Cosa Excavations

Location: Ansedonia, GR, IT

Season: June 1, 2025 to July 3, 2025

Application Deadline: January 15, 2025

Deadline Type: Exact Date

Website: http://www.cosaexcavations.org/

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Florida State University

Project Director:
Andrea U. De Giorgi

Project Description:

Excavations at the site of Cosa, a Latin colony founded by the Romans in 273 BCE, began in 1948 and continued in regular intervals into the new millennium under the auspices of the American Academy in Rome (AAR).  Excavations have now resumed since the summer of 2013 under the auspices of Florida State University, Bryn Mawr College, and the University of Tübingen.

Cosa boasts a remarkable history that spans more than 1,300 years; founded on the eve of the first Punic war, it was destroyed sometime around 70 BCE and then substantially rebuilt under Augustus.  Occupation, albeit in intermittent fashion, continued at the site through Late Antiquity and into the Middle Ages.

The current excavations investigate the bath complex of Cosa, which, though noted by Professor Frank Brown in the seminal Cosa I, were prior to 2013 unexcavated.  Fieldwork from 2013 to the present has helped to clarify the layout and structure of the baths, but future work targets questions about the building’s water and heating systems, as well as an explication of the chronological phasing of the complex.  Additionally, we are concentrating on digitally recording our contexts and finds. ​

Cosa Excavations opens applications to undergraduate students who are interested in participating in an archaeological dig on the scenic west coast of Italy.  The project runs from June 1st to July 3rd, 2025.  No previous experience is necessary to apply. ​ In addition to gaining excavation experience, on the weekends participants have the opportunity to visit historic sites in the area, such as Vulci and Tarquinia, as well as Rome itself, which is on a direct train line from our home base in Orbetello, Italy. ​

For more information, including link to the Early Info Meeting on November 15th, 2024 at 4:00PM Tallahassee time, please consult the attached flyer.

Apply here!  Application due January 15th, 2025.

 

Period(s) of Occupation: Roman

Project Size: 25-49 participants

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: None.

Room and Board Arrangements:
Cost: $3,750 This amount covers housing (at the Residence Airone in Giannella, Italy) for the season dates, meals Monday through Friday, and a group weekend trip to Rome, Ostia, and Portus.​ Travel to and from Italy, individual weekend trips, and weekend food, is not covered in the fees.​

Academic Credit:
No academic credit is offered.