UE Offering Archaeology Field School at British-Based Harlaxton Manor

Participants will seek to reveal site's prehistoric past, WWI history

Evansville, IN (04/20/2022) — This June, the University of Evansville (UE) will lead the first archaeological excavation on the grounds of its overseas study abroad center, Harlaxton College. The 30-day Archaeology Field School is open to both beginning and experienced archaeologists. Learners of all ages from anywhere in the United States and United Kingdom can join. The deadline to register is May 2.

Harlaxton College is housed in an exquisite, 19th century Victorian manor located in the countryside of Lincolnshire, England, near the town of Grantham. Every semester, the manor welcomes students from UE and other partner institutions across the nation, and they complete general education and program-specific courses while immersed in British culture.

The Archaeology Field School will focus on the Walled Garden Project, a carbon-negative initiative that will allow greater access and engagement opportunities to the Harlaxton community and visitors. The dig will begin in the "Thunder House" of the long-abandoned gardener's cottage. Participants will look to uncover the forgotten lives of those who helped run the manor, reveal traces of the site's prehistoric past, and investigate WWI training trenches. The Archaeology Field School is offered in partnership with the Enabled Archaeology Foundation and a range of local community history and archaeology societies.

Regardless of participants' skill sets, the field-based learning will cover excavation and survey techniques, understanding mapping and recording, and how to correctly trowel. Participants will also attend a British Studies seminar with a leading professor and expert in the field. College students are eligible to earn course credit through the experience and can choose from archaeology or British studies options.

"The opportunity to have a field school this summer at Harlaxton makes me beyond grateful," said Emily Stammitti, PhD, program coordinator and director of the Archaeology Field School at Harlaxton. "The support we have received from both the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as the county of Lincolnshire, has been inspiring. Our hope is to report findings after the conclusion of the dig and to continue this good work into the future."

Space is limited, so interested individuals are encouraged to register soon. Visit evansville.edu/fieldschool.