Pran’e Siddi, or the Siddi Plateau, is a high basaltic plateau located in the south-central part of the island of Sardinia (Italy), near the modern town of Siddi. The area around Siddi was inhabited by prehistoric villagers beginning in the Neolithic period (ca. 4000-3200 BCE). During the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1700-1450 BCE), these previously egalitarian people began to develop a hierarchical social system with an elite who expressed their power and prestige through the building of monumental stone towers called nuraghi. The elites of the Nuragic community on the Siddi Plateau built sixteen nuraghi, which they lived in and added onto for three centuries. By 1450 BCE, however, the elite sites on the Siddi Plateau seem to have been abandoned, and the population moved away. Progetto Pran’e Siddi was formed to conduct a thorough investigation of Nuragic climate, environment, land use, and economic practices in the Siddi region.  We are interested in finding out what kinds of pressures – social, environmental, and/or economic – made the Nuragic people abandon their towers on the plateau. We are answering these questions through a combination of archaeological excavation and survey.

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.

Archaeological Science Project Officer, Bioarchaeology Unit, Cardiff University (UK)

Director, Civico Museo Archeologico “Su Mulinu” di Villanovafranca

• 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.

Room and board in Siddi are generously provided by funding from the Comune di Siddi. Students will live in comfortable, but modest, field housing in the town of Siddi. Conditions at the field accommodations are basic: there is only one bathroom, hot water may run out, and students will share communal rooms. Mattresses will be provided, but it may be necessary for some students to sleep on mattresses on the floor.

Breakfast will take place at the Piazza Bar. Lunch and dinner will take place at local restaurants. Students should be advised that traditional Italian breakfast is quite light: coffee or tea and a pastry. Students with larger appetites may wish to purchase additional foods at the local minimarket. Lunch and dinner are more substantial meals. They are communal events that will introduce students to the traditions of Sardinian cuisine. Sardinian food is delicious and hearty, but students should be aware that meat plays a large role in it.

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.

Students will be met by program staff members at the arrival area of the Cagliari International Airport (CAG) on Sunday, the first day of the program, at 5:00 pm local time. For students who choose to travel in Sardinia before the project begins, the airport is easily reachable by bus or train from the main Cagliari bus/train station. Buses leave for the airport roughly every hour and trains leave a little more frequently. At the end of the project, students will be driven to the Cagliari airport. Students should expect to leave the project housing on the morning of Sunday, the last day of the program.

Italy is a party to the Schengen Agreement. As such, US citizens may enter Italy for up to 90 days for tourist purposes without a visa. Your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of your stay.

Citizens of other countries, please visit the Italian Embassy website at your home country for visa information.