Each year, our research team excavates the Roman City of Sanisera from May until the October. They dedicate four hours a day to field work following the Harris Matrix. In addition to the daily excavation, they also dedicate two hours per day to cleaning, labeling and inventorying the archaeological material found during the dig.

In this classic site, from the Roman era, more than 80% of the archaeological material found  is pottery, while approximately 15% is fauna skeletal remains. The remaining percentage of finds (around 5%) are metal objects or glass fragments.

From the excavation, we recover pottery with extraordinary qualities; form, size, decoration, type, maker’s marks, etc., making each distinctive and important. Each important piece will be studies in the laboratory following a set methodology.

The first half of the course will center on the pottery finds from Sanisera, drawing the pieces using the software Adobe Illustrator (which participants will be taught to use), classifying and cataloging the pieces following a bibliography specific to roman pottery typology.

The second half of the course will focus on the fauna remains (zooarchaeology) recovered during the excavations at Sanisera. By studying these remains in detail we expect to further our knowledge on different aspects of the habitants of Sanisera; diet, conducts and preparation of food, the importance of meat and fish in the diet of the habitants, etc. Participants will learn how to classify bones by species and skeletal location. They will also learn pathology and how the markings on the bones inform us about their preparation and consumption by humans. Once studied, fauna remains will be cataloged and entered into a database.
       
All of the archaeological material found in the excavation is studied in accordance with the heritage laws of Spain and the norms following archaeological interventions set by the Balearic Islands.