Excavating Prehistory on an Aegean Island: The Gourimadi Archaeological Project

Location:

Season: June 15, 2025 to July 12, 2025

Session Dates: June 15-July 12, 2025

Application Deadline: April 1, 2025

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: https://cyathens.org/course/excavating-prehistory-on-an-aegean-island-the-gourimadi-archaeological-project/

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
CYA (College Year in Athens) / DIKEMES

Project Director:
Gourimadi Archaeological Project (GAP) includes the systematic excavation of a Late Neolithic – Early Bronze Age site near Karystos in Southern Euboea. The project is organized by the Norwegian Institute at Athens and conducted under a permit from the Greek Ministry of Culture and Tourism with the supervision of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Euboea. GAP is directed by Dr. Žarko Tankosić and co-directed by Drs. Fanis Mavridis and Paschalis Zafeiriadis.

Project Description:

Upon successful completion of both the fieldwork (8 AM – 3 PM) and class lecture (one-hour sessions on weekdays, 7 PM) sections of the course, the students will have learned how to:

• stratigraphically excavate an archaeological  site;
• document their own excavation units in writing and sketch drawings;
• create Harris matrices of their own trenches;
• analyze architectural remains;
• fly a drone to obtain aerial imagery and orthomaps of an archaeological site;
• create photogrammetrical 3D models of trenches and small finds, using a DSLR camera;
• process small finds and ceramics in the project apothiki (storeroom/lab);
• carry out floatation in order to collect archaeobotanical finds;
• set up a total station and use it for spatial documentation.

In addition to these practical skills, they will also acquire academic knowledge on:

• excavation methodologies;
• remote-sensing techniques;
• history of archaeological documentation;
• Aegean prehistory from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Bronze Age;
• GIS applications in archaeological excavations and surveys;
• archaeobotany and other disciplines of archaeological sciences;
• introductory pottery and small finds illustration.

Period(s) of Occupation: This course will take place as part of the Gourimadi Archaeological Project (GAP), an international prehistoric research excavation on the southern tip of the Aegean island of Euboea (modern Evia).The site of Gourimadi, meaning “Big Rock” in the local Arvanitiki language, lies on the outskirts of the Katsaronio plain, about 6 km from the modern town of Karystos in southern Euboea. The prehistoric habitation extended over a natural hill with excellent defensive properties and a key position in the local landscape, which offered unobstructed vistas not only of its immediate surroundings but also of the neighboring regions of eastern Attica and the northern Cyclades (Andros, Tinos, Mykonos, Giaros, and Kea).

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Age: 18

Room and Board Arrangements:
Students will be accommodated at Anemomylos Bungalows, in the outskirts of Karystos. Basic food supplies will be provided for students to make their own breakfast and lunch. Dinner will be offered Monday through Saturday at the hotel or at local tavernas. Please note that the dinner options will be regular or vegetarian only. No other dietary options can be accommodated.

Academic Credit:
Students receive a transcript from CYA listing the class