British Archaeology Summer School
With Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, England
6th July - 6th August 2010
This high profile month long summer school gave 19 American university students an opportunity to learn, at source, about the archaeology of Britain with top Professors in the field.
Course
The academic course had four principal components:
1. A series of 26 lectures given by senior academics covering the successive periods of British prehistoric and post-prehistoric archaeology, from the earliest settlement of Britain to the end of the medieval period ca.1500 ad.
2. An associated series of 6 lectures devoted to aspects of archaeological method and theory, combined with guided visits to the laboratories of the Cambridge University McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and Cambridge University’s Archaeological Field Unit.
3. A 5-day study tour of Ancient Wessex to visit many of the most important archaeological sites in southern England.
4. Field visits to the Roman and medieval sites of Verulamium, Sutton Hoo, West Stow, Flag Fen, Peterborough cathedral and Ely cathedral.
Shorter visits were made to see the collections of Cambridge University Fitzwilliam Museum, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the British Museum (London) and the unique collection of Anglo- Saxon and early medieval manuscripts housed in the Parker Library of Corpus Christi College itself – containing almost 25 percent of the known Anglo-Saxon manuscripts world-wide. The students also had a chance to visit a live excavation site which was being excavated by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit.
Ancient Wessex Tour
In addition to the series of field visits closer to Cambridge, the Summer School included a five-day excursion to the area of ancient Wessex, during which they visited some of the most important archaeological sites in southern England, including the famous Neolithic and Bronze-age sites of Stonehenge, Woodhenge, Avebury, West Kennet and Durrington Walls, and the sites of Silchester (Roman) and Old Sarum (Neolithic to medieval). The field trip also incorporated visits to local museums and at all the sites they were led by specialists, including Julian Richards, who has dedicated a significant amount of his career to the study of Stonehenge. He is also well known as a television and radio broadcaster, who has presented programs such as Meet the Ancestors and Blood of the Vikings for the BBC.
Corpus Christi College
The students stayed in the centre of Cambridge at Corpus Christi College, one of the historic colleges forming the University of Cambridge. Founded by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Corpus Christi bears the distinction of being the only college in Oxford or Cambridge to be founded by the town citizens, rather than a royal, rich, or other important person.
One of the college’s most famous assets is the Parker Library, named after Matthew Parker (1504–75), Master of the College and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Treasures include the earliest copy of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and a bound copy of the St Augustine Gospels from the 6th century. A special visit to the library was made under the expert guidance of Dr Christopher de Hamel, a leading authority on medieval manuscripts and former head of medieval manuscripts at Sotheby’s.
Former students of the college include the Elizabethan dramatist (and spy!) Christopher Marlowe, American author Christopher Isherwood, and the well-known seventeenth-century British archaeologist and antiquarian (and Druid advocate) Sir William Stukeley.
Today the college is home to a very active, international community of 400 students (from all academic disciplines). The college is located in the centre of Cambridge and consists of the medieval buildings of Old Court, constructed around 1352, and the later New Court, built by the famous Regency architect William Wilkins in 1827. A recent addition to the college is the extraordinary Chronophage clock, designed by former student Dr John Taylor, now one of the most photographed tourist attractions in Cambridge!
The students were very privileged to receive a short introduction to the Summer School from the present Master of the College (and former British Ambassador to Kuwait) Stuart Laing, at a reception held in the college gardens. The Reverend James Buxton gave a fascinating tour of the college grounds and buildings, including the current chapel and neighbouring St Bene't's Church.
College Life
Accommodation at Corpus Christi was in single rooms in historic Botolph Court, part of which dates back to 1500. Meals were taken in the college dining hall, apart from the occasional picnic, and students experienced a formal, traditional dinner as enjoyed by generations of Cambridge scholars.
The students had access to the college library facilities, as well as computer rooms, and the communal space of the 'JCR'. Internet access was available in rooms for those with laptops.
Optional theatre visits, concerts and other cultural activities were kindly arranged by student coordinator, Emily Hallinan.
The students also had time to explore for themselves the delights of Cambridge, a city which combines a wealth of history with an exciting and multicultural present.
