Bioarchaeology at 15th-16th cent. Muslim & Christian Cemetery Lisbon, Portugal – Institute for Field Research

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Season: June 14, 2020 to July 11, 2020

Application Deadline: April 3, 2020

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: https://ifrglobal.org/program/portugal-necropolis/

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
ERA Arqueologia, University of Coimbra, Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behavior (ICArEHB) at the University of Algarve, Institute for Field Research, Connecticut College

Project Director:
Dr. Lucy Evangelista & Ms. Marina Lourenço

Project Description:

Archaeological excavation within historic cities often produce deep stratigraphy dating back to the original foundation of the city and telling the story of its history. Following construction works at 74, Rua dos Lagares, the very heart of Old Lisbon, rescue archaeological excavations exposed an area with multiple, well preserved burials dating to the 15th-16th Centuries CE (Late Medieval/Modern period. This area was used as a necropolis in two different time periods. First (necropolis I), it was a Christian (and possibly Jewish burial site), vandalized in 1497. Later, the area was used as a Muslim and Christian cemetery dated to the 16^th century CE.

Bioarcheology give us the tools to derive valuable cultural information from human remains. We can estimate age and sex, explore health conditions and may work and other physical activity patterns. It also provides the base for other studies like DNA or stable isotope studies that provide information about mobility and dietary and reconstructions. Combing the anatomical information with the contextual information recovered during excavations allow us to better understand how population’s attitudes and customs regarding death, funerary practices and body treatments changed throughout time.

Students will participate in the laboratory research phase of this collection. There will be no excavations. This field school is a classical post-excavation analysis program that strongly emphasize meticulous study of human remains both of their anatomy and their archaeological context. Through field trips around medieval Lisbon, lectures and lab work, students will complete this field school with an overall understanding of how bioarcheology research is a valuable tool in the understanding of past populations from a cultural, political or environmental point of view.

Period(s) of Occupation: Late Medieval/Modern period

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: Participants are required to stay for the full duration of the field school.

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: No prior experience is required to participate in this field school.

Room and Board Arrangements:
During the program students will be lodged at a rented house in Lisbon, where they may share a room with other students (up to 2 per room). The house will be cleaned twice a week. It is the students’ responsibility to maintain the house clean for the rest of the week. Lunch will be provided by ERA at a local restaurant or at the canteen of School of Human Kinetics, near ERA’s installations. Daily breakfast and dinner and weekend meals will be the responsibility of each student. Students will be driven to local supermarkets twice a week.

Academic Credit:
8 semester credits credits offered by Connecticut College. Tuition is $3,960.