Ireland & Isle of Man Historical and Prehistoric Archaeology Field School
This field school is based in two beautiful Celtic countries: Ireland and the Isle of Man, which lies between Ireland and Britain. This gives you a great chance to experience a variety of landscapes and cultures in the one project.
We start in Ireland and stay in shared holiday accommodation whilst concentrating first on training in surface survey on historic church sites, and recording historic gravestones at burial grounds using forms, measurements, rubbings and photographs. We also carry out data entry and preliminary analysis, so the value of the recording is immediately made clear. Historic gravestones are items of material culture that link archaeology to many subjects including art, history, anthropology and geology to name but a few. Their study links to the personal on the one hand through to widespread cultural changes on the other.
After two weeks in Ireland, we travel to the Isle of Man where we begin four weeks of training in excavation and geophysical survey, with a nearby camp site as our base. This year we will be digging at a multi-period settlement site belonging to the late prehistoric and early medieval periods.
Geophysics will take place at similar enclosure sites on the island that belong to the late prehistoric period and to the early middle ages.
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Room and Board Specifics
Ireland: Shared house with all meals provided (group self-catering)
Isle of Man: Camp site; individual tent and inflatable mattress provided for every student. All meals included (group self-catering).
Archaeological Training Offered
Data capture: Survey, in Ireland. Training in surface survey on historic church sites using EDM theodolite, and recording historic gravestones at burial grounds using forms, measurements, rubbings and photographs.
Data capture: Excavation, in the Isle of Man. Training in a wide range of excavation and recording methods, preliminary processing of finds and environmental samples. Students will obtain experience in geophysical survey using a gradiometer and a resistivity meter.
Data analysis, in the Isle of Man. Students continue fieldwork, but concentrate on a project of their choice, using data from survey or excavation, on which they produce a report.
Data capture: Excavation, in the Isle of Man. Training in a wide range of excavation and recording methods, preliminary processing of finds and environmental samples. Students will obtain experience in geophysical survey using a gradiometer and a resistivity meter.
Data analysis, in the Isle of Man. Students continue fieldwork, but concentrate on a project of their choice, using data from survey or excavation, on which they produce a report.
Tuition
Students will receive 30 credits at level 1 in the UK system, which is equal to 15 ECTS’s and 12 US Credit Hours.
An essay is written at the end of the first two weeks in Ireland and at the end of the first two weeks in the Isle of Man. Students then choose their own project to work on during the last two weeks for which they will produce a report.The written work produced during the Field School is graded by the Director, Harold Mytum, and written feedback is given for each of the first two written assignments before the next one is to be submitted. The third paper, the project report, is submitted by the end of the Field School, and is graded and returned with a written report early in the Fall. The final grade is calculated and the results sent in a formal letter from the Centre for Manx Studies, University of Liverpool.
Contact Info
Dr. Harold Mytum
Miss Kate Chapman
Recommended Readings
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Web: http://www.liv.ac.uk/manxstudies/archaeology_field_school/fieldschool.htm
- Harold Mytum, Mortuary Monuments and Burial Grounds of the Historic Period . New York, 2004.
- Harold Mytum, The Origins of Early Christian Ireland . London, 1991.
