Restarting SIAP for Summer 2026!

Sketch of Smith's Island and St. George's from St. David's by Edmund Hallewell, c1842-1844, courtesy Dr. Edward Harris

The Smith's Island Archaeology Project invites applications to join the Summer 2026 Field School running from May 25 to June 29.  Our work will focus on expanding excavations in the 1612 First Town site at Smallpox Bay, which will include fully defining two partially excavated early buildings and surveying promising new areas that have numerous deep anomalies revealed with Ground Penetrating Radar.

First Town Site Locus A, GIS features with GPR survey to west

First Town Site Locus A, Incomplete excavation of a major structure measuring 16ft by at least 30ft

We will also excavate areas suggested by Ground Penetrating Radar survey near the Oven Site, with the aim of defining the Smith's Fort Captain's Mansion, dating from c.1615 to c.1712.

Oven North - Ground Penetrating Radar anomalies, 15-45 cm slice

Oven North - Ground Penetrating Radar anomalies, 30-70cm slice

Lab analysis in the Bermuda National Trust Globe Museum Archaeology Lab will include study of excavated faunal material, cross-mending of early modern ceramics, processing of floatation samples for bioarchaeological investigation, and further research on early Bermuda's unique daub.

Selected participants will enroll in the University of Rochester's HIST258 - Archaeological Field and Research Methods (4 credits) or HIST 358 - Advanced Archaeological Field and Research Methods (4 credits, for students who have already completed a field school or have one year of previous professional experience). The tuition and program fee for the courses is the same - $5,250 - and includes food, housing, and instruction in Bermuda, exclusive of airfare. Enrollment for 2026 is limited to only EIGHT students and selection will be decided on a competitive basis. The application deadline is March 15, 2026.

To request an application, please email Michael.Jarvis@Rochester.edu

HIST 299 This course introduces you to historic research and field methods in historical archaeology. In the broadest sense, you will learn about cultures and colonization in the early modern Atlantic world through a multidisciplinary approach that draws on documentary, material culture, and architectural sources. Although most of our time will be spent in the field excavating sites on Smith's Island, we will use the entire island of Bermuda and its 400-year history as a classroom for exploring topics such as landscape archaeology, maritime archaeology, historical research, slavery, gender, creolization and ethnogenesis. You will learn about Bermuda’s local history and contemporary culture through field trips, lectures, readings, personal exploration and working alongside Bermudian volunteers. Through public involvement with this dig and visits to local museums, you will gain insights into the fields of public history and archaeology. By the end of this course, you will be competent in basic field excavation techniques, early modern artifact identification, archival research, and the identification of architectural trends.


HIS 399 This course expands and deepens fieldwork, research, and lab analysis skills for students who have already completed an accredited field school or have substantial professional archaeological experience. Students will choose a specialized track of professional development such as site management and supervision, lab management and collections processing, digital archaeology documentation and recording, ground penetrating radar survey, GIS and database management, public archaeology & community outreach, or a specialization developed in consultation with the SIAP director. HIST 399 students may be required to stay an additional week after fieldwork ends to process data and contribute to the final site report.