The San Martino Archaeological Field School is a summer program designed to teach students about archaeological field and laboratory methods, geophysical prospection in archaeology, and the archaeology of ancient Italy.  The course is taught on site in central Italy, and participants learn through first-hand experience excavating at the San Martino site as well as through lab work, assisting in geophysical studies, lectures, readings, and guided museum and archaeological site visits.  Participants live in the small town of Torano di Borgorose, where they have the opportunity to learn about life in modern as well as ancient Italy. 

Participants receive course credit from the Department of Religion and Classics, which sponsors the field school, in collaboration with the Soprintendenza per i beni archeologici del Lazio and the town of Borgorose, Italy.  The field school course credit can also be counted toward the interdisciplinary major in Archaeology, Technology, and Historical Structures.  Enrollment in the field school is not restricted to University of Rochester students, and applications from prospective participants at other universities are welcome.

The San Martino Site

The San Martino site features evidence of use by humans from the prehistoric period up to the present day, with archaeological remains from every time period in between.  
 
Recent finds indicate that part of the site may have been occupied as early as the Copper Age.  At the site there is also part of an imposing polygonal wall thought to have been built in the fourth century BC, when the area was home to the ancient tribe known as the Aequi or Aequiculi.  The wall may have been part of a religious sanctuary, although this hypothesis is currently unverified.  In the next phase, in the late fourth century BC, the Romans conquered the territory of the Aequi and a Roman-style villa was built at the San Martino site.  The villa was the principal structure there throughout the Roman period and into late antiquity.  Subsequently, a Christian church was erected, perhaps as early as the paleochristian period. 

The site is dominated today by the medieval church of San Martino, a typical twelfth- or thirteenth-century AD Abruzzese church, with some later additions, that was probably built onto the paleochristian structure.  Notices in historical documents indicate that in the Middle Ages there were also a monastery and later a hospital connected with the church of San Martino.  Archaeological evidence of use of the site in the Middle Ages and after includes burials and a large cistern.  The church building suffered damage in the powerful earthquake that struck the region in 1915, and the church then fell into disuse.  Recent work to restore San Martino to a functioning church has also led to the current program of archaeological excavations.

In 2011, we will return for our fifth summer of excavation at the site.  The first two seasons of archaeological work were carried out at the site in the summers of 2007 and 2008.  In these campaigns, the pre-Roman and Roman remains were first identified, and the basic chronology of the site was established.  In 2009 and 2010, work was carried out principally in the area of the Roman villa, where medieval and late antique strata were removed.  A circular structure with a paved floor was uncovered in this area.  The function of the structure, which seems to date to the medieval period, is not yet clear, and excavations will continue here in subsequent field seasons.  Removal of soil around one of the walls from the Roman period revealed evidence of an earlier earthquake at the site, probably in late antiquity.  Also discovered in the area of the Roman villa was a large retaining wall that was likely built in conjunction with the creation of the terrace on which the villa was constructed.  Work in 2009 and 2010 included limited excavations in the area of the pre-Roman remains and geophysical testing with a magnetometer in order to determine places of interest for future excavations in this same area.  The excavations confirmed the existence of intact archaeological levels from as early as the Copper Age, and the magnetic testing indicated several subsurface anomalies that warrant further exploration through excavation.  Future work at the site will be carried out with the goals of: increasing our understanding of the earliest phases of the site; uncovering a larger expanse of the Roman villa; and conducting further geophysical testing to locate other areas of archaeological interest at the site.

Torano di Borgorose and Cicolano
The archaeological team is hosted by the town of Torano di Borgorose, where the San Martino church is located.  Situated near the border between the Abruzzo and Lazio regions, Torano is a small town typical of Cicolano, the scenic mountainous area that surrounds the town.  The people of Torano have been very welcoming and supportive of the American project at San Martino, and in the past they have organized dinners for us and invited us to participate in local festivals.

Basic services are available in Torano, which has a post office, a cafe, and several small shops where essential supplies can be purchased.  A well-stocked larger store and a supermarket are a short drive from Torano, and there are several excellent yet inexpensive restaurants in the area that serve local specialties.  Torano is near the A-24 super highway and thus connected by regular bus service to Rome, which is about 60 miles away.  Avezzano, on the main train line from Rome to Pescara, is less than 20 miles away.  Also nearby is the "Montagne della Duchessa" Nature Preserve.


A Typical Day

8:00 AM: Depart for the site
8:00 - 10:30 AM: Work at the site
10:30 - 10:45 AM: Snack break, fruit and cookies provided
10:45 AM - 12:30 PM: Work at the site
12:30 - 1:00 PM: Lunch break, picnic lunch provided
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Work at the site
3:00 PM: Close down work at the site, return to the dig house
3:30 - 5:30 PM: Lab work, class meeting, field trip or dig house cleaning duty (depending on the day)
5:30 - 7:30 PM: Free time
7:30 - 8:30 PM: Dinner
8:30 - 11:00 PM: Free time
11:00 PM - 7 AM: Quiet hours in the dig house

Accommodations and Meals

Participants live in hostel-style accommodations, with cots for three to five people in each room and shared bathrooms and showers.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided during the week and on some weekend days.  Breakfast is self-service, with cereal, milk, fruit, cookies, coffee, and tea available.  Lunch is taken picnic-style at the site.  Dinner is a hot meal prepared by a local cook whose recipes consistently receive rave reviews from dig participants.  Participants also have access to and are welcome to use the kitchen on their own.  Occasional meals out are provided as a part of the program as well. 

