Italy

Excavation of the Roman Villa in Artena

Site Description

Students in the course will participate at the excavation of the Roman villa in Artena, a small hill town approximately 40 miles south-east of Rome, under the direction of Temple University Rome faculty member and archaeologist Jan Gadeyne and his colleague Cécile Brouillard, who works for the French Institute for Preventive Archaeology (INRAP). The site, occupied since the archaic age (6th century BC) has revealed substantial remains of a Roman villa and other buildings that existed from the 4th century BC until at least the 7th century AD. About 13,000 sq. ft. of the villa have thus far been excavated. The complex comprises an atrium and spacious peristyle with several rooms around it, a small private bath complex, and the remains of a wine press. Parts of the villa were decorated with wall paintings and mosaic floors. An aqueduct and large cistern underneath the atrium and peristyle supplied the villa with water. The villa offers insight into the rural life and economy of central Lazio and is unique in the way that it illustrates the transformation of a Roman villa from a simple farmhouse into a more sophisticated residence and finally into a medieval settlement.

Goals, Course Requirements and Assessment Tools

Undergraduate students will register for Art History 2117: Archaeological Excavation (6 credits). Graduate students will register for Art History 5621: Archaeological Excavation (3 credits). For undergraduates and graduate students, the course intends to introduce students to the techniques of archaeological fieldwork. Students will learn how to read stratigraphies, artifacts and building fragments in order to reconstruct the development of the site in time and place. The students will actively be part of the excavation process “from the pickaxe to the pencil,” learning to collect, describe, identify and draw archaeological evidence. They will be required to keep a journal in which they record their experiences and observations, and they will be provided with scholarly literature to contextualize the site. In preparation for the excavation, students will be expected to read an introduction to archaeological fieldwork. There will be weekly excursions to sites and museums nearby to understand better the archaeological remains and artifacts in the broader context of the material culture of central Italy.

Practical Information

Students will be housed with the rest of the excavation team in a small local hotel near the excavation site. Each room accommodates three people. Students will have breakfast, a light lunch and a three-course dinner Monday through Friday for the duration of the campaign. As meals are provided (included in the cost of accommodations), students must be willing to be flexible with their eating habits and diet. If students go away on the weekends, they must return to the hotel by Sunday night. Transfer from and to the nearest train station can be arranged.

Instructor

Jan Gadeyne, Classicist, Archaeologist and Ancient Art Historian. PhD, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. Professor Gadeyne teaches classics, Roman art and architecture, Roman history and other courses at Temple University Rome and for several other American programs in Rome. He has been working on the excavation of the Roman villa of Artena in the Lazio region since 1997 and collaborates with the archaeological museum of Artena.

CALENDAR

(Summer session II)

Typically early July through early August.

Exact dates to be announced.

Estimated 2013 Costs

All estimated costs are subject to change. They should be used as a guideline only. Accepted students will receive updated, detailed cost information as soon as it is available.

*Per university policy, Temple students who are considered “upper division” are charged additional tuition per credit in the summer (Pennsylvania Residents: additional $14 per credit; Non-Pennsylvania Residents: additional $48 per credit). “Upper division” is defined as an undergraduate student with a minimum of 60 earned credits, regardless of how obtained. This policy does not affect non-Temple students.

**The Artena Excavation Program Fee includes hotel accommodations (triple occupancy) for the duration of the program; breakfast, light lunch and dinner Monday-Friday; transportation from Rome to Artena on arrival day; and local, program-related transportation during the course. Please note that this fee is based on last year's fee and will be updated.

In addition to the items above, students should budget money for recommended immunizations; any weekend travel you plan to undertake; transportation from Artena to Rome when the program ends; as well as any additional personal expenses.

We recommend that students follow the exchange rate prior to and during their summer abroad, either through the newspaper or a currency exchange web site such as www.oanda.com.

GENERAL SUMMER PROGRAM INFORMATION

Please see General Summer Information to read about pre-departure information and orientation, passports and visas, scholarships, costs and payment policies, accreditation, and transfer of credits.

ELIGIBILITY & APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Please see Eligibility and Application Procedures for program eligibility, application requirements, and application procedures that apply to all summer programs. In addition, for this program, the following is required:

• A typed statement (recommended length of 750 words) describing yourself as an individual (your personal and intellectual history, special interests and abilities, future plans, etc.) and a description of your interest and goals related to this course. Applicants are asked to complete this statement within the application.
  

Because of the nature of the program emphasizing a small team atmosphere, no more than eight students will be allowed to participate. Preference will be given to students of archaeology, classics, art history, architecture or anthropology. Basic knowledge of Italian or French could be useful, but is not required. It is important to be motivated to work from early in the morning and in the summer heat. Team spirit and social skills are paramount to a good excavation campaign.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: february 22, 2013

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For further information, please contact:

Education Abroad, 215-204-0720 or study.abroad@temple.edu. Students with specific questions related to the excavation or local arrangements may contact Professor Jan Gadeyne, jgadeyne@temple.edu.