Adventures in Archaeology - Western Sahara

[BAJR Host]

FIELDWORK IN WESTERN SAHARA - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Do you want to spend a few weeks in the desert in October?

You can volunteer for the next Western Sahara Project field season. No experience required (training given).

We need people to participate in archaeological excavation and archaeological and palaeoenvironmental survey work.

More details here:

http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/~e118/WS/WSahara.htm

now here, its clear that no jobs are being taken, indeed it is only becasue of vlunteers that archaeology can take place... October... the desert... :face-approve:

Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.
Mohandas Gandhi

[afarensis]

'The cost of participation in 4 weeks of excavation is ?2595'

Wow, what they really mean is 'We need people to fund an archaeological excavation and archaeological and palaeoenvironmental survey.'

Sounds fun but far too expensive for my tastes, they would be better off advertising on adventure holiday website methinks.

[RedEarth]

quote:Originally posted by afarensis

'The cost of participation in 4 weeks of excavation is ?2595'

Wow, what they really mean is 'We need people to fund an archaeological excavation and archaeological and palaeoenvironmental survey.'

Sounds fun but far too expensive for my tastes, they would be better off advertising on adventure holiday website methinks.

I would have thought that paying that sort of money would sort of make the use of the word 'volunteer' a bit redundant.

[renegades]

when i hear words like volunteers wanted,I always wait for the punchline "but you must pay thousands of pounds ,volunteers give their service bloodsweat and tears just to help keep the costs down,to charge volunteers is not really asking for volunteers its asking for sponsors and rich ones at that !! a volunteer is ready to do free work give his free time and what knowledge he has to help,Its about time someone says no you cant advertise for volunteers who have to pay,volunteers are unpaid workers not private banks to scam from,Its simple "no funding dont work" .....dont ask quite possibly an unemployed volunteer to pay for them to work,it should only be advertised as a field school not a voluntary position,as it is very misleading.

ps,I alway understood that students as part of their course work and gaining field experience were to be charged a fee,as that part i could understand,also i have read snippets on bajr about people gaining degress and phds etc without having any field experience or very very little ... how can that be ? im a little bewildered as to how somone can claim to be or be acknowledged with a degree as archaeologist with ever having got themselves dirty doing field work or have i got this wrong? isnt it like giving someone a pilots licence without ever having flown.


Gary Cullen
Teodora Drajzera 8 Topcider
11040,Belgrade,Serbia
Tel:062 230 855

[Oxbeast]

"Costs for the 2009 field season have been calculated so as to ensure that the season can be entirely funded by the contributions of volunteers."

Well, at least they're open and honest about it. On the upside, I don't really think that anyone is going to see this as training for a career in commercial archaeology in the UK. For that amount of money you can sub yourself to volunteer for a bit in the UK and gain some useful skills and contacts...

[BAJR Host]

From Past Horizons :
FREE ---

in defence of the Desert one, they are honest.. and yes there are people with that money... think of it as a holiday cruise howeer with adventure..! and it funds a project.


Roman Villa of Fargola
Dates : 14 Sept - 7 Nov 2009

Periods: Roman - Middle Ages

Site type : Excavation

Organisation: University of Foggia

Details
The archaeological site of Faragola has an history stretching back millennia: its remains include a Daunian tribal settlement (4th ? 3rd century B.C.), a farm of the early roman period (1st century B.C. ? 3rd century A.D.), a large Late Roman villa (4th ? 6th century A.D.) and an early medieval village (7th ? 8th century A.D.).

To date only a part of a substantial villa estate has been investigated, but this has already led to the discovery of an elaborate thermal bath-house and a splendid dining room, two of the most characteristic elements of a luxurious Roman villa.

The bathing complex incorporated a large salon decorated with a polychrome geometric mosaic floor. It adjoins the bath-house, which incorporated the cold, tepid, and hot baths (frigidarium, tepidarium, and caldarium) decorated with marble paving. The well preserved remains of this villa enable us to picture an ideal day enjoyed here by its privileged residents: after bathing and conversations in the bathing complex, and possibly a walk in the garden, the proprietor (dominus) and his guests would retire for an evening banquet in the luxurious dining room (cenatio). Today these remains are particularly impressive, decorated with a polychrome marble floor (opus sectile), enhanced with bone, glass, and wood inlay. The most impressive part of this room is a rare example of a semi-circular masonry dining couch (stibadium) incorporated into the wall, complemented by a fountain and running water, and decorated with opus sectile facing and reliefs depicting dancing maenads in gold leaf. This fascinating room also incorporated another special feature: the central area of opus sectile would have been covered with a layer of water, with the effect produced accentuating the colours of the marble and the glass in the pavement.
Students will receive instruction in the techniques of archaeological excavation and documentation as well as hands-on experience working with materials and finds processing.

Cost: Free


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Website (for more details and to book)
http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.ph...umber=2419
Email: roberto_goffredo@yahoo.it





Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.
Mohandas Gandhi

[Gog]

The Foreign office website lists Western sahara as having a high risk of terrorist attack - I'd want to spent a large chunk of my ?2595 on a bullet proof vest. But thats adventure holidays for you...

[renegades]

i understand funding is always a lottery of sorts who gets who doesnt in a given year ...students who are studying archaeology should select which field trips they wish to learn about, and as part of their education fees and book buying costs etc allow for the cost of attending their chosen field schools or traing digs,that should not come from a volunteer..if anything it is verging on false advertising "volunteers wanted instead of field school placements " in my view it should not use the word volunteer they should offer it as an "archaeoligical dream holiday with digs and training in the sahara "

Gary Cullen
Teodora Drajzera 8 Topcider
11040,Belgrade,Serbia
Tel:062 230 855

[BAJR Host]

fair do's... there is another one for professionals... later on, and it costs around 800 quid...

If people want some real free... why not try portugal...

http://pasthorizons.wordpress.com/2009/0...ora-spain/

Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.
Mohandas Gandhi

[Drunky]

to fair to the terrorist attack thing i ve worked in the middle east a few times and the home office said that those countries where high risk, based on one or two bombs in 5 or 6 years. Its nice to be warned but to be fair thats not to diffrent from Britain