Newton Neto – intern Digital Field Survey Archaeology in Portugal
In a challenging time when it was nearly impossible for a Master student to get some practical experience, I was very happy to be selected for the KNIR Online Internship: Digital Field Survey Archaeology in Portugal. Taking part in this internship was a great opportunity to enhance my knowledge in a number of archaeological subjects that were new to me, such as the importance of intensive and extensive field survey techniques, the identification, analysis and classification of archaeological sites, the study of Roman settlement patterns and the use of GIS to display geographical data in a map. Furthermore, I learned a lot about the state of Archaeology in Portugal and the real world problems faced by archaeologists in their research. It was also an outstanding experience to be able to interact with colleagues from different universities, with various backgrounds and levels of experience, and always ready to share their experience with a relative newcomer like myself. The guidance provided by the coordinators was also a great contribution. As the internship comes to its end, I realize that there is so much that I still have to learn, but I’m happy to have contributed to bring to light a part of the existing legacy surveys, thus helping future researchers to better understand the Roman presence in Portugal. I do expect that the project continues in the future and that more Archaeology students and professionals may benefit from this invaluable learning experience.
Newton Ribeiro Machado Neto (master student University of Coimbra)
1st phase: 22 March – 14 May 2021
2nd phase: 14 June – 9 July 2021
* Minimum one phase, working part-time is possible.
At the end of the project, you will be rewarded with a research stay for a joint workshop at KNIR in Rome after the internship has been completed.
Where: The internship is online (covid-wise), students will be rewarded with a research stay for a joint workshop at KNIR in Rome after the internship has been completed.
For whom: graduated students at Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish universities (holding a Master degree and wishing to pursue a PhD), as well as Master students who are enrolled at one of the KNIR partner Universities in the Netherlands (UvA, VU, UL, UU, RUN, RUG), or at Portuguese and Spanish Universities. We especially urge graduated students who wish to pursue a PhD in Mediterranean/Roman archaeology to apply. The internship could be a suitable stepping stone to one of the PhD positions that will be opened by the connected research project on the archaeology of Roman Portugal in due time.
Internship host: Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR)
Partner university: Leiden University
Description of the host
The Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR) offers a unique academic environment in which students and researchers from Dutch universities and international partners can pursue their research goals and indulge their curiosity in an international interdisciplinary setting. During research stays at the institute students and researchers can explore the wealth of academic resources in Rome. Located in the centre of Rome near the Villa Borghese, the Institute offers an ample 24/7 library with workspaces, as well as accommodation for students and researchers. The Institute facilitates research in disciplines that can benefit from the Roman monuments, institutes, museums and libraries, and the city of Rome and Italian society at large.
KNIR offers in-depth courses and seminars with key scholars in the field of archaeology/ancient history, art history, and history. Students and researchers may also apply for individual fellowships to write a (R)MA or PhD thesis, or develop a new research proposal. At KNIR, graduated students can also develop their application for PhD positions, supported by the KNIR community and scientific staff. Also, KNIR offers internships both at the Institute itself and at partner institutions.
Description of the internship
After the first edition in Italy, the KNIR archaeological online internships are now extended to another Mediterranean region, namely the western Iberian Peninsula. This second edition is conducted in the framework of a bilateral Dutch-Portuguese archaeological project funded by the Dutch Prins Bernhard Culture Foundation. The grant allows to set up an international collaboration with scholars and students at Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch research institutes. The research project focuses on landscape archaeology, and aims to collect both so-called legacy and new field survey data of the western Iberian Peninsula. The wider goal is to study settlement patterns in relation to the Roman expansion in ancient Lusitania (Portugal – western Iberian Peninsula, 3rd c. BC to the 3rd c. AD), and to compare it to other Mediterranean data-sets (esp. in Italy, on which most KNIR research has focused until now).
