The program focuses on the archaeology of death during the Roman Period at Pompeii. It is a forensic archaeology field school, where students excavate two different necropoli just outside the ancient gates of Peompii – the necropolis of Porta Sarno & and the necropolis Porta Nola.

The program offers an exceptional opportunity to investigate Roman society and its unique views of life and the afterlife. The study of the necropoli monuments, tombs, roads, walls, material culture and biological remains provide for contextual and careful understanding of how the funerary space was managed by the ancient inhabitants of Pompeii. Given the extensive excavations elsewhere at Pompeii, we can study how the necropoli evolved in relation to urbanism, legislation, religion, and the history of the city.

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.

Professor of Ancient History, Department of Prehistory, Archaeology & Ancient History, University of Valencia (Spain)

• 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.

All participants will be staying at Pompei Hostel Deluxe (Via Duca d’Aosta, 4, 80045 Pompei) in the center of Pompeii. Rooms are single sex and shared 3 to 4 people. The accommodation has WIFI, Air-conditioning and other facilities.

Breakfast and onsite lunch are provided during work days. Students are responsible for their own dinner. Pompeii is a tourist town with a wide range of restaurants, bars, and fast/street food, both Italian and international. Students can find great dinners at a wide range of prices.

We suggest you hold purchasing your airline ticket until six (6) weeks before the program begins. Natural disasters, political changes, weather conditions & a range of other factors may require the cancellation of a field school. ARC typically makes a final Go/No Go decision six weeks before program begins. To protect students from potential financial loss, we urge you to purchase airline tickets only six weeks prior to program beginning.

All students must arrive to the project on Sunday, the first day of the project, by 6:00pm. If you plan to fly to Naples International Airport (NAP), we will meet you at the just outside the arrival hall of Terminal 1, near the taxi line (see Fig 1). Students who plan to travel by train/bus from Rome (or prior travel in Italy) must communicate with program staff to coordinate their arrival. See next section for instructions how to get to the project housing using public transportation.

There are no special visa requirements for U.S. citizens travelling to Italy , as long as you do not stay longer than 3 months. Passport’s expiration date should exceed the stay by at least 6 months.

Citizens of other countries are asked to check the Italian embassy website at their home country for specific visa requirements.