Archaeology Students Dig through History
Connor works to uncover tilesThe Umbra Institute’s Trasimeno Archaeology Field School has just concluded another successful summer semester. In collaboration with the Archeological Superintendency of Umbria, the Comune of Castiglione del Lago and the Archeological Research Company Intrageo, Umbra students were given the chance to not only study archaeological theory, but also get hands-on experience at a dig site in Castiglione del Lago, a small town on the shore of lake Trasimeno.
Students uncovered the remains of at least two distinct Roman structures that once made up a villa on a hill to the north of Lake Chiusi. Pottery, the remains of walls, and evidence of a thermal bath were discovered by students who dug along a “canaletta”, a type of piping likely used as a draining system. Professors and students presented their findings to the Mayor of Castiglione del Lago and to the local community in the presence of reporters from Corriere dell’Umbria, a local Italian news agency, and TG3, the regional news of the national TV channel RAI. The Corriere dell’Umbria’s Alice Guerrini wrote “American Students at Work Excavating: How Much Was Discovered”, in reaction to the news of the Field School’s results. TG3 reported the discovery starting at 9:48 of their online news clip.
Professors Giampiero Bevagna (Umbra Institute), Pedar Foss and Rebecca Schindler (DePauw University), and archeologist Stefano Spiganti led this summer’s Field School and Excavation.
The Umbra Institute looks forward to continuing this project and collaboration over the coming years.
Photos courtesy of the Trasimeno Archaeology Field School student blog and research.