In the internship students will participate in this research project and help unlocking the legacy survey data of Portugal. Archaeological field walking surveys are a major source of information about past societies. Especially for the Mediterranean area, large survey data-sets from regional projects between the 1970s and now are available. The early projects often, however, used different field methods, which makes it difficult to compare and combine the different data-sets. To understand large-scale developments in the ancient society of the western Iberian Peninsula, we need to integrate the Portuguese field survey data-sets in GIS. In order to achieve this, you will study the documentation of metadata and methods of Portuguese field survey projects. Additionally, the participants will acquire knowledge about the webGIS platform Fasti Online Survey, which offers scholars the opportunity to publish open-access their survey projects, data and metadata.
Your work
Under the supervision of Dr. Anita Casarotto (UL, KNIR fellow) and Dr. Tesse Stek (KNIR, UL), students will collect, systematise in databases, and digitise in GIS a good sample of legacy survey data and information from landscape survey projects conducted in four regions of Portugal: Algarve, Alentejo, Lisbon region and Beira Interior. We will furthermore assist researchers working there with their data publications in Fasti Online Survey, and take care of the data archiving.
In principle, students can do their internship entirely online and it is thus “Covid proof”. Students based in Portugal and Spain, however, can add value to the project by visiting libraries and archives in Portugal and Spain to collect data, aerial photos, historical imagery, and scan books or maps – of course Covid permitting. Expenses such as bus/train tickets to reach libraries, fees to enter libraries, or to make scans and photocopies will be reimbursed by the project.
Training goals, skills and expertise gained by the participants:
- We offer students the possibility to expand their expertise in digital archaeology such as the collection, digitization and management of archaeological field data, specifically of legacy survey data.
- Students will increase their knowledge in archaeological data crowd sourcing, reuse and analysis as well as in open data archiving, preservation policy and stewardship with digital archaeological research infrastructures.
- Students will engage in collaborative archaeology and in what constitutes good practice around publication, authorship, citation and reuse of previously-collected data.
- There are good possibilities to develop your experience further for your (R)MA thesis or PhD, also within framework of the broader research project on Roman Portugal.
Requirements
- Graduated students at Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish universities (in possession of a Master degree in archaeology or related disciplines) or (Research)Master students in archaeology or related disciplines with preferably a specialization in one or more of these fields: field survey/landscape archaeology in Portugal, Portuguese archaeology, ancient topography in Portugal, GIS, open data, digital data acquisition, computational methods. Master students must be enrolled in one of the KNIR partner Universities in the Netherlands (UvA, VU, UL, UU, RUN, RUG) or in Portuguese or Spanish universities; students from other universities can sometimes be admitted as well, contact KNIR about this before applying.
- Basic skills in using GIS software;
- Database and data management skills;
- Digital skills in creating and sharing online content through social media (e.g. YouTube videos; posting to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram); web design experience is an advantage;
- Good communication skills, especially with online communities;
- Fluent in English and good knowledge of the Portuguese language (ideally advanced reading and writing proficiency);
- Field survey experience is an advantage;
As an online internship, a high level of autonomy is important.
Credits: min. 5 ECTS – max. depending on total number of hours, according to the standard hour rate 1 ECTS = 28 hours.
KNIR offers: From 6 to 10 September 2021 there is the possibility of a research stay at the Dutch institute in Rome – KNIR, where students can discuss the results of their internship with the KNIR researchers, and present them to the KNIR and Rome-based scholarly community. This research stay includes free accommodation at the KNIR, as well as a reimbursement for travel costs.
Leiden University and the Prins Bernhard Culture Foundation offer: a compensation of € 200 at the end of the internship.
Application and admission:
The selection of participants (max. 4) is based on:
1) motivation
2) experience
3) the positioning of the internship in the student’s curriculum
Explain all these three aspects in a brief letter of motivation (max. 2 A4), and also indicate for which internship phase(s) you are available (note that the feasibility of the 2nd phase depends on the 1st phase progress).
Prospective participants can apply via the link below; include in your application:
• the letter of motivation (max. 2 A4).
• a brief CV (max. 2 A4).
• a recent list of courses followed and grades provided by your university.
More info
E-mail: secretary@knir.it
Phone: (+39)063269621