Tutors
Professor Sir Paul Mellars, PhD, ScD, FBA, FSA (Course Director. Palaeolithic)
Paul Mellars is Professor of Prehistory and Human Evolution at Cambridge University, and Director of Studies in Archaeology at Corpus Christi College. He is recognized as one of the leading world authorities on European Neanderthals and the origins and dispersal of ‘Modern’ (Homo sapiens) populations from Africa. He has also excavated and published monographs on major excavations at the Mesolithic sites of Star Carr and Oronsay in Britain. He is a former President and Acting Master of Corpus Christi College.
Katherine Boyle, PhD FSA (Course Co-director. Environmental & Economic Archaeology)
Katie Boyle is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge and a Senior Administrator in Research at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. She has undertaken and published extensive research on patterns of animal exploitation among Palaeolithic and later prehistoric populations in Europe. She is the author of numerous publications on the Palaeolithic and Neolithic archaeozoological record of western Europe, and is currently working on the survival of hunting as a subsistence strategy among Neolithic farmers.
James Gerrard PhD (Roman Archaeology)
James Gerrard is a Research Associate in the McDonald Institute at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of a number of papers and articles on the end of Roman Britain and has excavated several important Roman and early medieval urban and rural settlements.
Catherine Hills, PhD, FSA (Medieval)
Catherine Hills is Senior Lecturer in Medieval Archaeology at the University of Cambridge. She is the author of numerous publications on the medieval archaeology of Britain and western Europe, and has undertaken and published major excavations on the early medieval sites of Spong Hill (Norfolk) and elsewhere.
Sacha Jones PhD (Lower Palaeolithic)
Sacha Jones is a Research Associate in the McDonald Institute at the University of Cambridge. She specialises in the Palaeolithic period, in particular that of North Africa and India. She is involved in field research taking place in Cyrenaica in Libya, which includes landscape surveys, excavation of the Haua Fteah cave and analysis of lithic assemblages.
Sheila Kohring (Method & Theory)
Sheila Kohring is an Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, teaching on the Later European Prehistory module and the core archaeological theory papers. She has excavated and conducted research in Mesoamerica, North America and Europe as a contract archaeologist and academic. Her most recent research has looked at technological practices and knowledge during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age of Spain, the Channel Islands and southern England. Her recent publications have evaluated ideas of social complexity, the creation of archaeological knowledge, and the sociality of technological practices.
Caroline Malone, PhD, FSA (Neolithic and Bronze-age)
Caroline Malone is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at Queen’s University, Belfast (Northern Ireland) and was formerly Keeper of Later European Prehistory at the British Museum and Curator of the Avebury Museum. She has undertaken excavations at major Prehistoric sites in Italy, Malta, England and Scotland.
Simon Stoddart, PhD, FSA (Iron-age)
Simon Stoddart is Senior Lecturer in Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and one of the leading international authorities on the Iron Age Archaeology of Britain and Mediterranean Europe. With his wife, Dr Caroline Malone, he has undertaken excavations at many European prehistoric sites.
Affiliations
Corpus Christi College of the University of Cambridge has a longstanding relationship with the ACE Foundation and is hosting this course as part of a number of affiliated projects. Full details of the college can be found at www.corpus.cam.ac.uk.
Assessment and Credits
Most students took the assessment, including those not claiming credits. Students were assessed not only by attendance, but also by completion of a paper on a topic of the student's choice (ca.2000-words) and a two-hour written test at the end of the course. Whilst neither Corpus Christi nor the ACE Foundation can award credits directly, most of those claiming credits were able to claim 8 for completing the full course. Students completing the full course were awarded a certificate containing a full transcript.
Cost
The cost of the month-long programme was $4900. This included accommodation, both at the college and in Wessex, meals, tuition, seminars, internet access, special University facilities and all field trips (including travel) and admission costs.
Eligibility
Participation in the summer school was limited to undergraduate and graduate students of four-year accredited colleges or universities. Applicants required a cumulative grade point average of B or better for their college studies.
Scholarships
A number of part-scholarships of $500 to $1000 were offered by the ACE Foundation to students in genuine need of financial aid. Applicants required a letter of recommendation from a senior faculty member.