The field team

Four weeks of intensive fieldwork represented a great opportunity for researchers and students to examine an urban area of the colonia Aurelia Apulensis, next to the insula of the Liber Pater sanctuary, unearthed by previous archaeological excavations. 

In this year the site hosted many students from Germany, Hungary and Romania, eager to experience and learn interdisciplinary and innovative methods used during field work. Due to the enthusiastic team-work, by the end of this season the remains of two different stone-buildings were identified. The functionality of the buildings, with traces of massive destruction and demolition, could not be clarified yet, this remaining the main task for the next campaign.

 

Unearthing the remains of the aforementioned constructions required a constant effort from the team. Removing the compact and thick clay alluvium layers covering the ruins required a wide range of techniques and use of tools: from mattocking and shoveling to cleaning with the hoe, trowel and brush. The members of the team could easily accomplish the basic field work techniques and learned the proper use of tools, even if the wheelbarrows were often quite heavy for some of us.

The field activity of the students was not limited to “digging” and unloading wheelbarrows. They were actively involved in the documentation process. There is no team member who did not take his share in this bustle. Everybody learned how to register and collect small-finds, how to measure them with the total station. Planning and drawing different contexts as well as completing context sheets were also among every student’s task.

Team-members were also initiated in other interdisciplinary domains like topography, archaeobotanics and GIS. They could learn on site how to use the total station, how to collect and sieve soil samples and they also took part in the topographical survey of the archaeological location. 

Beside the multidisciplinary training and hard physical work, the good atmosphere and the excellent team work have also contributed to the success of this archaeological campaign. Mission accomplished!