Research
Excavations and Field Schools
Archaeological Field School at Ferry Farm
Welcome to USF鈥檚 George Washington鈥檚 Ferry Farm Historical Archaeology Field School
in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Now in its third decade, this immersive Summer A program
offers 3 or 6 credits and combines rigorous archaeological training with museum visits
and public history perspectives. The class is ideal for anyone interested in historical
archaeology, public history, museums, and early America. The class is open to qualified
USF undergraduates and graduate students regardless of major. We also welcome students
from other schools. The field school takes place at George Washington鈥檚 Ferry Farm,
Washington鈥檚 childhood home on the Rappahannock River, in partnership with the George
Washington Foundation. Students train in current professional excavation methods while
working on an active, research-driven site that is also open to the public. Students
learn to lay out and excavate units, identify features, map and record data, and process
and interpret artifacts. No prior experience is required; by the end of the session,
students are prepared to work on professional archaeological crews nationwide. Alumni
form a strong professional network, and many have launched graduate or heritage careers
from this program. Fieldwork is hands-on and physical, digging, screening, lifting,
and working outdoors four days a week. The experience demands stamina and teamwork,
but no prior experience is needed. Students live together in provided housing by the
GWF near the site.
Field trips to regional sites are a part of the program. Students gain special access
to Kenmore, as well as major regional institutions including George Washington鈥檚 Mount
Vernon, Historic St. Mary鈥檚 City, Montpelier, Stratford Hall, and the Smithsonian
Institution. We are in the center of several important Civil War sites, and we make
full use of those. Fredericksburg itself is a charming and interesting nineteenth-century
town on the Rappahannock River.
For more information about the site, the project, and the field school please contact
Dr. Philip Levy.
Melite Civitas Romana
Melite Civitas Romana is an international interdisciplinary collaborative excavation and remote sensing project of the Roman Domus of Rabat and of the nearby urban district of the ancient city of Melite, in Malta, run by Dr Davide Tanasi in partnership with Heritage Malta, University of North Alabama and Intercontinental Archaeology. More information on the project can be found here. To join the summer field school in archaeology, contact Dr. Davide Tanasi.
ARCHLABS
Archaeological Heritage in Late Antique and Byzantine Sicily (ARCHLabs) is an international field school in archaeology held at the Roman Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina, in Sicily, and promoted by the USF Institute for Digital Exploration in partnership with the University of Bologna (Italy). The school offers training in excavation methods and innovative digital methods for data recording, 3D mapping and geospatial analysis. More information on the project can be found here. To join the summer field school in archaeology, contact Dr. Davide Tanasi.