Frequently Asked Questions

The Sanisera Archaeology Institute for International Field Schools is an independent, non-profit institution based in Ciutadella de Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). It has carried out research at the Roman port of Sanisera since 1993 and has trained university students in field and laboratory archaeology since 1996. Since 2008 it runs excavation and laboratory courses at the Roman city and necropolis of Sanisera and, since 2022, also with partner institutions in Jerez de la Frontera, the Pyrenees, Murcia, Belchite and Egypt. More than 4,000 students have taken our courses; about 80 % come from universities in the United States and Canada, and most of the rest from the United Kingdom and Australia.

Yes. All revenue, including tuition, is used to cover the costs of the courses and is reinvested in the research, conservation and publication of the sites we excavate. The Institute also receives grants from public bodies and occasional donations.

Every course is taught by professional archaeologists and anthropologists holding a master's or doctoral degree, listed with their qualifications on the Instructors tab of each course. The Course Director is responsible for the academic content, the assessment and the documents you may need for your university.

Our field schools are intensive, hands-on training programs in archaeology, bioarchaeology, GIS, LiDAR, graphic design applied to archaeology, archaeological survey and archaeological tours. Each field school is offered as a numbered course (for example Course 006, Dig in the Roman City of Sanisera) that runs in several sessions a year. You enroll in one course and one session; you may also take two consecutive sessions or two different courses in a row.

Most of our students have no previous fieldwork experience. If you want to learn excavation from scratch, start with Course 006 (Roman city of Sanisera) or Course 064 (medieval synagogue and Spanish Civil War at Belchite). If you are interested in human remains, Course 008 (necropolis) also accepts beginners, but it is much better to start with Course 010: in the first week, in the Roman city, you learn excavation techniques and get used to the instruments and tools, which makes it much easier to excavate a funerary context with human bones in the second week, in the necropolis. Course 053 (Jerez) is also an introductory bioarchaeology course, but different from Course 008 because the setting is very different: you work inside a church, usually in a crypt, where from the first day you handle bones that are not covered by sediment in order to inventory and study them. For Course 018 (advanced osteology) a previous course in human osteology or biological anthropology is recommended but not required. Course 062 (zooarchaeology) is a laboratory course focused on the animal bones of the Roman port of Sanisera, dated between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD, and requires no previous experience. Course 050 is a laboratory course on the software every archaeologist and anthropologist needs; it requires no experience either, although it is much better if you have already taken part in an excavation or survey, so that you understand the concepts better and know where each technique is applied. Courses 060 and 063 require no experience and focus on current digital methods (GIS, LiDAR, drones) applied to non-intrusive survey, that is, studying a territory without disturbing the archaeological remains before a new project begins: Course 060 discovers and studies medieval sites in the Pyrenees mountains, about 200 km from Barcelona, and Course 063 studies the ancient harbours of Menorca and is the course most directly related to underwater archaeology, although no diving is involved. Finally, Course 061 (Egypt) is an archaeological study tour, an experience every lover of archaeology should have, and requires no previous knowledge. In all courses except Course 061 you must bring your own laptop. If you are unsure, write to info@archaeology.institute with your background and dates and we will recommend a course.

Yes. Many students take two consecutive sessions, either repeating a course or combining two (for example Course 006 followed by Course 008 or, in bioarchaeology, Course 008 followed by Course 018), and some, after checking the Institute's calendar, continue to Jerez, Belchite or Murcia to complete their academic itinerary. Students who enroll in two sessions in a row at the same location (Menorca or the Pyrenees) stay free of charge on the days between them.

Groups are small: a maximum of 14 students in Courses 006 and 010; 8 in Courses 008, 018, 050 and 053; 6 in Courses 060, 062 and 063; and 15 in Courses 061 and 064. In Ciutadella (Menorca), Jerez and Belchite several groups may share the same accommodation.

Fill in the application form on our website, selecting the course and the session you want (please select only the sessions you really intend to take, up to five). We answer within 48 hours to confirm availability and send you the admission e-mail with the payment instructions for the deposit. Your place is reserved only when the deposit is received.

No. Admission is rolling: each session stays open until it is full. The most popular sessions (June, July and August) often fill up several months in advance, so apply early. Spring and autumn sessions usually have places until shortly before they start.

The minimum age is 18. Students aged 16 and 17 may take part with the written permission of their parents, who delegate guardianship to the Course Director for the duration of the course; in that case they may only take Course 006. Younger students may only take part accompanied by a parent or an adult enrolled in the same course. Write to us before applying.

No. All courses are taught in English. Spanish is useful in daily life but not required.

