Story from the field: Field School in Aruba
Four bachelor’s students in archaeology have embarked on a month-long field school in Aruba. They will work with Harold Kelly, a local archaeologist at the National archaeological museum of Aruba, and with the research team of Island(er)s at the Helm.
Earliest wave of migration
The group is excavating one of the oldest archaic sites on the island, known as Bringamosa-5, dating back to the period between 1405-1315 BCE. This site is linked to the earliest waves of migration and settlement by archaic groups from the mainland of South America.
Public outreach
Aside from excavating, the students will also be trained in doing surveys in the vicinity of the Bringamosa site and will be actively participating in outreach activities in schools and with the public.
More projects in the Caribbean
The field school in Aruba is certainly not the last Leiden project in the Caribbean this year. Three other field projects will start in early July, namely in Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Trinidad. All of these are directed by PhD candidates of the Faculty of Archaeology, together with teams of bachelor’s students.