Archaeological Excavations & Field School
at the Villa of Maxentius
Rome, Italy

Summer 2008

The ruins of the large apse in the main hall of the villa

This program offers you an opportunity to have hands-on experience at an archaeological field school in one of the great cities of Europe. Our field school has been designed to allow undergraduate and graduate students to participate in cutting-edge research at the CU Boulder excavations at the Villa of Maxentius, a 4th-century palace built by Rome's penultimate pagan emperor. The site is being developed and studied in cooperation with the Sovraintendenza Beni Culturali del Comune di Roma. We offer an intensive experiential learning program with a staff to student ratio of 1:2.

At CU-Boulder, the Department of Classics, the Department of Art and Art History and the Office of International Education have designed a summer study abroad program that provides 6 hours of undergraduate or graduate credit. Two courses, a practicum (Archaeological Field Methods) and an historical course (Maxentius and the City of Rome) will be offered. In 2008, the program runs from mid-May to late June. All instruction is in English.

LOCATION

The sprawling imperial villa complex is located in the suburbs of modern Rome on the picturesque ancient Roman road, the Via Appia Antica. The palace is located within the boundaries of the Parco Regionale Dell'Appia Antica, a natural and historical reserve. It is surrounded by a wall; security is provided by guards who live on the site. Two modern buildings at the site serve as the site museum (currently under renovation) and our post-excavation processing spaces, offices and labs. As a complement to the field methods instruction, the historical course invloves lectures and seminar discussions that are held in a seminar room at the Institute of S. Tarcisio, which is approximately one mile from the excavation site. The Institute has converted a former monastery on the grounds of the Catacombs of St. Callistus into a delightful bed and breakfast hotel where you will live during the program. Several city bus routes stop outside the gates of the catacomb complex to take you into modern Rome, about 3 km north of the site.

The CU Boulder team members during the 2006 field season.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM

You will earn 6 hours of upper-division undergraduate or graduate credit for the five-week program. Two courses will be offered:

1) CLAS 4209/5209: Archaeological Field Methods will give students the opportunity to learn the methods and objectives of archaeological excavation, including instruction in ceramic analysis, registry, conservation and Electronic Total Station/Geographic Information System surveying. Copy of the 2006 syllabus for CLAS/ARTH 4209/5209.

2) CLAS 4219/5219: Maxentius and the City of Rome will combine discussions and site visits to give students the opportunity to understand the excavation site and its artifacts in the broader contexts of Roman architectural development, late Roman art, and late imperial Roman history. Copy of the 2006 syllabus for CLAS/ARTH 4219/5219.

Participants are required to enroll in both classes and to participate in all program activities, including the excavation. Written assignments are required for each course. A final exam is required for the historical course. Students wishing to enroll for graduate credit will be required to complete specific graduate assignments, graduate-level exams and present at least two on-site lectures on pre-assigned monuments.

All lectures, on-site instruction, assignments and exams will be in English. No Italian is required for the academic program, though students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with basic conversational Italian before leaving for Rome. Since several of our staff members are bi-lingual Italian archaeologists, they is ample opportunity to learn about Italian culture and practice your Italian with native speakers!

Archaeology is hard work! This rigorous program requires that participants have the
ability to engage in activities requiring significant physical and mental stamina.

TENTATIVE ACADEMIC CALENDAR

Dates for the 2008 field school season are May 19 - June 20. Students should arrive on May 18 (Sunday) and schedule departure for June 21 (Saturday). Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all spaces are filled.

CREDIT

You will receive six hours of CU-Boulder undergraduate or graduate credit for classes. This is "resident" credit, which is counted as if you had completed the work on the Boulder campus. The course, credit, and letter grade will appear on your official University of Colorado transcript and the grade will be figured into your CU grade point average. Pass/fail credit is not an option. (Note: the exception is students in the College of Engineering, who will receive pass/fail credit for the program.) The credit may be applied to appropriate major and college requirements with approval from your academic advisors. If you are a non-CU student, check with your advisor for credit transfer options at your home institution.

PROGRAM DIRECTORS

Prof. Diane Conlin of the Classics Department at CU-Boulder. Prof. Conlin specializes in imperial Roman art and architecture. She is an internationally-recognized expert on Roman marble carving methods and Roman relief sculpture.

