Athenian Agora Volunteer Program

Location: Athens, Greece

Season: June 9, 2025 to August 1, 2025

Session Dates: June 9 to August 1, 2025

Application Deadline: December 9, 2024

Deadline Type: Exact Date

Website: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/programs/summer-excavation-programs/agora-summer-volunteer-program

Program Type:
Field School, Volunteer

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
American School of Classical Studies at Athens

Project Director:
Dr. John K. Papadopoulos

Project Description:

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens conducts a program for volunteers wishing to participate in the archaeological excavations of the Athenian Agora during the summer. Approximately fifteen to twenty-five volunteers are chosen on the basis of academic qualifications and previous archaeological field experience. Both advanced undergraduate students and graduate students are eligible, although priority is given to graduate students preparing for careers in classical archaeology. Open to all nationalities.

Work of the Volunteer Staff:
The Volunteer Staff will participate in all aspects of the archaeological fieldwork under the supervision of a staff of field archaeologists and technical experts, all of whom have extensive field experience and advanced academic training in classical archaeology. Volunteers will be trained in the basic techniques of excavation: working with various tools; cleaning and investigating stratigraphy; delicate cleaning of artifacts in the ground; sifting of excavated earth and techniques of flotation; washing and basic conservation of pottery and other objects; clerical work involved in the keeping of excavation records, among other duties. Students will also receive training in various scientific methods and techniques. Tasks will be assigned in rotation, and volunteers are expected to participate in all of them. Room and a modest allowance for board are provided for the time volunteers are working at the excavations. Travel arrangements to and from Greece are the responsibility of each volunteer.

The Summer Season:
The excavations are planned for eight weeks, June 9 to August 1, 2025. Fieldwork is in progress five days a week, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a 30-minute break at midmorning, and some post-excavation duties will run until 5 p.m. Volunteers are expected to be on the site during these hours and to work at the excavations for a minimum of six weeks.

Information and application for the Agora Volunteer Program is located on the ASCSA web site at https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/programs/summer-excavation-programs/agora-summer-volunteer-program.
Applicants can expect to receive notification before March 1, 2025.

Period(s) of Occupation: Finds range from scattered pieces of pottery of the late Neolithic period (ca. 3000 BC) to the contents of 19th and early 20th century basements. The Agora of the 5th and 4th centuries BC has been the main focus of attention. Scholars have identified the often scanty material remains on the basis of ancient references to the Agora as the center of civic activity of ancient Athens. Public documents inscribed on stone, weight and measure standards, and jurors’ identification tickets and ballots reflect the administrative nature of the site, while traces of private dwellings in the area immediately bordering the open square, with their household pottery and other small finds, throw light on the everyday lives of Athenian citizens.

Notes:
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national or ethnic origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation when considering admission to any form of membership or application for employment.

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Age: 18

Room and Board Arrangements:
Members of the Volunteer Staff will be provided with living accommodations in Athens at no cost during the time they are working for the excavations. Small groups of volunteers will share rented apartments in the Pangrati district of Athens, a short distance from the American School, approximately a 30-minute walk from the excavations. No provisions can be made for spouses or roommates unless they are also accepted as volunteers in their own right. In addition, a modest expense allowance, consisting of the Euro equivalent of approximately $120 per week, will be paid to each volunteer in order to cover the cost of meals. Those persons who are already resident in their own accommodations in Athens are welcome to apply for the program and will receive the same expense allowance as other volunteers, although no rebate for their housing is possible. Applicants chosen to participate in the program will be expected to make their own travel arrangements between their country of origin and Greece (if not already resident in Greece).