Overview
This is a beginner program, introducing students to the interventive and preventive Conservation of textiles, paper & metal objects. This field school is hosted by the Department of the Environment of the Ionian University, Zakynthos campus (Greece). The program provides a unique opportunity for students to gain comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience on the conservation and preservation of organic and inorganic cultural objects. Participants will be guided through the history and technology of ecclesiastical, historical, ethnographic textiles, papers and metal objects and stages of their study, conservation, and documentation. This program will take place at the labs of the Division Conservation of Antiquities & Works of Art at the Ionian University.
During the program, students will work with authentic and replicas of textiles, archival materials, and metal objects. The project includes three modules: practical work in the documentation and restoration of textiles, paper, and metal; lectures, training, study visits and excursions to the General Archives of Zakynthos (paper) and to the Ecclesiastical Museum of St. Dionysious (textiles & metal).
The workshop enables participants to gain comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience in paper, metal and textile conservation, documentation, and scientific analysis. Students will explore the principles of material conservation, methods, theories, and will learn how to use optical microscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) instruments for conservation work.
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Students working at lab
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Examining a Folio
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Cleaning a metal object
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Examening metal object
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Dr. Panagopoulou and students
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2025 student cohort
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Understanding textile conservation
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Building support for a paper artifact
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Cleaning an old book
Instructor(s)
All field school directors are experts in their field and passionate about their work. To discuss the suitability of this program for your career goals – whether within or outside academia – you are invited to contact the directors directly. For a broader discussion which ARC program to choose, you are welcome to contact our staff directly – you can do that through our “Contact Us” page.
Testimonials & Program evaluation
Student Fees (Tuition)
What is Covered
- DEPOSIT IS PART OF TOTAL TUITION COST
- Costs of Instruction
- Cost of Academic Credit Units
- Health Insurance
- Full Room & Board
- Liability & Accident Insurance
Read Before You Pay
- Application: You must apply online for this program – application is free
- Deposit: A $300 nonrefundable deposit (part of the total tuition cost) is required to secure a space in the program
- Credit Card Fee: Payments with credits cards incur 3% processing fee
- Late Fee: A $100 Late Fee will be added to the program costs if tuition is not paid in full by payment deadline
- Cancellation Policy: Carefully read our Cancellation Policy before committing to attending our programs
- Trip Cancellation Insurance: Trip cancellation insurance is not provided by ARC. Such policies have changed due to Covid 19. If you wish to purchase an insurance policy that covers pandemic contingencies, explore Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) plans. Insuremytrip or Travel Guard are possible websites where you may explore different insurance policies.
Accommodations
Students will stay at the family-run Yria Hotel, located near the historical center of Zakynthos. The rooms are comfortable, with 2-4 beds, bathrooms with shower and WC, TV, 24-hour room service, lockers, hair dryers, LAN plugin connection, A/C and a fridge. Laundry service and free Wi-Fi are available at the hotel. Participants are not expected to bring any additional equipment, linen, or towels. Single rooms are available on request.
Diet
The program covers the cost of breakfast only, during weekdays. Other meals during the week and all meals during the weekend are not included in tuition cost. There are plenty inexpensive and mid-range local restaurants that offer a typical three-course Greek meal for 10-20 Euros (equivalent to $11-22).
Travel Information
The meeting point is at the lobby of Hotel Yria, the project hotel near historical center of the town of Zakynthos (Zante), at 7:00pm the first day of the program. The island has one airport – Zakynthos International Airport with connections to numerous Greek (Athens, Thessaloniki, Crete, etc). Yopu can also travel to the site by bus, or ferry from Athens. Check the timetable of Levante Ferries.
Visa Information
There are no visa requirements for U.S. citizen travelling to Bulgaria, if they do not stay longer than 3 months. Passport’s expiration date should exceed the stay by at least 3 months.
Citizens of other countries are asked to check the Bulgarian Embassy website page at their home country for specific visa requirements.
Meeting Point
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2026 | 7:00pm | Lobby of of Hotel Yria, Greek Island of Zakynthos |
If you missed your connection or your flight is delayed, please call, text or email project director(s) immediately. A local emergency cell phone number will be provided to all enrolled students.
Safety
Our primary mission is student education. Traveling and conducting field work involves risk and students interested in participating in any field schools must weigh whether the potential risk is worth the value of education earned. While risk is inherent in everything we do, we do not take risk lightly. We engage in intensive review of each field school location prior to approval and continue to monitor conditions on the ground to ensure a safe and wholesome education experience.
Students attending our international programs are covered by a comprehensive Health Insurance Policy that covers physical illness or injury, mental or chronic conditions and medical evacuation – if needed. This insurance policy has no deductibles and 100% of the costs are covered up to $250,000 (for more, see here). In addition, we provide Political & Natural Disaster Evacuation policy, which allows us to remove students from program location if conditions change.
Students attending our domestic programs (within the US) must have their own health insurance. Program directors are familiar with local authorities and if in need of evacuation, local emergency services and/or law enforcement will be notified and activated.
We have an explicit and robust Harassment & Discrimination Policy, outlined on our Health & Safety page. If students feel they cannot discuss personal safety issues with program staff, they are welcome to call the ARC emergency hotline and talk directly with an ARC staff member.
Call (+1 323 740-1805) or email (admin@anthroctr.org) if you have questions about the safety of any program.