Join the Binchester Excavation Project – Stanford Students

Application Instructions for Stanford University Students 2012

(These instructions are for current Stanford students only.  Others please use these instructions.)

Season dates: July 1, 2011 – July 28, 2012
Application Deadline: February 28, 2012

This major archaeological project is seeking enthusiastic excavation volunteers to work in a part of the Roman frontier near Hadrian’s Wall. The Binchester Roman Town Excavation Project is excavating a fort and township near Durham, which is located in one of the richest archaeological landscapes in the world. The region’s archaeological record stretches from the prehistoric and Iron Age, to the Roman occupation, to the early Middle Ages, and beyond.

The project represents an international effort between scholars from Stanford University (USA) and Durham University (UK). Volunteers will spend 4 weeks excavating, processing artifacts, and visiting key archaeological sites in this area of the Hadrian’s Wall frontier zone.

The University will endeavor to pay for the room, board, tuition, fees, and some travel costs of Stanford students accepted into the Field School.

Stanford students who were a Binchester team member last year or in previous seasons:

Please contact the team at binchester-devore@stanford.edu as soon as possible if you wish to return. We have a limited number of returnee positions available. We will contact you if there is an opening for you. There is no need to fill out another application, just email us.

Stanford students who applied previously but whom we were not able to take:

Please contact the team at binchester-devore@stanford.edu as soon as possible if you wish to reapply. We will contact you if we need you to fill out another application.

Stanford students who are newly applying this year:

To apply, send the following to binchester-devore@stanford.edu1. Your name, email, and birth date

2. Your declared major (if any). If not declared yet, please say so.

3. Names and email contact information for two references we can contact

4. Your responses to the following questions (in about 200-300 words each):

  • Why do you want to be a part of the Binchester Archaeological Project?
  • What archaeological and/or vocational experience do you have that might be valuable on the Project? (Please note that no previous archaeological experience is necessary)
  • Give an example of when the arts or history or an idea changed the way you perceive the world.
  • Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

The Project Field School is competitive, and we can accept only a certain amount of applicants.  We encourage you to submit substantive responses to the questions.

All application materials are due February 28, 2012. Soon after that date, we will contact all applicants and let them know if we are able to offer them a space on the team. We may have a second round of application acceptances in April if there are still funded places to be filled.