This listing expired on June 30, 2019. Please contact gwarden@fus.edu for any updated information.
Location: Firenzuola (Florence), IT
Season: July 7, 2019 to August 2, 2019
Application Deadline: June 3, 2019
Deadline Type: Rolling
Website: https://www.mugellovalleyarchaeologicalproject.org
Program Type:
Field school, Volunteer
RPA Certified:
no
Affiliation:
Franklin University Switzerland
Project Director:
Dr. Gregory Warden, Franklin University Switzerland, and Dr. Phil Perkins, The Open University
Project Description:
The Albagino Field School is an international and interdisciplinary fieldwork project that expands the research initiatives of the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project that previously focused on the sanctuary and settlement of Poggio Colla (www.poggiocolla. org). Albagino is a site in the upper Mugello, at the very edge of Tuscany in the High Apennines, near the small town of Bruscoli, in the Comune of Firenzuola. The site is a small dried-up lake that clearly had a ritual function given the votive bronze figures that were found as sporadic finds a few years ago. The bronze figurines from Albagino were displayed in an exhibit in the Palazzo Pegaso in Florence. Under the auspices of the Archaeological Soprintendenza, non-invasive research was carried out in 2017. Excavation proper took place in 2018, and evidence of an Etruscan occupation emerged. The 2019 season will focus on area of the wall discovered in 2018. We will also undertake selected field survey and surface artefact collection in arable areas near (5km radius within Tuscany) Albagino, including revisiting sites located by the Gruppo Archeologico di Bruscoli to establish any settlement / burial context for the site at Albagino. Albagino offers an unparalleled opportunity to investigate a site similar similar to the famous “Lake of the Idols” at Monte Falterona. Monte Falterona was horribly “excavated” in the 19th century, and much knowledge of that sacred landscape has been lost, even if the spectacular finds now grace institutions like the Louvre, Hermitage, and British Museum. Albagino thus offers an unparalleled opportunity to investigate a similar sacred setting in its larger context. The program will begin (Sunday, July 7) in Firenzuola. Introductory lectures/discussions will introduce participants to Etruscan archaeology and archaeological field methods. Actual excavation will begin on Monday, July 8 and end of Friday, August 2. Excavation takes place in a clearing in the high Apennine Mountains.
Period(s) of Occupation: Etruscan (6th-3rd centuries BCE)
Notes:
A small field school with hands-on experience and the ability to interact with professionals in a spectacular Tuscan mountain landscape.
Project Size: 1-24 participants
Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 4 weeks
Minimum Age: 18
Experience Required: None, although preference will be given to persons who have completed course work in Archaeology, Art History, Classics, or Anthropology.
Room and Board Arrangements:
We will reside in the picturesque town of Firenzuola. Lodging is in double rooms in the Hotel Piccola Firenze (www.hotelpiccolafirenze.it). Meals are provided for the full length of the excavation project: breakfast at the hotel, a sack lunch on site, and dinner at the hotel. There will be ample opportunity to get to know Firenzuola and its inhabitants. WiFi is available. You will be free to travel on weekends, and public transportation is available to either Florence or Bologna. Cost: $2,400 for volunteers not receiving credit. $4,000 for 3 credit hours.
Academic Credit:
3 credit hours credits offered by Franklin University Switzerland (www.fus.edu).. Tuition is $ 4,000 for those opting to receive credit through Franklin University Switzerland. Includes university credit and full room and board for the four-week season..
