September 9, 2024
The AIA sent ten students to the field this summer with $2000 Jane C. Waldbaum Field School Scholarships! This year’s cohort brought a wide variety of archaeological interests and academic backgrounds. Please join us in welcoming Bridget Zhang.
Name: Bridget Zhang (she/her)
School: University of Southern California
Field School: Liulihe Archaeological Project, China
Miles Traveled: 6252.70 miles (about 10062.75 km)
Bio: Bridget Zhang is a junior at the University of Southern California and will be attending the Liulihe Archaeological Project this June. She’s especially excited to learn more about the material culture of the Chinese Bronze Age and looks forward to visiting the amazing world heritage sites in Beijing.
Project Description: The Liulihe site in Beijing is a Chinese Bronze Age city dating from about 2,800-3,000 years ago. Remains at the site include rammed-earth city walls, moats, large rammed-earth buildings (palaces or ancestral temples), small above-ground buildings, crypts and semi-crypts, ceremonial relics, and burials of various grades.
The site has been known since 1945, and excavation and research work has been carried out since 2019. The main research objectives of this phase of the Liulihe site are focused on early urban planning and layout, architectural forms and assemblage relationships of major buildings, and archaeological research on burials, with the types of excavations including dwelling sites and burials.
Students will mainly participate in the excavation, drawing, sampling and recording of tombs, as well as archaeological survey, exploration, recording, and data collation and uploading in other parts of the broader urban project. Teachers will live with students to facilitate communication. During the internship, students will be involved in excavation work under the guidance of their teachers and can ask them questions at any time. Teachers encourage and support students to actively express their views and opinions, and to make rational suggestions. The program hopes to establish a close relationship between students and research work, and to improve their research ability and interest in participating in research. Outside of work and study, we will lead a visit to the World Heritage Site of the Zhoukoudian Homo erectus site and participate in the Great Wall conservation and restoration survey. Participants may be involved in public outreach or science popularization activities.
Since its inception in 2007, the Waldbaum Fund has supported undergraduate juniors, seniors, and first-year graduate students as they venture into the field for the first time. The fund helps make it possible for them to participate in this vital part of their archaeological training by contributing to travel costs, accommodations, and tuition. Your contribution can make a significant difference for these young scholars. Donate today to support the future of archaeology at archaeological.org/donatewaldbaum
