WESLEYAN-AFFILIATED PROJECTS

Excavations at Tel Shimron, Israel    http://www.telshimronexcavations.com

Excavations of a site overlooking the beautiful Jezreel valley in northern Israel, occupied from the Bronze Age through the Byzantine period. In 2025 we will be excavating in several areas: Mamluk period settlement (farmhouse and cemetery), a monumental Middle Bronze Age structure with staircases, and the remains of a Ptolemaic Hellenistic building, led by Prof. Birney. While on-site, students will work alongside professional archaeologists to excavate and analyze material culture from metals to botanicals, gaining exposure to the archaeological sciences and GIS mapping. There is a 3-week and a 6-week program; the 6-week program and can be taken for Wesleyan credit directly through Wesleyan. No experience is necessary. Find out more details on our Wes-at-Shimron page. Next field school in Summer 2025.

Archaeology in China   http://ealab.wescreates.wesleyan.edu/test-project/

Students with background in Chinese language or who have taken ARCP291 East Asian Archaeology or ARCP350 Animals in Archaeology may participate in summer fieldwork with Professor Brunson. Professor Brunson's research examines the environmental and social aspects of past human-animal interactions in East Asia. She collaborates with zooarchaeologists across China and is part of several international teams that are investigating Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites in the Yellow River Valley. She is also zooarchaeologist for the Tao River Archaeology Project and co-PI of the Oracle Bones in East Asia Project. Please visit the Environmental Archaeology Lab projects page above for more information about these projects or contact Katherine Brunson at kbrunson@wesleyan.edu.

Geoarchaeological Fieldwork in northern Armenia   https://ifrglobal.org/program/armenia-tavush-excavation-survey/

 Summer survey and excavation of Middle Palaeolithic sites along the Debed River in Armenia’s Tavush Province with Professor Gill. Professor Gill’s research aims to refine our understanding of Neanderthal technological change, spatial behaviors, occupation timing, and the environmental/climatic contexts of occupations in this region. Students can participate in this project through a six-week archaeological field school run through the Institute for Field Research (IFR), no experience necessary to join. Student participants work alongside an international team of specialists and learn skills including basic excavation techniques, digital geospatial recording, stratigraphic interpretation, environmental sampling, lab processing, and artefact identification. The fieldwork includes survey for new sites and excavations at the established Middle Palaeolithic sites of Ptghavan-4 and Bagratashen-1. To learn more about this project and student opportunities, please visit the IFR link above or contact Jayson Gill at jgill@wesleyan.edu. Next field school in Summer 2025.