064: Dig the Spanish Civil War & the medieval town of Belchite, Spain

Useful Information

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The training you will receive in this course and the experience you will gain will support you if you are thinking of pursuing archaeology professionally. If you are considering taking part in a field school as a volunteer for the first time, this course may be a good option. The programme accepts participants with or without previous experience.

You will learn the techniques and methodology of excavation from the very beginning. During the fieldwork, remains from two very different periods will come to light, the Middle Ages and the Civil War, which you will learn to identify in the laboratory. The complete experience you will gain will help you decide whether you want to continue archaeology at university or as a profession.

No previous knowledge or experience in archaeology is required. The minimum age is 18.

Field School life & language

The fieldwork focuses on conflict archaeology and medieval archaeology. On the first day there is a guided tour of the ruins of the old town as an introduction to the project, and on that same day talks are given on the history of the area, the work plan and the safety rules.

An excavation day starts early, at 7 a.m., to avoid the heat. The accommodation is in the new town, about a ten-minute walk from the site, so the trip is made on foot. During the morning the students dig, record the contexts and recover the finds. After the lunch break there is free time, with access to the municipal swimming pool, and in the afternoon laboratory work is carried out together with a series of seminars on different aspects of the Civil War and the history of Belchite.

Each two-week session includes between 9 and 10 days of fieldwork, an excursion around Belchite and the battlefield, and days off.

The course is taught in English and Spanish.

Certificates

At the end of the Field Program, students will receive a certificate of participation stating the hours and activities of the course.

Participants that perform exceedingly well in the course may receive a letter of recommendation from our organization upon request.