One aim of the American School of Prehistoric Research is to support access to archaeological field schools, and in Summer 2025, we were able to do this through a partnership with the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). The AIA offers scholarships to students planning to participate in archaeological field work for the first time, and through our partnership, we have provided funding for 5 students to participate in field school experiences focused on old world prehistory.
Gracie Carrello
Colorado College
Gracie Carrello recently graduated cum laude from Colorado College, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Classics. She is joining the Astypalaia Bioarchaeology field school, which focuses on the recovery and study of human remains found in cemeteries on the small Greek island of Astypalaia. The burials date from about 750 BCE to 100 CE, with most burials being from 600 to 400 BCE. She is curious to learn more about the Kylindra Children’s Cemetery, a site from which 3400 burials have been found so far, all but one of which was unearthed in a large pot.
Margaret Chaney
Loyola Marymount University
Margaret Chaney, a junior at Loyola Marymount University, will be joining Archaeotek’s Roman Villa Excavation in Transylvania (Romania). The villa was constructed as part of the Roman occupation of Dacia, which was the last Roman expansion in Europe, and the excavation will attempt to address aspects of identity perception, presentation, and representation where Roman societal norms and culture interacted with those of the Dacian Province. The project also has a strong connection to prehistoric archaeology. The project’s central question concerns the transition between the Iron Age and Roman Imperial periods in Dacia, and students excavating the Roman villa will encounter prehistoric material dating back to the Iron Age in and around the site. In fact, there are indications that occupation in the region goes back as far as the Neolithic. In addition, the lecture series, which is a key component of the field school, emphasizes Iron Age Dacia. The field school as a whole will grant its students a robust knowledge of prehistoric archaeology in and around Dacia.
Peter Fields
Bard College
Peter Fields is a rising senior at Bard College studying Classical Studies and History. He will be attending Archaeotek’s Roman Villa Excavation in Transylvania (Romania) this summer. He is excited to unearth archaeological evidence of cultural exchange between Dacians and Roman colonizers in the 2nd and 3rd centuries and pick up some Romanian.
Skye McCord
Northern Illinois University
Skye McCord is a rising senior at Northern Illinois University, studying Anthropology and Art History. Skye will be attending the Valle Gianni field school this summer, part of the Northwest Bolsena Project, in Gradoli, Italy. The site of Valle Gianni has archaeological remains dating back to the prehistoric period: the shores of the nearby Lake Bolsena have been populated since the Neolithic, and there are a number of Iron Age settlements and necropoleis around the lake, including the now submerged Gran Carro site, which has recently yielded important finds in the field of Early Iron Age Italy. Students in the Valle Gianni field school are trained in a variety of excavation techniques, such as GIS mapping and materials processing. Skye is especially excited to document a set of Etruscan tombs located at the site, which will be the focus of their senior honors thesis.
Nicole Tombazzi
University of British Columbia
Nicole Tombazzi is a first-year graduate student at the University of British Columbia’s department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies with a focus on Religious Studies. She will be attending her first archaeological field school in June at the Kalavasos and Maroni Built Environments (KAMBE) Project in Cyprus, which investigates urban landscapes and social change in the Late Bronze Age/Late Cypriot Period (1650 – 1100 BCE). She is excited to investigate the relationships between the urban landscapes, social interaction, and social change on the Mediterranean Island.