In merely a month’s time, I along with two other Lincoln students, will be travelling to south-west Spain where we will be taking part in an archaeological excavation, supported by funding from the School of History and Heritage.
In the city of Merida lies, amongst a plethora of historical artefacts, a series of excavation sites revealing ancient Roman ruins. For a number of years, archaeologists have been painstakingly removing the ground to reveal an incredibly timeworn world beneath the feet of Merida’s residents.
We will be joined by excavation experts and fellow students from the mighty Oxford and various Spanish and Portuguese universities. I am looking forward to meeting so many new, and undoubtedly interesting people during my stay in Merida, and hope to develop my language skills. The experience will afford us students with an insight into how excavations are run, applicable for future job searching in the field. I think I can speak for all three of us when I say how grateful we ae to have been given this amazing opportunity.
A long with my trusty, and already worn in, steel toe-capped boots, I will be bringing with me some protective gloves and if I can get a hold of any, some kneepads. The latter of which has been recommended by more than one archaeologist. It will be strange to consider myself part of the grave-digging clique of historians, having spent most of my academic time digging through Google Scholar rather than Roman amphitheatres. The heat may be a bit more difficult to deal with given my Nordic skin-tone and very British disdain towards weather of any kind.
I trust that I will be in safe hands, given that it will be the first time I have spent more than two weeks in another foreign country (without my parents). But there is a first time for everything, and I believe this trip will hold many firsts for me.
Bradley Taylor (2nd year History and Politics student)