FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

Greek & Roman Studies

Archaeological excavation site
Student at excavation site for archaeological field project

Archaeological Field Projects

The Department of Greek & Roman Studies offers opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in archaeological digs and fieldwork at Roman, Greek and Indigenous Italic sites. Undergraduate students may enroll in the Field Practicum in Classical Archaeology (GKROMST 4FP3), which is usually carried out during the summer: Undergraduate students may also design an independent study around archaeological material. Graduate students specializing in archaeology are encouraged to participate in field activity and current students have integrated fieldwork data into their theses and dissertations. McMaster faculty are presently affiliated with two archaeological excavations in Italy.

Metaponto Archaeological Project

The Metaponto Archaeological Project is aimed at reconstructing ancient patterns of land use and tracing the interactions between the Indigenous populations of Southern Italy and Greek settlers. The ancient Greek city of Metaponto was founded towards the end of the seventh c. BCE in what is today Basilicata, located on the instep of the boot of the Italian peninsula. The Metaponto Archaeological Project includes archaeological field surveys in the territory of the Greek city and excavations at the Indigenous-Greek site Incoronata ‘greca’. Located c. 8 km from the city centre of Metaponto, the site was first home to an extensive settlement by the Indigenous population of the area, the Oenotrians, and later became an extra-urban sanctuary of the Grecian city. The site is particularly significant for a period of co-occupation by Greeks and Oneotrians prior to the foundation of Metaponto circa 630 BCE.

 

For more information on the project, visit www.metaponto.center

Contact: Spencer Pope

Metaponto Arch Project Instagram

Villa du Tito Archaeological Project

The “Villa di Tito” archaeological project reveals what life was like in a Roman villa in the foothills of the Apennines.

 

Contact: Martin Beckmann