Osteology – Medieval Moura Lab Session – Spring 2027

Location: Moura, Portugal

Season: March 30, 2027 to April 13, 2027

Session Dates: 30th March to 13th April 2027

Application Deadline: February 28, 2027

Deadline Type: Exact Date

Website: https://www.swarchaeologydigs.com/moura.html

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
South-West Archaeology Digs (SWAD)

Project Director:
Mariana Nabais

Project Description:

Archaeological excavations at Castelo de Moura, southern Portugal, revealed the remains of a medieval church dedicated to St James, apparently constructed over a 13th-century Islamic mosque. Within and around the church, archaeologists uncovered a cemetery used between the Christian conquest of Moura in 1232 and the second half of the 14th century.

Approximately 90 burials have been excavated, most dating to the 14th century, the period of the Black Death. Preliminary osteological analysis indicates a predominance of children and young individuals, with relatively few pathological conditions and no individuals identified as older than 50.

The Spring 2027 Laboratory Field School offers participants the opportunity to contribute directly to ongoing research into life and death in medieval Moura. Through hands-on training in human osteology and zooarchaeology, students will examine human and animal skeletal remains, learning techniques of anatomical identification, osteological recording and taphonomic analysis.

By investigating these assemblages, participants will help explore questions concerning medieval diet, health, mortality and animal exploitation, contributing to a better understanding of the communities that inhabited Moura during the Middle Ages.

Period(s) of Occupation: Medieval - Lab season studying human and faunal remains

Notes:
Please apply by fillin in the form online http://www.swarchaeologydigs.com/apply.html You can apply for a 2-week stay, from the 30th March to the 13th April 2027. Fee is £100 a day.

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 15 days

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: None

Room and Board Arrangements:
Room: SWAD staff and students are provided with accommodation in a shared house in Safara, in the village centre. The house has three bedrooms that accommodate four students each. The kitchen, the two bathrooms, the living room and the terrace are also shared, so it is the group’s responsibility to keep them clean and tidy. A rota with basic cleaning tasks will be designed to be carried out by all participants. Board: Three meals are provided on working days. Breakfast will happen at home and students will prepare it themselves. Lunch is provided by a local school in Moura. Dinner will be at home. We will do our best to accommodate students with special dietary requirements or food allergies, but those candidates must contact us before the beginning of the project. Students will have the pleasure of eating traditional Portuguese food from the Alentejo region.

Academic Credit:
We are happy to sign any forms you may need so you can get academic credit. University College London undergraduate students are automatically credited.