010: Digging remains and Biological Anthropology in Sanisera (Menorca – Spain)

General Information

In 2008 the Sanisera Archaeology Institute for International Field Schools started its courses at the Roman city of Sanisera. During all these years many students have come from all over the world to study abroad to Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) in order to dig up the Roman remains located at this classical site on the Northern coast of the island.

We recommend this field school to those students interested in bioanthropology, osteology, digging remains of the roman cities and classical archaeology.

This course is divided in two parts. In this way, students can learn and experiment in both archaeological digs, developed in the land site: Digging in the Roman city and Biological Anthropology in the tombs of Sanisera.

Part 1. Digging in Sanisera

The research is focused on the archaeological excavation of Sanisera and it studies what happened in this Roman port connected to the maritime traffic that sailed the Mediterranean during those times. As a result, we know that this is a very interesting archaeological site, with abundant findings of multiple artifacts that will help us to reconstruct its past.

The excavation at the Roman city of Sanisera provides all the archaeological documentation necessary for the student to acquire enough training and experience in all aspects involving an excavation of the Roman civilization from the II century B.C. to the VI A.D.

Time dedicated to this part of the program: 50%.

 

Part 2. Digging roman graves in the Necropolis of Sanisera

Death in Rome has been studied in Sanisera since we started digging the first necropolis in 2008. So far we have excavated 90 tombs belonging to a Roman cemetery which could have been related to a basilica in the Roman city if Sanisera, which dates from the 4th and 6th centuries AD. The Osteology corpus in this necropolis includes more than 232 individuals.

The fieldwork focuses on funerary structures, specifically inhumation graves. Participants will learn and apply excavation techniques used in biological anthropology when excavating tombs. Students will also participate in lectures on skeletal anatomy and pathologies, classes, exercises and excursions related to the course material. In the laboratory participants will be instructed by an anthropologist and other archaeologists in the classification, study, and conservation of human remains and other related materials found.

Time dedicated to this part of the program: 50%.

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Fieldwork in the Roman Necropolis

Student excavating a vertebral column in the Necropolis

Student excavating a vertebral column in the Necropolis

 Fieldwork in the Roman city of Sanisera

Lab work: classifying roman pottery

Roman lamp with decoration. Late Antiquity from the city of Sanisera