After covering so many distressing stories about the looting of some of the world’s most ancient archaeological sites, we are pleased to turn to a brighter task: putting together Archaeology Odyssey’s sixth annual Digs List.
2005 offers exciting opportunities to join in excavations around the Mediterranean and in the British Isles. Roman villas, homesteads and forts await you in England, Wales, Spain and Austria. Volunteers are needed to help uncover Hellenistic houses and Stone Age rock art in Italy; to excavate Mycenaean tombs, the Athenian agora and ancient religious sanctuaries in Greece; and to dig at Moabite, Nabatean and Persian sites in Jordan. One special program is open to qualified students willing to pay their own travel expenses to Tunisia: a free, 10-day seminar/dig held at Kerkouane, an early Punic town.
While many of the excavations listed make use of sophisticated technology—such as satellite imagery and magnetometers—to uncover hidden structures beneath the surface of the earth, the bulk of the work is still done the old-fashioned way. No one ever forgets the pleasure of uncovering—inch by inch, layer by layer—the remains of long-lost lives and civilizations, with hand tools, sieves and buckets. For those who haven’t yet taken the plunge, there will never be a better time than this summer to toss a pair of well-worn work boots into your suitcase, head for the airport and get ready to enjoy a true labor of love.
PS. These excavations need all kinds of help, so don’t assume that you are too young or too old, too inexperienced or experienced, to lend a hand. It never hurts to ask.
After covering so many distressing stories about the looting of some of the world’s most ancient archaeological sites, we are pleased to turn to a brighter task: putting together Archaeology Odyssey’s sixth annual Digs List.
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