry, and ground penetrating radar (GPR) for geophysical survey.
Research the many civilizations and cultures that thrived in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus and other colonists in 1492.
Spanning a time period from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century to the Renaissance in the 15th century, Medieval Europe saw the rise of various cultural groups and conflicts from the Vikings to the Black Death.
Collaborate with and learn from Indigenous peoples who claim heritage to archaeological sites. Engage in relevant discussions about the valuable contributions indigenous knowledge brings to scholarship.
Take a broad, holistic, and interdisciplinary approach to inter-site analysis. These projects often involve methods of pedestrian (walking) survey combined with mapping, total station work, and analysis of remote sensing and aerial imagery data.
Work with faunal datasets recovered onsite to examine, subsistence, paleoenvironment and foodways. Learn methods of identification, storage, and preservation for animal remains.
Work with flora datasets recovered onsite to examine, subsistence, paleoenvironment and foodways. Learn methods of identification, storage, and preservation for botanical remains.
Study the relationships between language and culture. Work with local communities to document, analyze, and practice often endangered languages.