May 22 – July 2, 2023
Now entering its twelfth season, the Smith’s Island Archaeology Field School has trained dozens of students in excavation and research methods and prepared them for graduate study and professional work. This unique program studies the early Modern Atlantic World from Bermuda – an island at its center – as we investigate two early 17th -century sites dating to the dawn of settlement. Students are involved in all aspects of fieldwork: excavation, artifact identification, documentary research, mapping, and photography. Through readings, archival research, and exploration of local sites and museums you will learn about Bermuda’s rich history and processes of cultural hybridity and creolization embedded in American and African Diasporic history. Prior archaeological experience or knowledge of early American history is not required.
Our field school is based in St. George’s, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which boasts many 18th-century houses and forts and is still an active sailing port. Students will be immersed in Bermudian culture and will work alongside Bermudian volunteers. We will live on nearby Paget Island and commute to work daily by boat. Work will include excavations on Smith’s Island and artifact processing and analysis in our lab in St. George’s. By the end you will have developed core skills for employment as a professional archaeologist and a solid understanding of archaeological research methods
The $4,950 program fee covers food, housing, in-country travel and tuition for 4 University of Rochester college credits but does not include airfare to/from Bermuda. Most students enroll in HIS 258 Archaeology Field & Research Methods. Students with prior archaeological field experience can take HIS 358 Advanced Field Methods and graduate students can enroll in HIST 458. These courses satisfy requirements in Rochester’s history, anthropology, and Archaeology, Technology, and Historic Structures majors. For more information about living and excavating in Bermuda, see the SIAP Field School Blog Smithsislandarchaeology.blogspot.com
To apply, please use THIS LINK to access the University of Rochester Education Abroad Portal or contact Program Director Michael.Jarvis@Rochester.edu. Applications are due by March 22, 2023, but are accepted on a rolling basis.
