UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL 2021
FOR DIVERS AND NON-DIVERS
An introductory course in research, documentation and protection of archaeological underwater sites related to the UNESCO World Heritage „Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps” in Austria.
Date: 11th October to 22th October 2021
Location: 1st week St. Lorenz, Lake Mondsee, Austria
2nd week Linz/Leonding, Austria
Language: English
Participation fee: 350 EUR
Please note: Due to the current situation of the pandemic, changes to the programme in general and also to the course and accommodation locations cannot be ruled out.
Students and early career scientists, who are interested or involved in the topic of prehistoric lakeshore sites, are welcome to participate in an international field school on underwater archaeology at Lake Mondsee in Austria.
Participants engage in practical training related to the current underwater excavation at the Neolithic lakeshore site Mooswinkel and surveys at Lake Mondsee in Upper Austria. The course program includes excursions to local museums and archaeological sites, as well as scientific lectures and discussions. Participants with a diving license can participate in surveys, coring activities and the excavation underwater. However, it is not necessary to be a diver to participate in the field school! The field school programme draws on the recent years of underwater archaeological excavations and monitoring of underwater heritage in Austria.
The field school is organized by Kuratorium Pfahlbauten – the Austrian Management of the UNESCO World Heritage “Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps” in cooperation with the OÖ Landes-Kultur GmbH, the Natural History Museum Vienna and the University of Vienna.
Please send your application (download program, invitation and registration form) to info@palafittes.at. Deadline for registration: 30th June 2021
Schedule:
The day of arrival will be Sunday, 10th October. You can check in after 1:00 pm. Members of our team or the hotel crew will welcome you. The name of the hotel of the first week is Seegasthof Weisse Taube. It is located in Schwarzindien 69, 5310 St. Lorenz, Lake Mondsee, Austria. The hotel Weisse Taube is not only the accommodation of the participants of the field school. It is also the temporary research base of the ongoing underwater excavation, as well as the accommodation for the excavation team (you will be in good company).
We will change the location for the second week. You will stay in Leonding or Linz from 17th October to 22nd October. Detailed information about the exact program will be sent to you at a later date. The course program will be held during the working week between 8 am and 5 pm. A lunch break will be scheduled from 12 pm to 1 pm. The participants do not attend courses during weekends. Departure is Friday 22th October. The program ends at 1 pm (if you need to stay another night, please let us know in advance).
Services (costs are included in the participation fee):
Dinner will be prepared for the participants in the first week.
The organizers will provide a bus for excursions.
All participants will receive an official confirmation of their participation in the field school. If you need any special confirmation for your university or employer, please notify us at info@pfahlbauten.at
Monday, 11th October to 15th October 2021:
Participants engage in practical training related to the current underwater excavation at the Neolithic lakeshore site Mooswinkel in Lake Mondsee (Upper Austria) and local surveys.
The course program includes excursions to local museums and archaeological sites, as well as scientific lectures and discussions.
The activities involve the elutriation of sediment samples, training for recognizing and documenting archaeological wetland findings and using simple methods of conservational care.
Within the first week there will be additional activities for divers, although it is not necessary to be a diver to participate in the field school. Participants with a diver license can participate in surveys, coring activities and the excavation underwater. It is necessary to have some diving experience for the participation in underwater activities. Only divers with CMAS** (or equivalent), who have completed a minimum of 40 dives are allowed to participate in work underwater. Please bring your own diving equipment. We recommend the use of a dry suit. The organizers will provide tank and weights. If you need to rent equipment, the nearest local dive shop is “Austrian divers”: Seeleitenstrasse 4e, A-4866 Unterach am Attersee. www.austrian-divers.at
Monday, 18th October to 22nd October 2021:
During the second week the participants will visit the conservation laboratories of the federal state museum of Upper Austria. We will focus on the handling of wetland finds regarding documentation, photography and basics of conservation. The main topics of the second week will be management of research, public relations and publicity in underwater and wetland archaeology.
Similar to the first week, the program of the second week includes excursions, scientific lectures and discussions. Experts from different research topics regarding the underwater excavation and prehistoric pile dwellings will give lectures. During excursions, lectures and discussions the participants have the possibility to gain first-hand information about the development of archaeological wetland research in Austria by archaeologists and scientists conducting research in the area.