You need normal health and the ability to work outdoors. Excavation involves kneeling, bending and carrying buckets; laboratory courses do not. In Course 060 you walk on mountain paths (15 to 20 minutes to some sites) and in Course 063 you must be able to swim to take part in the kayak bathymetric survey. If in doubt, tell us about any medical condition, allergy or disability when you apply so that we can advise you.

Tuition is quoted in US dollars on each course page (Dates & Tuition). It includes instruction, accommodation, accident insurance, the course materials, the visits included in the program, the Certificate of Completion and, where applicable, daily transport to the site, the transfer from Barcelona airport (Course 060) and the letter of invitation for the Schengen visa. Airfare and meals are not included, except in Course 061 (Egypt), which includes all program meals, internal flights and entrance tickets. In Menorca you can book an airport pickup for an additional fee: the course instructor meets you on arrival, and it is usually somewhat cheaper than a private taxi.

Accommodation in Menorca and Jerez costs more in July and August than in spring and autumn, and tuition follows those costs. The cheapest sessions are in April, May and October. Courses 050, 060, 061, 062, 063 and 064 have the same price in all their sessions.

In two steps. A deposit of USD 450 per course reserves your place and must be paid within five days of receiving the admission e-mail. The deposit is part of the tuition, not an additional fee: it is deducted from the total, and you then pay only the balance. If you cannot pay within that time, write to the coordinator to ask for more time or to check whether places are still available when you can pay: depending on the season, places fill up quickly. The balance is due 60 days before the session starts; we send you a reminder with the payment link. If you enroll less than 60 days before the start, the full amount is due at once. If you need to pay in installments, tell us and we will agree a plan with you: we are flexible, because we know it is not easy to pay for an academic program as a student.

Bank transfer through a personal payment link, which is the cheapest option, or to other bank accounts depending on the student's nationality. Credit cards are not accepted, nor PayPal or other systems that require a credit card. We follow up every day on the transfers we receive so that we can locate your payment and send you our receipt immediately. If you want to check first that the transfer is safe and that the recipient really is our organization, you can make a symbolic payment of about USD 0.10 and wait for our receipt.

Yes, always. As soon as your payment reaches our account (one to three days with the low-fee payment link, up to five with a traditional bank transfer) we e-mail you our bank receipt together with the travel document, more information about the course and the equipment you will need for your course. If the payment is made under someone else's name (for example a parent's), tell us so that we can match it.

If you cancel your participation, only the USD 450 deposit is refunded, and only if you request it within 20 days of paying it. The balance of the course, paid 60 days before the start, is not refundable. However, if you cancel for any reason, all the money paid can be converted into credit for any course in the current year or the following season. There are two exceptions in which everything paid is refunded in full: if the Institute cancels the session, and if your Schengen visa is refused (with the official refusal document). A place cannot be transferred to another person if you cannot attend. See the Terms and Conditions page.

No. The Institute does not grant scholarships or discounts. Tuition is not reduced for partial attendance, for not staying in the accommodation we provide or for not using any of the included services. Many students obtain funding from their own university (study-abroad or field-school grants); we complete any form your university needs and will always help you.

Yes, in most cases. We do not award credit ourselves, but we provide everything your university needs to grant it: a syllabus with learning outcomes and instructional hours, a Certificate of Completion with your final grade and, on request, a Student Evaluation Report signed by the Course Director. Ask your department or study-abroad office for pre-approval before you register. Students from more than 40 universities in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia have obtained credit this way. See our Academic Credit page.

101.5 hours for the 16-day courses in Menorca (006, 008, 010 and 018), 80 hours for Course 060, 84 for Course 062, 80 for Course 053, 85 for Course 064, 84 for Course 061 (64 hours of guided study visits and a 20-hour course paper written after the trip), 80 for Course 063 and 50 for Course 050. The figure appears in the syllabus and on your certificate. At a reference of about 20 instructional hours per semester credit, a 16-day session (101.5 hours) can be recognised for 4-5 semester credits, depending on the university, and two consecutive sessions (203 hours in a single month) for 8-10; the final decision rests with each university.

Yes. Every course has a syllabus (PDF) with objectives, learning outcomes, day-by-day schedule, assessment method, attendance policy, instructors and recommended readings. You can download it from the course page and use it to request credit from your university.

Through daily participation and professional conduct (40 %), the field or laboratory journal you write during the course (20 %), the recording sheets you complete (stratigraphic, skeleton, laboratory or survey sheets, depending on the course; 20 %) and a short final presentation on the last day (20 %). Grades are given as a percentage and as a letter grade from A to F. Attendance of at least 85 % of the instructional hours is required.

