Exploring Roman Dacia through Archaeology!
The opening of the 2024 Apulum Roman Villa Project campaign has been a success. Both the Canadian and Romanian students arrived by Sunday 16th June, and we assembled the following day at the Muzeul Naţional al Unirii Alba Iulia, where the excavation tools were gathered and prepared for transportation to the site. A small team …
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This week marks the end of the AVRP 2023 field season. Our final week was cut short by rain, so half of the crew went to the museum to begin washing all the bones and pottery we found this season; a monumental task! Those that finished up the work at the museum on Saturday got …
Week 4, our last week and the mad dash to the finish line! The week started strong, and with the cooler temperatures and breeze the teamwork worked hard to finish their areas. Area C were on their A-game, keeping all their open contexts in order. Area A-East dug out their huge “crack” and pit. And …
This weekend we visited not one, not two, but three sites on our excursion! We began our day at Colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa, the capital of Roman Dacia. It was raining in the morning so we visited the site museum. We were able to see sculptures, floor mosaics, and other artifacts. When the rain finally stopped …
Our third week here was full of activity as we fell into an already-established rhythm, finally feeling like we really understood why we were digging through dirt at 7:15 in the morning. All three trenches (A-East, A-West, and C) worked to establish a chronology of the structures found in our areas, from their construction to …
Climbing hills was the name of the game on our week two excursion to the Dacian hillforts of Costeşti and Sarmizegetusa Regia. Located in the Orăștie Mountains about an hour’s drive away from our site, we stopped first at Costeşti, a Dacian hillfort built around the first century BCE. After a two kilometre hike up …
Continuing the work, we have delved into actual archaeology this week. Students are now interpreting, understanding, and handling the archaeological materials. Despite the sun constantly scorching us and attempting to dampen our passion, the findings have been fueling up our enthusiasm. We have discovered traces of little animals left on the tiles; their paw prints! …
Once again, the first weekend of our field season included a tour of the citadel at the heart of Alba Iulia. Each year there is more to see and revisit in the museums, churches, and archaeological ruins and reconstructions. Aurel Rustoiu (Institute of Archaeology and Art History, Cluj-Napoca) led our tour and explained the history …
The first week of the ARVP 2023 season has just concluded and it was a journey to get here! Many of the students travelled far and wide to uncover what was left by the people living at this villa in Oarda-Bulza and we were met with the extreme heat that has been plaguing Europe. While …
The beginning of the week at the Oarda-Bulza archaeological site was cloudy and rain circled around us three days in a row. In the end, the sun showed its face, which allowed us to take some cool pics. Finally, I wish everyone a beautiful vacation and I hope to see you soon for a new …
Apulum Roman Villa Project