Fieldwork Opportunity: Sanisera Archaeology Institute for International Field Schools

Sanisera Archaeology Institute for International Field Schools has grown and now offers courses in seven different countries in Europe: Spain, Italy, Greece, France, UK, Turkey and Portugal. For 2015 we are offering more than 20 different archaeological courses in seven areas:

You can download our Quick Guide which gives a brief summary of each course.

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Fieldwork opportunity in the Himalayas (13th March-4th April 2015)

The Himalayan Exploration and Archaeological Research Team (HEART), a University of York project, is delighted to be able to offer archaeological fieldwork opportunities to interested students and members of the public from 13th March- 4th April 2015. The team is undertaking an expedition to the Annapurnas to discover, survey and in some cases excavate new multi-period archaeological sites that are only just emerging from these mountain ranges, and your students are invited to attend.

The Himalayan Exploration and Archaeological Research Team is a joint scientific-humanitarian venture that has run out of the Department of Archaeology, at the University of York, UK in collaboration with the charity/NGO Community Action Nepal. The project seeks to push the frontiers of archaeological knowledge in the Himalayas, whilst integrating the research with initiatives that stimulate local economies. By operating in association with the Kathmandu government Department of Archaeology, local tourism agencies and trekking companies HEART has been able to build an infrastructure to identify known but at risk heritage for responsive research, whilst HEART’s objectives to explore, survey and excavate new archaeology using the latest scientific and technological methods will further extend Nepal’s potential to offer exciting heritage tourism opportunities. Virtually no archaeological fieldwork has been done in the Himalayas and as such HEART has been documenting archaeology from multiple periods. Proceeds from this field school will be reinvested in heritage initiatives in partnership with local communities.

For more information, prices and booking please contact the Project Director, Dr. Hayley Saul: [email protected]

Call for papers: The UK Punic Network Graduate Workshop 2015 — Deadline January 9, 2015

The UK Punic Network Graduate Workshop creates an opportunity for graduate students working on Phoenician and Punic topics at Masters and Doctoral level to meet and discuss their work with students and staff with similar interests based at other universities. This series of meetings is one of the results of the British School at Rome/Libyan Society Punic Project, and in particular the conference held in Rome in November 2008 on ‘Identifying the Punic Mediterranean’. It has taken place in the past at Glasgow University (2009, 2011) and at Oxford University (2010, 2013, 2014), and will next take place in Durham University on Wednesday March 18th 2015, from approximately 9 am – 6 pm. The workshop is sponsored by the Oxford Centre for Phoenician and Punic Studies (http://punic.classics.ox.ac.uk) and is held in association with Collingwood College and the Centre for the Study of the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East. The day is primarily aimed at students and staff working in the UK, but is open to anyone who is interested, on a first-come, first-served basis.

This is a call for papers for this meeting. As has become traditional, there will be two kinds of presentations: one of about 20-25 minutes that enables people to report on research that is well underway or (practically) completed and one of about 5-10 minutes that offers an opportunity to signal work that is just beginning, or try out specific ideas. Those interested in presenting their work should send a title and an abstract of up to 250 words to either Mark Woolmer ([email protected]) or Luke Evans ([email protected]) by Friday January 9th 2015, along with an indication of whether their contribution is supposed to be one of the longer or shorter papers. Anyone else interested in attending the workshop should contact us to register by the same date, as space is limited. Please also email us with any other queries.

Unfortunately, we are unable to assist with general travel and accommodation expenses: however, accepted speakers can apply for a scholarship to cover the costs of two night’s bed and breakfast in Collingwood College. We currently have eight such bursaries which will be allocated according to evidence of need and merit of proposal. UK-based graduate students are reminded that they can apply to the Wiedemann Fund for assistance with travel expenses (http://www.thomaswiedemann.org.uk/), and all those interested in attending are reminded that accommodation in Collingwood College can be reserved by contacting Mrs Glenda Reed ([email protected]).

Call For Papers: Beauty in the Beast (Graduate Symposium at Johns Hopkins) — Deadline December 1, 2014

Beauty in the Beast:

Mutants, Monsters, and Monstrosities in the Ancient World

A Graduate Student Symposium at the Johns Hopkins University

Keynote Speaker: Robert Garland, Colgate University

 

Monsters, as it is often conceived, have neither beauty nor kindness. However, the Latin word monstrum merely indicates the manifestation of something extraordinary, whether it be a physical being, a psychological disposition, a supernatural apparition, or a divine portent. Mutants, on the other hand, are beings with abnormal abilities. However, the word is a derivative of the Latin verb mutare, meaning “to change.” Yet, in the ancient world, these terms were commonly used to describe monstrosities, which challenged normativity.

Myth in both literature and the visual arts can challenge our common perceptions of mutants and monsters. Beautiful Arachne was punished and transformed into a horrid spider by Athena, but her weaving was nonetheless marvelous. Polyphemus, a cannibalistic ogre, still fostered all-consuming love for beautiful Galatea.