A Certificate of Completion stating the course, dates, instructional hours and final grade. To receive it you must hand in your journal and recording sheets and give a short presentation, of about 10 minutes, to the instructors and the group, on a topic agreed in advance with your instructor. All exercises and studies are done during class hours. The certificate is sent by e-mail within about three weeks of the end of the course, once the Course Director has reviewed your work. On request, and at no extra cost, we issue a Student Evaluation Report for your university and complete any form your institution requires.

Yes. Students with outstanding performance may request up to three letters of recommendation from the Course Director for graduate school, scholarships or employment. Tell us the deadline and send us the form or the address of the institution.

Yes. Students preparing a senior thesis, dissertation or research project can agree a topic with the Course Director and have access to the site records and materials during the course. Write to us before you apply so that we can plan it. We are open to any scientific topic in which we can help you, and even to staying in touch during your PhD or a similar project.

The dates on the course page are the first and last day of the session, and the exact details of your session are confirmed in the documents you receive 15 days before it starts. In Menorca you may arrive at the residence on the day before the first day, from 3:00 p.m., or on the first day before 3:45 p.m.; classes start on the first day at 4:00 p.m. with the welcome and safety briefing, end at 1:30 p.m. on the day before the last two rest days, and you must check out of the residence by 10:00 a.m. on the day after the last day. At the other locations arrival is adapted to each course: in Jerez (053) and Belchite (064) you arrive at the accommodation, and in Murcia (050) directly at the campsite, on the day before the course starts; in the Pyrenees (060) the first day is the transfer from Barcelona airport and the last day the return; in Egypt (061) the first day is a free arrival day in Cairo and the tenth day is the departure day.

In the excavation courses in Menorca (006, 008, 010) the staff collect you at the residence in the morning and drive you to the site; you excavate for about four hours, have a break and then work three hours in the laboratory, with lectures and exercises, and the working day ends at about 3:00 p.m. The laboratory courses in Menorca (018, 062 and 063) run 5.5 to 7 hours in Ciutadella; Course 063 adds short early-morning field trips to the coast or the beach. In Belchite (064) excavation starts at 7:00 a.m. to avoid the heat, with laboratory work and seminars in the afternoon; in Jerez (053), Murcia (050) and the Pyrenees (060) the working day of about 7 hours combines field or crypt work, laboratory and lectures. Afternoons are free for leisure and rest, except in Course 064, which has laboratory work and seminars in the afternoon. Course 061 is a logical exception, because the itinerary is organized around the visits to monuments and museums. Each syllabus gives the schedule of its course.

In the 16-day sessions there are 14 instructional days and 2 rest days; the 12- and 14-day sessions also have 2 rest days, and Course 060 has 3. We do not organize activities on rest days: students use them to explore the area, go to the beach or rest. Any time you leave the accommodation for a trip, please let the coordinator know where you are going and when you will be back.

No. Courses are taught as a continuous program and the certificate states the hours completed; partial attendance is not accepted and tuition is not reduced.

It depends on the location. After you pay your deposit we send you a document with flight advice, directions to the accommodation and the equipment list for your course.

• Menorca (Courses 006, 008, 010, 018, 062 and 063): fly to Menorca airport (MAH, Mahón). From the United States or Canada the usual route is through Madrid (MAD) or Barcelona (BCN), with a connecting flight to Menorca (Vueling, Iberia, Ryanair); allow at least three hours between flights.
• Jerez de la Frontera (Course 053): fly to Jerez (XRY) or Seville (SVQ) airport, or arrive by train from Madrid. The accommodation is in the city center, close to the church.
• Murcia (Course 050): fly to Región de Murcia (RMU) or Alicante (ALC) airport. The course is taught in San Javier, by the Mar Menor lagoon.
• Pyrenees (Course 060): fly to Barcelona (BCN). The transfer from the airport to Malpàs (El Pont de Suert, Lleida) on the first day and back to the airport on the last day is included.
• Belchite (Course 064): travel to Zaragoza by train or bus from Madrid or Barcelona (the bus is the cheapest option) and, from Zaragoza central bus station, take one of the ten daily buses to Belchite. We send you the timetable.
• Egypt (Course 061): fly to Cairo (CAI). We tell you in advance the hotel where we meet you; the internal flights Cairo-Luxor and Aswan-Cairo are included.

• Menorca: on the arrival day the Institute offers a private minibus from the airport to the residence in Ciutadella for about EUR 30-40 in cash, depending on the number of students; we group arrivals and tell you the meeting time a few days before. You can also take a taxi (about EUR 75) or the public buses (airport to Mahón bus station, then Mahón to Ciutadella; about EUR 30 in total; the last stop, La Pau, is two minutes from the residence). The same applies to Courses 062 and 063.
• Pyrenees (060): we pick you up at Barcelona airport at the time we give you and take you back at the end of the course.
• Jerez (053) and Belchite (064): you travel on your own and the course instructor meets you at the accommodation at the agreed time, on the day before the course starts.
• Murcia (050): you travel on your own directly to the campsite in San Javier, where we welcome you on the day before the course starts.
• Egypt (061): you travel on your own to the hotel in Cairo on the first day; from the second day all transfers are included.

