Archaeology of violence of the Spanish Civil War in Belchite and medieval city and synagogue research.

Location: Belchite, Spain

Season: June 15, 2026 to July 25, 2025

Session Dates: First team 15 th -27 th JULY. Second team 29 th  JUNE -11 th JULY. Third Team: 13 th -25 JULY minimun stay 2 weeks.

Application Deadline: July 31, 2026

Deadline Type: Contact for Details

Website: https://www.facebook.com/people/Asociaci%C3%B3n-Espa%C3%B1ola-de-Arqueolog%C3%ADa-Militar/100057359143455/

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Spanish Association of Military Archaeology (Asociación española de arqueología militar). Belchite City Council. (Ayuntamiento de Belchite).

Project Director:
Alfonso Fanjul Peraza. Qualifications include: Doctorate in Archaeology, Autonomous University of Madrid; Degree in Prehistory, University of Salamanca; Degree in History, University of Oviedo; President, Spanish Association of Military Archaeology; Manager, Cuetu Civil War Museum, Lugones, Asturias; Recipient, several cultural research awards; Manager, numerous archaeological excavations relating to the civil war.

Project Description:

The target of the project on 2026 in the old quarter will be: 1- Digging the medieval synagogue and document in a map all the civil war materials of the battle of 1937 in the medieval quarter.  2- Research on the origins of Belchite doing test in the medieval quarters.

 

DATES (Minimun stay 2 weeks). You can be also the hole seasson or a month.

First team 15 th -27 th JULY.

Second team 29 th  JUNE -11 th JULY.

Third Team: 13 th -25 JULY

HOW TO GET THERE

Daily trains and buses depart for Zaragoza from Madrid and Barcelona. From Zaragoza, there is a bus service to Belchite, making ten trips a day, that leaves from the central bus station. A timetable will be supplied.

NB: High speed trains running from Madrid and Barcelona to Zaragoza may be costly. In this case, the bus may be a less expensive option.

ACCOMODATION
Accommodation  will be provided in the new village, just a 10-minute walk from the excavation site.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Travel insurance: It is essential to have travel insurance.

Climate and clothing: Due to high temperatures, you will need only summer clothing and you will need to bring sunscreen.

Necessities: If you need to purchase necessities or require medical attention, you will find supermarkets, a pharmacy and a medical centre in Belchite.

FEE
The fee for 15 days of fieldwork is €1000. This includes accommodation, dinners, work materials, and various lectures and cultural visits.

BOOKING YOUR PLACE: Contact the director, Alfonso Fanjul. Email. schoolofarchaeology@gmail.com, tell us who you are and the dates you want to come, and finally pay the half of the fee to book a vacancy.

Accepted participants can receive a scholarship, making the total program fee €500 per two-week cycle.  After booking  please use our application form to aply for grants and scholarship. https://www.cognitoforms.com/EJB1/TheSefaradSeminarHeritageLaboratoryBelchite2026

WORK SCHEDULE

On the first day there will be a guided tour of the ruins of the old city, as an introduction to the project, and on the same day talks will be given on the history of the area, the work schedule for the project and safety guidelines for the works of clearing. Team members will work five days a week, leaving a day free to visit the battlefield and a rest day. Work at the excavation will begin at 7am on weekdays in order to avoid high midday temperatures. In the afternoon, after the lunch break, there will be laboratory tasks and a series of seminars on different aspects of the Spanish Civil War. Between lunch and the laboratory work, team members will have access to the municipal swimming pool.

Period(s) of Occupation: Spanish Civil War & Medieval City.

Notes:
Beltrán Pérez, J. M. (1997), Gestas- 1809, 1936 y la construcción del nuevo Belchite. Zaragoza. Carroll, P. (1994), The Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade: Americans in the Spanish Civil War, Stanford University Press. Cinca Yago, J.; Allanegui, G. y Archilla, A. (2008), El viejo Belchite. La agonía de un pueblo, Zaragoza. Conill y Mataró, A. (1954). Codo. De mi diario de campaña, Barcelona. 127 Cordón, A. (1977), Trayectoria. Memorias de un militar republicano, Barcelona. De Diego, Quintana y Royo (1939), Belchite. Rapsodia incompleta, Zaragoza. Eby, C. (2007), Comrades and commissars: the Lincoln Battalion in the Spanish Civil War, Pennsylvania State Universtity. Escribano Bernal, F. (coord.), (2005), Guerra Civil. Aragón II, Zaragoza. Forcadell, C. y Sabio, A (eds) (2008), Paisajes para después de una guerra. El Aragón devastado y la reconstrucción bajo el franquismo (1936-1957), Zaragoza. Fuembuena, E. (1938), Guerra en Aragón. Belchite, Quinto, Teruel, Zaragoza. Izquierdo, A. (1976). Belchite a sangre y fuego, Barcelona. Latas Fuertes, J. (2006), “La 3ª compañía de zapadores. El capitán Adrada y Los Barbis”, en Permuy López, R (et al.), Treinta y seis relatos de la guerra del 36, pp. 153-162. Maldonado Moya, J. M. (2007), El frente de Aragón. La Guerra Civil en Aragón (1936-1938), Zaragoza. Maldonado Moya, J. M. (2009), Aragón bajo las bombas, Zaragoza. Martín Blasco (1998), El pueblo viejo de Belchite. Imágenes, notas históricas, noticias y evocaciones, Belchite.

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 2 weeks

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: No needed.

Room and Board Arrangements:
ACCOMODATION Accommodation will be provided in the new village, just a 10-minute walk from the excavation site. In the town there are very cheap restaurants and supermarkets. Also the house has a kitchen if you want to prepare your own meals, and laundry for free.

Academic Credit:
An offical certificate will be given by the Spanish Association of Military Archaeology (Asociación española de arqueología militar), with the number of hours on the field experience. we offer 1 credit for every 45 hours of archaeological work.