 
Academic Program Highlights

The academic program includes:

Instructors

Elizabeth Colantoni, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Rochester
Cindy Ebinger, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester

Program Costs and Scholarships

Participants must enroll in one of two courses:

CLA 299: Field Methods in Archaeology. Six credit hours.  Estimated program fee: $4400.

CLA 300: Advanced Field Methods in Archaeology. Four credit hours.  Estimated program fee: $3600.  This course is only open to students who have previously taken CLA 299 through the San Martino Archaeological Field School.  No exceptions or substitutions can be made for this requirement.

The program fees include tuition and all expenses (room, board, program-related transportation within Italy, museum admissions) for the duration of the program, with the exception of textbooks and some meals on weekends.  Airfare to Italy is not included in the fee, and participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements to Italy.

The actual program fees will be communicated to applicants once they have been officially established with the university administration; the fees are not expected to change substantially, if at all.

Some limited scholarship money may be available for University of Rochester students with demonstrated financial need.  UR students who have demonstrated financial need and wish to be considered for these scholarships should indicate their interest on the program application form.  Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of merit within the pool of students with demonstrated financial need.

Applicants are also encouraged to apply for outside scholarships in support of participation in archaeological excavations:

• American Philological Society/Archaeological Institute of America Minority Student Summer Fellowship, deadline: 15 December 2010
  
• Eta Sigma Phi Summer Scholarship for Fieldwork in Classical Archaeology, deadline: 1 February 2011
  
• Etruscan Foundation Fieldwork Fellowship, deadline: 4 February 2011
• Archaeological Institute of America Jane C. Waldbaum Field School Scholarship, deadline: 6 March 2011

Program Dates

The dates for the 2011 field season are 24 June - 24 July 2011.  Participants are expected to arrive in Rome by the evening of 24 June, and they are expected to remain on the program until the morning of 24 July.

Application and Enrollment

There are no pre-requisites for participation in the program: no previous archaeological experience or knowledge of Italian is necessary.  Participants must, however, apply and be accepted to the program.  Once accepted, all first-time participants must enroll in the Field Methods in Archaeology course for six credit hours.  Returning participants must enroll in the Advanced Field Methods in Archaeology course for four credit hours.

All participants will need a valid passport for international travel.  Information about obtaining a U.S. passport can be found on the U.S. Department of State web page.  U.S. passport holders do not need to apply for a special visa to participate in this program.  Other regulations may apply, however, to prospective participants who are not U.S. citizens.

A copy of the application form for first-time participants, with instructions for submission, is available here.

A copy of the application form for returning participants, with instructions for submission, is available here. 

All applicants will be contacted for an interview after they have submitted the application form.

Application Deadline: Friday 4 March 2011.  Space is limited, and early applications are encouraged.

Special Bonus Opportunity for University of Rochester Students in 2011

The University of Rochester is in the process of establishing a collaboration with the Accademia Petrarca in Arezzo, Italy, in order to carry out a joint American-Italian study of the ancient Roman aqueduct of Arezzo.  Little survives of the aqueduct above the ground surface today, and the goal of the study is to use geophysical, archaeological, and engineering research methodologies to establish the route of the aqueduct as well as to understand better the history and technical features of the aqueduct.

The pilot season for the study of the aqueduct will be held 29 July - 12 August 2011, and a limited number of spaces are available on the project for University of Rochester students who are also participating in the San Martino Archaeological Field School in 2011.  There is no extra cost for participation in the Arezzo project—participants' expenses for food, lodging, and transportation within Italy will be covered by the project—but space is quite limited.  No academic credit is available for work in Arezzo, and prospective participants should understand that, because this year's expedition is the first, the program will not provide a structured academic experience, and participants will be expected to follow a flexible work schedule based on the needs of the project. 

University of Rochester students who would like to be considered for a space on the Arezzo aqueduct project should indicate their interest on the San Martino Archaeological Field School application form.  Participants will be chosen on the basis of their academic preparation and interests as well as personal maturity and motivation.  Work during the pilot season will be primarily focused on geophysical testing and engineering analysis.  No archaeological excavation will be carried out, although other forms of archaeological study will be undertaken.  Students with interests in geophysics and geology or the engineering of ancient structures are particularly encouraged to apply for this opportunity, as are majors in the Archaeology, Technology, and Historical Structures program.  

Further Information

For further information about the San Martino Archaeological Field School program, please contact Professor Elizabeth Colantoni at elizabeth.colantoni@rochester.edu.


Page updated: 1 February 2011