Italy Pompeii

This program is moving forward well, but more attention must be made to match reading with actual field practice and with updating the syllabus with the expansion to two different cemeteries (nacropoli). Student comments concerning accommodation and food should be considered, however students lack context. They are staying at a comfortable hotel and eating at a local restaurant. Most other field schools live in more basic accommodations and food is what’s on the plate. This field school is in the tradition of European mortuary archaeology, so the designation of it being “Bioarchaeology” may be misleading. The program is a cultural historical research project where forensics archaeology is emphasized, not the relationship of human remains to anthropological investigations of cultural, political or economic changes.

Strengths include accommodations and descriptive goals. Would like to see more emphasis
upon the questions answerable through bioarchaeological study. McKinley is there, but that is
about recording information about skeletal remains. There should also be readings on
questions answerable through bioarchaeological study, e.g., Larsen's "Bioarchaeology."

Reading through the previous student comments shows the weaknesses of the program. Poor
organization, poor communication, and other issues. Similar to many other programs, the
accommodations are lacking, and the food is not well discussed. Comments suggest that the
breakfast is weak. The comments about not discussing how to take adequate notes is
problematic.

Digging in Pompei is without doubt a good opportunity for students. There is an interesting discrepancy between the appreciation of students for the instructors at Ostiense vs. here in Pompei even if the director is the same – perhaps due to different staff members or different pressures on the team. Food quality seems to be a minor issue too. Italian breakfast is sweet and starchy and Americans are not used to it. Again, a warning or purchasing some yogurt, cheese and fruit (if budget and organization allows) may help.

It was a great way to be thrown head first into the reality of this kind of work and potential career,

An Archaeology student will learn a lot from the experience

I feel it was overall a good experience. While some parts are trying, I generally feel like Ilearned a lot and am grateful to have the experience.

[The field school] was a decent experience and I think the instructors will improve based on [student] recommendations.

I really enjoyed this program and learned so much. The staff also cares so much abouteveryone and it is really really evident.

I paid to be a worker. Staff would talk down to students for asking about morning meetings (morning meetings were never held) or help in learning about stratigraphy. There were no aids given to students, and often time no instructions in English beyond "dig here". All conversations about the process were in Spanish and not relayed to English speaking students.
I am not a professional archeologist, but even I was caught off guard by the subpar decision-making and documentation that I witnessed on this dig. Contexts were not documented, artifacts were mislabeled, and a decent amount of wall chasing occurred at the explicit direction of staff.
Alongside this, there was no room for student discussion or interpretation of the archeology. Questions on the methods were not taken seriously.
There are no return students for this field school who are not 'staff' (in quotations because members who we were told were teaching assitants suddenly were students when asked questions about the class) and I understand why now.

I would heavily dissuade a friend from paying for the field school.

I do not think I would recommend this program

This field school did not teach any basic archaeological field skills that are required for working on a commercial site.

Very good experience to dig in Pompeii

It’s such a cool experience and I think what you put in is what you get out.

I think it was a valuable experience but it think there are better ways to run a filled school. The opportunity to work at Pompeii was spectacular and I really appreciated it as a way to increase my knowledge and hands on experience.

Great experience to work in Pompeii with very knowledgeable and experienced professionals.

[F]or the price I believe their are more in depth programs that would give students a better understanding of working on an archeology site.

It is the once in a lifetime chance to work in Pompei, and teaches a myriad of relevant skills from digging (large scale to small scale) to lab work

I thought this was a really great experience and a wonderful opportunity to work at such a unique site.

I found it to be a very good entry level field school.

I would not recommend this field school. I felt that I was working for the Spanish not with them. I also did not think that much emphasis was placed on curating an educational and engaging experience for students on an individual basis.

I would recommend it because it was an amazing experience and any aspiring archaeologist would be lucky to be involved in this program.

working in Pompei is a privilege and this program supports beginners in archaeology very well.

I would recommend this program to anyone looking for a field school. This is top quality. The professors are passionate and their heart is in everything they do. Dr. Alapont and his crew are very approachable and willing to ask any questions and make sure students understand the material and welcome their feedback. I felt my contributions were valued and appreciated. I would come back again. It was the best experience and field director and crew that anyone could ask for.

[I]t is an amazing opportunity for personal growth and learning about one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.

It is a great hands on learning experience. You also get to learn more about different cultures and experience new views on life.

I would caution the difficulties with communications, but overall I would recommend

It was a once in a lifetime experience

It was a great experience in archaeology and a unique opportunity to learn from very experienced academics in the field, build personal relationships with them, and be able to work in such an important archaeological site.

The dig experience at Pompeii was great but the organization was not.

Although it was exhausting and demanding physically and mentally, it was educational and fun. I enjoyed the people I met and the sights I saw.

I felt that I learned a lot about archaeology along with Pompei. I also enjoyed how great the staff was.

The quality of professors, the opportunities, and the work itself was very rewarding and I would recommend it to anyone looking for experience in bioarchaeology, funerary archaeology, or osteoarchaeology.

The staff are exceptional, as is the opportunity to dig in Pompeii.

think the benefits of this program far outweigh any of the downsides and I would personally consider reapplying to this program in the future.

Being able to claim to work in Pompeii is pretty cool, and I know they’ll have some interesting finds next year.

The staff is great and you learn a lot about fieldwork and the culture of Pompei/i. I enjoyed it a lot and I would love to come again.

The staff. Hands down. Every single one of them provided a different element and experience to the program. One of the best staffs I’ve ever worked with.