FIELD SCHOOL AT POGGIO COLLA   View of Poggio Colla from the Mugello Valley June 26 – August 6, 2010 Link to video about MVAP & Poggio Colla Field School on YouTube: Etruscan Project Location: Tuscany, Italy Application Deadline: March 1st each year A student may submit an application to the SMU Education Abroad Office beginning on January 20th. Applications should be submitted no later than March 1st. Space is limited, so apply early. It is possible this program may be full before the March 1 deadline. Affiliation Southern Methodist University, Franklin and Marshall College, and University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Project Directors P. Gregory Warden, Southern Methodist University and Michael L.Thomas, The University of Texas Description Poggio Colla Field School trains students on an Etruscan site about twenty-two miles north-east of Florence in the scenic Mugello Valley. The settlement on Poggio Colla spanned most of Etruscan history, from the seventh century B.C.E. until its destruction by the Romans at the beginning of the second century B.C.E. The first 11 seasons of excavation have revealed at least three major construction phases, including an extraordinarily rich Orientalizing/Archaic phase that includes the remains of a monumental structure on the acropolis, and two later phases when the site was turned into a fortified stronghold. Period of occupation: Seventh through Second Centuries B.C.E. Field Instructors guide students working in Poggio Colla Trenches PC 34 and PC 28 The 2009 season will focus on excavation. Field school participants will excavate up to four days per week, with the rest of the time spent conducting research and working in the lab. Students will receive training in Etruscan archaeology as well as in the theoretical and practical aspects of fieldwork from a professional staff that includes archaeologists, an architect, an illustrator, a surveyor, and a conservator. Students conduct research projects that replicate the methodologies of archaeological documentation and explication found in archaeological site publication. Much of the training takes place in the field or in the lab; however, lectures by the staff as well as by visiting scholars supplement on-site learning. The site's proximity to Florence allows for week-end visits to major museums and archaeological sites. Students research field notebooks and finds in preparation for their final projects Minimum age: 18 Experience required: None Room and Board arrangements: Students and staff are housed in several farm houses near the town of Vicchio. The program cost includes 3 or 6 hours of credit, lodging, meals (Monday-Friday), and local commute. This price does not include travel to and from Italy and weekend meals. 2009 Poggio Colla Field School Students, Field Supervisors, and Assistant Field Supervisors   View from Monte Giove of Vicchio, in the Mugello Valley   Main excavation house, Vigna, where most Poggio Colla Field School students live   View of the student resdience called Vigna All-you-can-eat picnic lunch for Poggio Colla students and staff: salads, tuna, eggs, meat, cheese, bread, tomatoes, peanut butter, and more! Poggio Colla dinner: pasta, ribs, sausages, salads of homegrown vegetables, and dessert   Local produce   Cost: Three hours approximately $4,500; Six hours approximately $7,500 Academic credit Number of credits: 3 or 6 hours Offered by: Southern Methodist University Contact information: Greg Warden PO Box 750356, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75225 214-768-4048 gwarden@smu.edu Download an application: SMU Education Abroad Application Download the required Instructor Evaluation form: Instructor Evaluation SMU Education Abroad web page for this program: Archaeology in Italy Fields of sunflowers abound in the Mugello Valley "Education is what survives when what has been learned is forgotten." --B.F. Skinner We believe that the Poggio Colla Field School offers one of the best opportunities available to learn the process and theory of archaeological excavation. This program also introduces the student to the cultural history of the Etruscans. Every year we modify the field school, often as a result of student feedback, in the hope of improving the didactic aspects of our program. At the same time, this is a real excavation that must conform to the limits of budget and time. Therefore as a field student, you must first and foremost be a participant of this project, and as mandated by archaeological codes of ethics, the archaeological process is the number one priority. Andrea Summers and Michael Thomas instruct Poggio Colla field school students   2009: students excavating pithoi, roof tiles, and other finds in Trench PC 34 If you are taking this course for undergraduate credit, your grade will be based on the criteria, outlined below, that also provide you with a percentage breakdown of how your final grade will be determined. The underlying principle is that your grade is highly dependent on performance and attendance: your attendance at both the lectures and daily fieldwork/lab-work is required, and it is critical to your learning experience and to the success of the field season. Coursework will be made up of excavation, laboratory research, pottery washing and processing and survey experience. Your daily fieldwork schedule can vary by the demands of the excavation change. Students participate in a pottery workshop   Molly Palmison and Ali Neugebauer wash pottery from their trench   Site architect Jess Galloway teaches field school students to use survey instruments   Trench tours provide students with a broad overview of the site and progress of excavation   British students directed by Phil Perkins excavating Trench NW 4 on the northwest slope   Jessica Aither, Danielle Belanger, and Maia Van Dyke in Trench PC 33   View south across the Mugello Valley from the archaeological site of Poggio Colla   View of the Mugello Valley from Vigna, the main excavation house   Poggio Colla romance: Survey Consultant Thijs Nales and Lab Assistant Courtney Brasher met on the site in 2008 are now engaged to be married   For links to Student Research Projects, Field Reports, Student Diaries, the Field School Manual, and Lectures, go to: 2009 Field Season For views into the daily life of the field school and excavation process, follow the links below: Daily Life at Poggio Colla Field School Site Set-Up Excavation Process Season's End SMU MLS Program Video clip: students digging in Trenches PC 34 and 38 2009 field school students excavating Trench PC 38 on the arx of Poggio Colla in Tuscany