During the final week of the 2025 season at Roca Vecchia, excavations led to the unexpected discovery of an oval-shaped structure at the western end of the site. At the time of its destruction by fire—likely during the second half of the 12^th century BCE—the structure was filled with pottery, offering an exceptional archaeological context.

This two-weeks lab extension will focus on this ceramic collection and other finds that will likely occur during the 2026 excavation season. The program will allow students to deepen their knowledge of Bronze Age Southern Italian ceramic, as well as learn professional documentation and study of ceramics recovered at archaeological sites. Students will document, analyze and conserve wheel-thrown Grey Ware and Italo-Mycenaean Ware, as well as handmade Impasto and Matt-Painted Southern Italy Pottery. Students will also deepen their knowledge in drawing and photographic documentation of archaeological ceramics, along with morphological and functional analyses aimed at typological serriation and classification and broader cultural and chronological interpretation.

Roca Vecchia is a fortified Bronze Age settlement, located on the Adriatic coast of South-Eastern Italy. Roca Vecchia was a strategic key-site for the crossing routes between the Aegean and the Central Mediterranean. The site was initially built in the mid-17^th to the late 11^th century BCE, and was protected by a massive wall, repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt over time. Finds from the Middle Bronze Age (17^th-14^th century BCE) clearly attest to the early involvement of Roca Vecchia within the Aegean commercial & trade networks. Artifacts include an unusual variety and peculiarity of products such as Lustrous-decorated, Burnished, Matt-painted and Minyan-type pottery imports. There are also plenty Italo-Minoan objects. These artifacts indicate active trading along the southern Adriatic routes already at these early dates.

At its apex, Roca Vecchia had complex fortifications and elaborate site plan, with at least five gates and a monumental main entrance. Sometime around the mid-14^th century BCE, Roca was attacked and put under siege. The attackers were eventually succesful and Roca Vecchia was destroyed by a large fire. The site have not been occupied since, leaving Roca Vecchia as a distinct time copsule of the Italian Middle and Late Bronze Ages.

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.

Associate Professor of Prehistory and Protohistory (SSD L-ANT/01), Dipartimento di Beni Culturali-Università del Salento (Italy)

• 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.

Students will stay at the Rudiae Boutique Bed & Breakfast, in double rooms. The accommodation is located approximately 550 meters from the Department, a walk of only about 8 minutes. The B&B is within an easy walking distance to the city center and, about 800 meters away (about an 11-minute walk).

This program provides accommodation only. Meals are not included (we are aware that this is a Bed and Breakfast place but to reduce tuition costs, we pay for the accommodation only). Lecce offers a wide variety of restaurants, cafés, and grocery stores to suit every taste and budget. Students will need to arrange their own meals. There are many accommodation options, and students will stay at the assigned hotel for the duration of the program.

We suggest you hold off 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 a program beginning.

Students attending the 2026 Italy Roca Vecchia field schoolwill be transferred from the field school location to the B&B at Lecce, on Sep 26 (Sat) morning. All other students should arrive to the Rudiae Boutique Bed & Breakfast on Sep 27 (Sun) by 7:00pm.

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.