History tells of a different monster. The tyrants and kings of questionable sanity may have been unjustly incriminated and [mis]identified as monsters, while their clemency faded from memory. Conversely, deformities and disabilities, veiling inner-beauty, oftentimes warranted inequity and discrimination. Moreover, physiognomy could indicate inner moral values or contradict them, as in the case of Socrates, whom Plato and Xenophon describe as having a satyr-like appearance, all the while bearing moral excellence.

The goal of this graduate symposium is to explore the beauty, physical or abstract, in monstrosities of the ancient world. This may include, but is not limited to, mutants, monsters, and villains in literature and artistic representations, historical evildoers, the maniacal, who may have been erroneously antagonized, and the common ugly, judged at face value.

We invite graduate students from the departments of Classics, Archaeology, History, History of Art, Near Eastern Studies, and Writing to submit their abstract of ca. 350 words or less by December 1st, 2014 to be considered for The Johns Hopkins Classics Graduate Symposium.  Please email [email protected]. Accepted graduate students will receive reimbursement for part of their room & board and travel costs.

Warm regards,

Michele Asuni

Laura Hutchison

Kristina Mueller

Anna Smith

Adam Tabeling

Co-chairs of the Symposium

Fellowship Opportunites for Pre- and Post doctoral Research in Egypt (ARCE) — Deadline January 15, 2015

The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) is pleased to announce its annual fellowship program for pre- and postdoctoral scholars conducting research in Egypt.

The deadline for application submissions is January 15, 2015.

More information online at http://arce.org/grants/fellowships/overview

ARCE administers research fellowships for students enrolled in doctoral programs at North American universities, and for American post-doctoral scholars and professionals affiliated with universities and research institutions worldwide.

ARCE Fellowships are awarded for a minimum of three months and a maximum of twelve months depending on the funding source. Fellowships provide sufficient funding to cover round-trip air transportation, a living allowance, mentoring and a home base in Egypt for doctoral candidates in the all-but-dissertation stage and senior scholars conducting more advanced research.

Post-doctoral scholars are invited to indicate their interest in serving as the ARCE Scholar-in-Residence on the fellowship application. The Scholar-in-Residence may serve for a period up to 12 months depending on the length of his/her fellowship. In addition to conducting his/her research, s/he agrees to advise junior scholars and organize a workshop, conference, or other scholarly activity in consultation with the Director. An additional modest per diem is available for the Scholar-in-Residence for these concurrent duties. Interested and qualified candidates are identified during the Fellowship Committee Meeting and recommendations made to the ARCE Director, who makes the final selection.

FUNDING SOURCES

The United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs (ECA)

Funds 6-7 fellowships available to predoctoral candidates in the all-but-dissertation stage at the beginning of their tenure, and to postdoctoral scholars. These fellowships are restricted to U.S. citizens. The ECA also funds the ARCE Scholar-in-Residence Program for senior scholars, which was established to promote collegiality at the Center. Term: 3-12 months.

The National Endowment for the Humanities

Funds 1-2 fellowships for postdoctoral scholars and non-degree seeking professionals. NEH funded fellowships are available to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals who have lived in the United States for the three years immediately preceding the application deadline for the fellowship. The Scholar-in-Residence is normally an NEH-funded fellow. Term: 4-12 months.

The Theodore N. Romanoff Prize

The Theodore N. Romanoff Prize funds one $2000 scholarship to support the study of the language or the historical texts of ancient Egypt. This prize is named in tribute to Theodore Romanoff who received his M.A. from The Artemis A.W. and Martha Sharp Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World at Brown University. Term: Concurrent with an ECA or NEH award.

The William P. McHugh Memorial Fund

The William P. McHugh Memorial Fund provides the McHugh Award, a special grant of $600 given to a pre-doctoral ARCE Fellow to encourage the study of Egyptian geo-archaeology and prehistory. Term: Concurrent with an ECA or NEH award.

FIELDS OF STUDY

Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Economics, Egyptology, History, Humanistic Social Sciences, Islamic Studies, Literature, Political Science, Religious Studies, Anthropology, Coptic Studies

DURATION

U.S. State Department ECA fellowships are available for a period ranging from 3-12 months. A minimum of 4 months is required for National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships; the Getty Research Exchange fellowship is for one month. All fellowships must take place between October 1 and September 30.

ALLOWANCES

ARCE fellows receive a monthly per diem commensurate with academic status and number of accompanying dependents, plus round-trip air transportation for fellowship recipient only.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Please visit the Fellowship Application Instructions page and the Fellowship Application Forms page to view instructions and download all materials.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Application materials are typically available on October 1 for the following fellowship term. All applications and accompanying support documentation must be submitted electronically no later than January 15, 2015, 11:59 pm, Central Standard Time (CST). Accompanying materials that cannot be submitted electronically for any reason must be postmarked no later than midnight January 15, 2015, CST. You will need Adobe Reader version 7 or higher in order to save your completed application.