Archaeological Research on Sicilian Maritime Heritage
In response to the global pandemic and the risk travel poses especially to island communities, we have created an alternate approach for fieldwork and hands-on engagement with objects. As we consider archaeological sites and monuments from home, many of us have interacted with virtual tours of sites and 3D models of objects. This program provides an introduction to the 3D modeling of archaeological artifacts alongside ethical considerations associated with their utilization for research, public display, and heritage engagement.
After an introduction to some of the ways that 3D models have been used to preserve sites and objects, we will explore computer applications used for processing and analysis of scans created as part of Project 'U Mari (“the sea” in local Sicilian dialect) and its exploration of the diverse maritime heritage of southeast Sicily. The dataset includes 3D scans of ceramic and marble artifacts found on the late antique “church wreck”, as well as structures connected to historic tuna fishing practices and forced and undocumented migration between North Africa and Sicily.
Students will have the chance for hands-on work with processing and design programs such as Agisoft Metashape, Faro Scene software, Artec Studio 3D, and Rhino. If in-person contact is possible, we will also produce models locally using photogrammetry, laser scanning, and structured light scanning. Finally, we will consider ethical frameworks for the ownership of digital models as well as contextualized and accessible frameworks for public engagement that highlight human connections to archaeological heritage and the long trajectory of maritime interaction across the Mediterranean.
The program will consist of regular virtual group meetings with the directors and staff, combined with self-guided work at home. This approach builds on and expands our successful “remote fieldwork” on digital heritage with students in summer 2020.
- Archaeological survey
- Finds processing and analysis
- 3-D documentation
- Cultural heritage
This field school will be offered remotely from August 1 - September 11, 2021.
Application information:
- This field school opportunity is open to all undergraduates except graduating seniors.
- Undergraduates from all majors are encouraged to apply.
- This project will run remotely, and students will receive stipends from VPUE. Stipend amounts will be determined by VPUE and will be communicated to students when they are accepted to the field project.
- Students who plan to participate in an archaeology field school cannot receive a major grant or a Chappell-Lougee scholarship within the same academic year as their field school.
- Note for Summer 2021: To be eligible, undergraduate students must have completed two full-time enrolled quarters this academic year by the time their full-time grant funded project begins (summer quarter), and they must use their Flex Term during the full-time project opportunity.
Requirements for participation:
- Students accepted to our field schools are required to participate in pre-project meetings with the faculty leader of their program in the quarter prior to the start of the project. Each field school has different pre-project requirements that will be communicated by the faculty leader.
- The Archaeology Center requires that all field school students participate in SURPS (Symposia for Undergraduate Research and Public Service). Students from each field school are expected to work together to complete an application, prepare a poster, and present at the SURPS event the Friday of reunion-homecoming weekend.
- Each of our field schools is part of an ongoing research project led by a Stanford faculty member. While in the field or working remotely, undergraduates are expected to contribute to the team effort of the archaeological project at the faculty member's direction. Field work can take the form of a number of different activities, from clearing undergrowth in preparation for excavation to laboratory analysis of archaeological samples. Each day's activities can look different, and may change depending on the evolving direction of the research. Students participating in a field school should be prepared to be flexible and responsive to the instructions of the faculty member or other senior project staff.
For more information about Project 'U Mari and its predecessor, the Marzamemi Maritime Heritage Project, please visit the projects' blogs: www.umari.net, marzamemi.stanford.edu, or contact the project director: Justin Leidwanger, Department of Classics and Archaeology Center, jleidwa@stanford.edu