Program Overview
ArchaeoSpain participants at Pintia will join the field crew on the Iron Age necropolis of Las Ruedas and the nearby settlement of Las Quintanas in the province of Valladolid. Aside from ourselves, the crew comprises students and archaeologists from the University of Valladolid and several other Spanish schools. In June we will be working exclusively in the Vaccean Necropolis and in July and August we will also excavate the town's living quarters. The research focus at this site is the Vaccean culture, an Iron Age people that settled in North-Central Spain around the 5th century B.C. (Click here for more information about the site)
ArchaeoSpain members are expected to contribute to all aspects of the excavation, including land survey, mapping, photography, excavation, conservation, cataloguing and exhibition of artifacts.
In
addition to the excavation and lab work, there will be a number of professional
presentations and workshops related to the fieldwork. Do not worry if you
do not speak Spanish because it is not a prerequisite to participate. Those
that sign up, though, will be immersed in the language daily and we hope
that they will take advantage of the program to improve their spoken Spanish.
Imagine – when you leave you will be able to say “wheelbarrow”
in Spanish. The summer heat and the physical nature of the excavation will
make the work demanding, so participants should be in reasonable physical
condition and in good health
But hard work always reaps its benefits once an archaeologist relaxes and reflects on the day's excavation. With this mantra in place, the group will make time each day to experience Spain away from the shovels and picks, either by visiting a café bar or by touring several nearby Roman and Medieval sites of interest.
In cooperation with students' universities, ArchaeoSpain will offer credits toward their majors and degrees.