North Macedonia: Stobi Excavation (IFR)

Location: Stobi, E75, North Macedonia

Session Dates: June 23- July 20, 2024

Application Deadline: April 1, 2024

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: https://ifrglobal.org/program/north-macedonia-stobi/

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Institute for Field Research (IFR), Balkan Heritage Foundation (BHF)

Project Director:
Dr. Silvana Blazhevska, Dr. George A Bevan, Dr. Angela Pencheva

Project Description:

The ancient city of Stobi, which lies at the confluence of the Crna and Vardar (ancient Erigon and Axios) rivers, was the largest northern city of the Roman province of Macedonia. It later became the capital of the province Macedonia Secunda, an important urban, military, administrative, trade, and religious center of two large empires: The Roman and Early Byzantine. During the 2014-2018 field seasons, excavations were focused in an area next to one of the most representative, residential buildings in Stobi – the Theodosian Palace – located at the center of the Roman town, between the streets of Via Principalis Inferior and Via Principalis Superior. The building, which is richly decorated with mosaics, was given its name under the assumption that the emperor Theodosius I was accommodated there during his visit to Stobi in 388 CE. These excavations brought to light a late antique building situated between the Theodosian palace and an adjacent building, now called “the Jail” due to the discovery of shackled skeletons in the 1920s.

This season, work will continue in the same area in an effort to investigate the temporal and architectural relationships between the three buildings. Over the course of this program, students will learn excavation skills, field documentation processing procedures such as cleaning, selecting, and arranging archaeological finds, and 3D recording techniques including digital photogrammetry, satellite positioning, and surveying using a total station. This project aims to introduce students to the range of materials and cultures of Stobi and the region as a whole in the Roman and Late Roman period.

Period(s) of Occupation: Classical, Roman

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: Students are expected to stay the full length of the program.

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: None

Room and Board Arrangements:
Participants stay at the recently renovated, air-conditioned cabins at the archaeological base camp next to the ancient site of Stobi. Students will be housed in rooms with 2–3 beds each. Each cabin has 4 bedrooms, a living room, and 2 bathrooms with showers. A washing machine and Wi-Fi are available for free. The Stobi cleaning staff will clean and disinfect the rooms & bathrooms and common spaces every day. In the beginning of the field school students will be introduced to the safety protocol for the hotel, the shuttle and the site upon arrival. The closest village to Stobi is Gradsko (5 km), where there are grocery stores, a pharmacy, an ATM, and medical facilities. The closest big supermarket, drug-stores, pharmacies, banks with ATM and hospitals are in the city of Negotino (13 km from Stobi). Meals: Three meals (fresh, homemade food) are provided each day. Meals usually take place at the field house premises, except for lunch packages during excursions. This field school can accommodate vegetarians, vegans and individuals with lactose-intolerance diets. Kosher and gluten-free diets are impossible to accommodate at this location.

Academic Credit:
8 Semester Credit Units (equivalent to 12 Quarter Units)