Except in Courses 060 and 061, each student arranges the return trip to the airport.

In Menorca the residence has no reception and we cannot check students in after 8:30 p.m. If you land late, book a hotel in Mahón for that night (Hotel Capri, near the bus station, is a usual choice) and come to Ciutadella the next morning. In Jerez and Belchite, tell us in advance so that the instructor can agree your arrival time at the accommodation, and in Murcia your arrival time at the campsite. In Egypt the first day is reserved for arrivals, with no activities, so you can arrive at any time. In all cases, send us your travel details so that we can plan your welcome.

Always in rooms shared with students of the same sex. The exact address is sent 15 days before your session. It is student accommodation; except on the Course 061 trip, these are not hotels.

• Menorca (006, 008, 010, 018, 062 and 063): the Institute's student residence in the center of Ciutadella, close to supermarkets and restaurants, with rooms for two to four students, air conditioning, bathrooms with hot showers, wifi, a fridge, a dining room and a terrace; cooking is not allowed. There is a laundry three minutes from the residence.
• Jerez (053): a three-bedroom apartment for up to six students (two per room), with kitchen, washing machine, air conditioning and wifi, in the city center, close to supermarkets and restaurants.
• Murcia (050): bungalows at a campsite in San Javier, in two-person rooms.
• Pyrenees (060): the Malpàs apartment, with three rooms for a maximum of three people each, wifi, air conditioning, dining room, terrace with swimming pool and garden.
• Belchite (064): accommodation in the new town of Belchite, a ten-minute walk from the excavation, with kitchen, washing machine and free access to the municipal swimming pool, whose bar-restaurant the group usually eats at.
• Egypt (061): four- and five-star hotels in Cairo, in double or triple rooms, and four nights on a Nile cruise ship, in double cabins.

No, except in Course 061 (Egypt), which includes all program meals (drinks are not included). Elsewhere, students eat in cafés and restaurants recommended by the Institute or buy food in nearby supermarkets. There is a kitchen in Jerez and Belchite; cooking is not allowed in the Ciutadella residence (Menorca); in the Pyrenees students eat in El Pont de Suert or take a picnic to the field. Approximate daily budget: about EUR 23-26 in Menorca and the Pyrenees, EUR 22 in Belchite and EUR 20 in Jerez and Murcia. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other diets are easy to follow at all locations; they are at the student's own expense and the Institute does not provide a shopping service.

Citizens of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and most of Latin America do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in Spain; a passport valid for the whole stay is enough. Students who need a Schengen visa receive a letter of invitation from the Institute after paying the deposit, at no extra cost. If your Schengen visa is refused, everything you have paid is refunded. For Egypt (Course 061) all students need an entry visa, obtained online or on arrival at Cairo airport (about USD 30), and a passport valid for at least six months. See our visa page.

Tuition includes accident insurance during course activities; Course 061 also includes basic travel insurance. It does not cover illness, travel or lost luggage: bring your own health and travel insurance (your university often provides one). All locations have medical care nearby: hospitals and health centers in Ciutadella, Jerez and San Javier, a health center in El Pont de Suert, and a pharmacy and medical center in Belchite.

For all courses except Course 061: your own laptop (compulsory for the daily journal, recording sheets and exercises and, in Courses 050, 060 and 063, for the software; tablets and phones are not accepted), a type C/F plug adapter, a hat, high-protection sunscreen and a refillable water bottle. In addition, depending on the course:

• Excavation (006, 008, 010, 053 and 064): work clothes you do not mind ruining, closed shoes or boots (no steel toe needed) and gardening gloves (not nitrile). Knee pads and your own trowel are not necessary.
• Pyrenees (060): hiking boots and a rain jacket.
• Ancient harbours of Menorca (063): swimwear, a towel and water shoes for the bathymetry days.
• Egypt (061): light clothing, comfortable walking shoes, a hat and sunscreen; no laptop is needed.

The full list is in the travel and equipment document and in your course syllabus.

In Spain cards are accepted everywhere. We suggest exchanging a small amount into euros on arrival for the first days and, in Menorca, for the minibus fare, which is paid in cash. In Egypt it is advisable to carry cash in US dollars or Egyptian pounds for the visa, drinks and tips.

By e-mail at info@archaeology.institute, or by WhatsApp at +34 608 894 650 (the fastest way). The Director, Fernando Contreras Rodrigo, answers every message personally, usually within 48 hours. Our reference time zone is Madrid (CET).