Castelo De Cuncos Archaeological Project ($1500 – 3 weeks, $1800 – 4 weeks)

Location: 7170 Redondo, Portugal

Season: January 5, 2020 to February 1, 2020

Session Dates: 4 week session: 01/05/2020 - 02/01/2020, 3 week session: 01/12/2020 - 02/01/2020

Application Deadline: December 15, 2020

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: http://www.castelodecuncosproject.com/

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Project Director:
Rui Mataloto: Municipality of Redondo, Alex Elliott: University of St Andrews

Project Description:

Castelo de Monte Novo (known locally as Castelo de Cuncos) is a large Iron Age/Roman Republican era settlement located in the Central Alentejo Portugal. Preliminary work has revealed a substantial fortified settlement with surface material finds dating from at least the 5th – 1st centuries BCE. Burned outer walls and the discovery of Roman lead sling bullets and weaponry may suggest that the site met a violent end. In 2019, a metal detector survey was conducted around the sites walls which revealed a wide range of domestic items as well as a collection of military artefacts. For the 2020 season we will begin excavation of the site and hope to gain a better understanding of the site from its Iron Age origins until its potentially violent end during the Roman Republican period.

Period(s) of Occupation: Portuguese Iron Age - Roman Republican Period

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 3 weeks

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: No experience required

Room and Board Arrangements:
Life on the Project Accommodation Students will be housed together in the town of Redondo, near the site. Due to space considerations, most rooms will be shared by two or three students. Rooms will be separated by gender. Outside of individual rooms, the rest of the house is communal: kitchen, bathroom, living room etc. As a result, students will be responsible for cleaning and keeping the house tidy. Students will be responsible for doing their own laundry (we have a washing machine). Meals The project provides 3 meals a day on weekdays. Breakfast will be eaten at the dig house and students are expected to prepare this meal themselves (cereal, yoghurts, toast, etc.). We will eat lunch at a local restaurant in town. For dinner, we will have food delivered from a local restaurant and eat in the dig house. On weekends, students will be responsible for their own meals (there are a number of restaurants and grocery stores in town). Students should expect to eat the local Alentejan cuisine. The project will do its best to accommodate dietary requirements, but students must inform us of any dietary requirements or allergies in their forms. We are able to accommodate vegetarian diets, but any other diets must be discussed with one of the directors before the start of the project. Transportation Students are expected to provide their own transport to Portugal (the Lisbon Airport). Airfare is not included in the project’s tuition cost. Once within Portugal, transportation will be provided by the field school. Upon arrival at the Lisbon airport on January 5th, students will be greeted by Rui, Alex, and Jemima and will be taken to Redondo as a group. At the end of end of the 3 or 4 week session, we will also transport students from Redondo to the Lisbon airport. We are also able to drop you off elsewhere in Lisbon if required. Tuition for 3 week period: $1500 Tuition for 4 week period: $1800