Our MissionOur mission
We exist to do two things at once: to research and protect the archaeological heritage of the places where we work, and to train the next generation of archaeologists by letting them do real archaeology.
Research
Every course is part of an ongoing research project with scientific aims, permits and publications. The finds our students excavate, record and classify go into the site archive and into the papers we publish.
Training
We believe that archaeology is learned with a trowel in the hand, a recording sheet on the knee and a specialist beside you. Our groups are small, our instructors hold master's and doctoral degrees, and every student is assessed and graded as they would be at their own university.
Access
We keep tuition low, and not in order to compete with other field schools. We believe that teaching and academic work should not be traded like any other product: knowledge is a basic need for anyone who seeks it. The balance has to be found, and our organisation is aware of the great expense a student takes on. We set our prices fairly and with care, so that the Institute remains sustainable and every student can afford to strengthen their academic record. That is why we include accommodation, offer payment plans and give students everything they need to obtain academic credit at home: a field school should be within reach of any student who wants one.
Respect
We work with respect for the sites, for the communities that host us and for the people in our teams: students, instructors and visiting researchers. Our Code of Conduct applies to everyone, everywhere, at all times.
Heritage
The Institute is a non-profit institution. Tuition covers the costs of the courses and everything else is reinvested in the excavation, conservation and publication of the sites we study.
