The Kenchreai Coastal and Marine Survey

Location: Kenchreai, Corinthia, Greece

Season: May 22, 2026 to June 21, 2026

Session Dates: May 22-June 21, 2026

Application Deadline: February 20, 2026

Deadline Type: Contact for Details

Website: https://as.vanderbilt.edu/classical-mediterranean-studies/excavations-greece/

Program Type:
Volunteer

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, the Underwater Ephorate, the Corinthian Ephorate, and the Hellenic Center for Marine Research

Project Director:
Prof. Joseph L. Rife (for the American School)

Project Description:

The Kenchreai Coastal and Marine Survey (KCMS) is a four-week program that introduces students to the archaeology and natural environment of Greece through field research on an interdisciplinary team of premier scholars. The only program of its kind to combine intensive exploration both on land and under the sea, KCMS offers to students at any level a unique opportunity to learn about the past first-hand at one of Greece’s most spectacular sites.

Kenchreai, the port of Corinth on the Saronic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, was among the busiest harbors in southeastern Europe for over a millennium, a beacon on the horizon between land and sea. Frequent ships arrived from distant lands bringing travelers of diverse backgrounds and bountiful cargoes of wine, spices, marble, and exotic goods. Kenchreai flourished for centuries as a crossroads where Greeks, Romans, and easterners lived together in prosperity. Their deities came from all over the world. They possessed not only one of the most famous mystery-cults of the Egyptian goddess Isis, but also one of the oldest Christian congregations in Greece, nurtured by St. Paul. The port contended with the wrath of Poseidon, always shifting with the vicissitudes of the sea and exposed to sudden disasters that could transform the coastline. Kenchreai was a node of transience, a place of vibrant pluralism but also rapid change.

KCMS investigates the complex relationship between human activity and the natural environment over time in the dynamic coastal-marine zone of Kenchreai. The team aims to uncover the shape, function, and history of the ancient harbor basin; to reveal the distribution and character of the port town and settlement in its hinterland; to reconstruct the paleoenvironment, including ecology, coastal erosion, and natural disasters; and to explore the unknown seascape of submerged harborworks and shipwrecks in the westernmost Aegean Sea.
To achieve these goals, KCMS invites students to join a large, international team of experts who employ state-of-the-art techniques in archaeological and geoscientific field research. Team members will be able to participate in various activities: archaeological survey and excavation on land; artifactual study; drilling, geological survey, and geophysical remote-sensing; and underwater excavation and survey. Apart from practical training on site, team members will attend seminars on, for example, pottery, ancient ships, and earthquakes. Weekend trips are planned to major sites and museums in the region, such as Corinth, Perachora, Mycenae, Nemea, and Nafplion. The team stays at a comfortable hotel on the sea near the site.

Period(s) of Occupation: Bronze Age, Geometric/Archaic, *Classical, *Hellenistic, *Roman, *Byzantine, Ottoman, Modern

Notes:
Cost: $4,900 (covers the cost of lodging and program at Kenchreai over four weeks but not travel to/from Kenchreai at start/end of season). Pending the award of funding grants to KCMS, scholarships may be available to support successful applicants.

Project Size: 50+ participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: Full season

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: All applicants will be considered regardless of experience level, from introductory to advanced. KCMS welcomes applications from students interested in classical archaeology, geoarchaeology, paleoenvironment, and underwater archaeology. KCMS seeks students who are dedicated to its interdisciplinary character and research mission; who are capable collaborators; and who can articulate how participation will benefit their own growth.

Room and Board Arrangements:
Team members stay at a beach resort hotel on the Isthmus of Corinth, 2 km from the archaeological site of Kenchreai and 10 km from Nea Korinthos (on the Proastiakos Railway).

Academic Credit:
Students on KCMS may be able to enroll in a 6-credit summer course at additional cost, pending approval.