I thought I would begin this blog by describing exactly what I will be doing when I arrive in Spain. As most of you probably know, I am a classics and anthropology student with inflated goals of being some sort of archaeologist. A year ago I was looking through a list of fieldwork opportunities published by the
Archaeological Institute of America and found a Roman site in Spain accepting volunteers. Long story short, I was put on a wait list for the dig (after receiving a $2,000 grant, nonetheless) and did not end up on the dig (goodbye, $2,000). This year, however, I was accepted and received the same grant. Clunia, here I come!
But, what am I doing there anyway? Why in the hell would I pay someone to let me dig holes and move rocks in the blistering Spanish summer sun? I suppose the answer that archaeologists like to use their work as an excuse to travel, eat fantastic foreign food, and drink beer from across the world isn't a good one? Well, other than that there is the fact that what I will be doing is very interesting and important to our understanding of the ancient past. Clunia was a rather large Roman settlement in the colony of
Hispania. The most notable mention of Clunia and the surrounding countryside comes from the Roman historian Appian, who documented the short-lived success of the native Arevaci and their allies in the Celtiberian Wars. Currently, excavation at the site is focused on the large amphitheater (the largest in Spain!) and forum of Clunia.
That is all well and good you say, but what am I doing specifically? Well, the Undergraduate Research Grant I received requires a paper to be written detailing my research (an ethnography detailing the use of Spanish food on beautiful beaches as a means of self-aggrandizing was not acceptable :( ). To be honest, I am not for sure where the site will take me in regards to research questions, but I hope to focus on how the Romans incorporated (if at all) native city planning and architecture into the site. Clunia is particularly interesting in that it is one of the very few Roman settlements that were not built directly on top of a conquered 'barbarian' settlement. To what degree did this make Clunia more Roman? Are traces of the Arevaci present at all? If so, what answers concerning the status of native Arevaci post-Romanization can the archaeological record tell us? Oh yeah, and I'll be posting totally awesome pictures of the site and Spain in general. Probably lots of me eating too.
Until I leave on Wednesday, feel free to look through some of the links (more forthcoming, hopefully) on the right of the blog. You can access a nice
photo album of the site along with general information at ArchaeoSpain. As far as updating goes, I will make an effort to update twice a week while I am in Spain, but don't hold me to it.
