2ND IRCVM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

 

Medieval Archaeological Fieldwork in

the Catalan Pyrenees

 

IRCVM-UB  - 22nd July– 5th August, 2016

 

Info: archaeology.camp@ub.edu

 

Application period: From February 1 to April 30, 2016.

See Course Provisional Program [in PDF]

 

Organised by

 

 

 

 

 

This course will enable participants to gain first-hand experience of excavations at the medieval site of Els Altimiris, a monastic area dating from the 5th-8th centuries, located 900 meters above sea level in the Catalan Pyrenees.

 

To access the digging site, participants will hike for approximately one hour, giving them the chance to develop personal relationships and teamwork skills alongside their practical fieldwork experience, as well as enjoy the astonishing landscape, the wilderness.

 

The course lasts two weeks and is based mainly on fieldwork. Participants will dig every day.  The participants will visit medieval monuments, castles or other archaeological sites in same area, and at the same time they will attend several workshops and lectures linked with the fieldwork, such as analysis of ceramics or the use of GIS (Geographic Information System) for research.

 

Aims

 

During fieldwork, participants will learn to apply a wide range of techniques and procedures for the management of archaeological sites, thus introducing the students to tools and techniques, drawing of structures, compilation of archaeological records, archaeological photography, measurement instruments, security protocols, and sample collection for analytical work.

 

Considerations for prospective participants

 

The course is intended for those with a high level of training, and is particularly suitable for outstanding students from other universities. This course has been offered at the UB since 1992 and has regularly been attended by students from the Open University of Catalonia, the University of Zaragoza, the University of Poitiers, Michel de Montaigne University Bordeaux 3, and the University of Toulouse II. The course has contributed to the training of a number of successful archaeology professionals, researchers specializing in the Middle Ages.

 

The course is organized by leading professors in the field, with the backing of a renowned archaeology school. Therefore, the main focus is to offer participants one of the most attractive training experiences available to students anywhere in the world, in particular offering students from America and Canada who may not encounter these sorts of sites in their countries to obtain first-hand practical experience of medieval archaeological excavations.