Dr. Gianni Ponti, field archaeologist and consultant for the Sovraintendenza Archaeologica di Roma. Dr. Ponti has excavated at many Roman sites in Italy and Turkey. He is an internationally-recognized expert on Roman architecture, construction processes and materials.

As part of students' learning experience and training, excavation staff specialists will instruct students on the various aspects of excavation methods and processes, including ceramic analysis, surveying and GIS, numismatics, artifact registration, record keeping.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

There will be some free time during the program, though you will be in class or at the excavation site from early in the morning until late afternoon Monday through Friday. Some field trips will be scheduled on Fridays. During free time, students can easily get into Rome on the public buses. Bus passes can be purchased at the front gate of the monastery. Rome offers a wealth of entertainments for all interests.

View of the cortile at the Institute of San Tarcisio

HOUSING

You will be housed in double rooms in the pensione, or bed and breakfast, maintained by the Institute of San Tarcisio on the grounds of the Catacombs of Saint Callistus. There are approximately 50 rooms in the residence, each with private showers, sinks and toilets. Towels and linens are provided. The rooms are arranged around an open central cortile. Seminar rooms are located on the lower level of the building. The catacomb compound of Saint Callistus is the largest catacomb complex in Rome and is open to tourists during the day. The gates to the compound are locked in the evening for maximum security. Breakfast beverages and pastries are provided in the sunny breakfast room at the Institute. Staff and students share catered lunches and dinners at our outdoor picnic area at the Institute. Students will be responsible for some meals on the weekends. Local grocery stores, restaurants, and internet cafes are within walking distance from the Institute.

TRANSPORTATION

The program begins and ends in Rome. Accepted applicants will be informed of the options for travel arrangements well in advance of the program.

PROGRAM FEE

You should begin to plan early to determine how you will finance your field school experience. You will pay a program fee to CU-Boulder that covers academic credits, instructional costs, administrative fees, room and meals, program related field trips, and limited health insurance. For 2008, we expected the fee to be approximately $6,000 for residents and $7,000 for non-residents. In addition to the program fee, you will need funds to cover round-trip transportation, steel-toe boots required for excavating, and personal expenses. If you add all of these items together, you arrive at the total out-of-pocket cost for your program.

If you receive financial aid from CU-Boulder, you normally can apply the aid to program costs. Study Abroad scholarships, awarded on the basis of academic excellence and financial need, are also available.

ELIGIBILITY

Undergraduates: by the time the program begins, you must have sophomore standing and a minimum 2.75 grade point average. It is highly recommended but not required that you complete one of the following courses:
· CLAS/FINE 1509 Trash and Treasure, Temples and Tombs: Intro to Ancient Art & Archaeology(Fall), CLAS/ARTH 2019: Pompeii (Fall) or
· CLAS/FINE 3049 Roman Art & Architecture (Spring)

Graduates: completion of one year of graduate coursework with a minimum 3.0 grade point average. It is preferred that six hours of the completed coursework be in classical art and archaeology. Incoming graduate students may be accepted to the program based on previous undergraduate and/or graduate coursework and field experience. Students without prior coursework in Roman history or Roman art or archaeology must obtain written permission from Prof. Conlin to be eligible for acceptance.

All applicants will be interviewed before acceptance. For the 2008 season, approximately 20-25 students will be accepted to the program.

APPLICATION

On-line applications are available through the Study Abroad Office website. An interview is required for all CU Boulder students before you can be accepted. Please contact Mary Dando to set up an account for the on-line application.

For Further Information

Those students selected for the program will be invited to a series of orientation meetings during the spring semester. We also encourage you to begin early to prepare for your field school experience. The Office of International Education also has information on the Rome excavation and on other CU-Boulder study abroad programs. We encourage you to visit the office and explore all of the options.

For further information on this program, please feel free to contact Mary Dando (Mary.Dando@colorado.edu) at the CU-Boulder Study Abroad Programs Office or Professor Diane Conlin (conlind@colorado.edu) in Classics and Art History.

The information contained here is subject to change. Please check with the office for the latest information.

The Office of International Education
University of Colorado at Boulder
Basement, Environmental Design
Campus Box 123
Boulder, CO 80309-0123
(303) 492-7741
Fax: (303) 492-5185
Web: http://studyabroad.colorado.edu

The University of Colorado at Boulder is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution.