Digs 2006: Odyssey’s Annual Roundup

Uncover ancient timbered dwellings in Roman Britain, sketch prehistoric rock art in Italy, piece together pottery sherds in Greece and Spain—with the help of our annual Digs issue, you can travel back into the ancient world.

On pages 44–45 we provide a detailed chart listing excavation opportunities for volunteers in the territory we cover: the Mediterranean region and Near East (as well as some places where peoples from these regions settled). We also talk to a dig director, Bulgarian archaeologist Bojan Dumanov (p. 40), whose excavation of a Late Roman fortress at the lovely Bulgarian site of Gorno Nova selo welcomes volunteers.

Unfortunately, many big digs in Egypt, Turkey and other archaeology-rich countries do not use volunteers. So, by specific request, we include a list of excavation opportunities in Jordan and Israel (p. 43), for the latter country has been a pioneer in this regard.

Our expanded digs section includes a list of study-abroad programs (p. 41) and offers a brief glance—in what we call the Fact Sheet (pp. 38–43)—at each country we cover, listing some of the more important archaeological features. After all, if you can’t join a dig, you can at least visit a site. Finally, in this issue’s Past Perfect (p. 28), the British children’s author Mary Chubb (1903–2003) recounts her experiences excavating at Tell el-Amarna, in Egypt, where she uncovered a statue depicting one of Pharaoh Akhenaten’s daughters. Enjoy!