Overview
Osteological analysis of human skeletal remains is an essential part of the post-excavation analysis of any project where human remains are encountered. Human remains provide important information about diet, health, demography, social inequality, and individual life histories. Additionally, osteological analysis of human remains is often the starting point for further scientific studies analyzing aDNA, stable isotopes, and dental calculus. The ability to identify human remains and study them ethically is an important skill for both academic and commercial archaeologists.
This program provides a hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of human osteological analysis. Students will work with the Italian national archaeological service, the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio, to learn the theoretical foundations of human osteological analysis and gaining practical experience with the ethical handling and identification of excavated human remains. Students will learn to identify skeletal element, age, sex, and pathology while working with human remains from ongoing Soprintendenza projects from a variety of sites and time periods. Additionally, students will collaborate to produce interpretive materials that will explain the importance of their work to local stakeholders.
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Students processing human remains
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Identifying human remains
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Lab at Villa Pollini.
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Examining human cranium
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Studying human bones
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Examining cranial fragments
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View of Villa Pollini
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Sorting excavated human remains
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Analyzing human remains
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Sorting fragmentary remains
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 and Evacuation 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 are responsible for finding their own accommodations and supplying their own food. There are many options for affordable temporary housing in Cagliari. There are many AirBnBs in the city. There are also low-cost hostels and hotels in the city center. Ostello Cagliari offers various dormitory and shared room housing options in the center of Cagliari, starting at €35 (ca. $40) per night.
Diet
Inexpensive meal options can be found in grocery stores and restaurants around Cagliari. A sandwich or salad can be purchased at grocery stores such as Conad and Coop for approximately $6.00. Many of the small eateries and fast-food restaurants around town offer meal options costing approximately $8.00-$13.00. There are also inexpensive restaurants in town that offer hot meals for approximately $15.00-$20.00. There is a large Conad grocery store within easy walking distance of Villa Pollini that offers both hot and cold meal options.
Travel Information
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 meet at the Villa Pollini offices of the Soprintendenza (Via Edward Jenner 3, Cagliari CA 09121), at 8:30 am on Monday, the first day of this field school. Villa Pollini is easily accessed using the Cagliari bus system on the #13 line. Weekly bus passes are available using the CTM Bus Finder app for €12.00 (ca. $13.70).
Visa Information
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. Stiff fines may be imposed for overstaying the 90-day period. 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.
Meeting Point
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 2027 | 8:30am | Villa Pollini offices of the Soprintendenza |
If you missed your connection or your flight is delayed, please call, text or email project director 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.