CU Denver’s Anthropology faculty-led field school on the Island of Vis, Croatia, places students at two active prehistoric cave sites—Guiceva Špilja and Magareca Špilja—where they work alongside faculty and international research collaborators to investigate Paleolithic life, human dispersal, and adaptation in the Adriatic region. Students rotate through excavation, mapping, recording, sediment screening, artifact recovery, laboratory processing, and digital data management, including total-station mapping and photogrammetry. Daily fieldwork, weekly lectures, and exploration of Vis’s archaeological, historical, and cultural landscapes create an immersive experience that develops professional skills, scientific reasoning, teamwork, and confidence.

"Our Croatia program is special to me because it represents the kind of collaborative, international research environment that shaped my own career. I’ve worked in Europe for more than 20 years building partnerships, being a part of teams, training teams, and uncovering evidence that changes how we understand human history. Bringing students into that process is the most meaningful part of my work."  --Dr. Jamie Hodgkins

What students gain

• Real excavation experience: Participate in supervised excavation at active prehistoric cave sites and contribute to ongoing archaeological research.
• Professional field training: Develop practical skills as an excavator, mapper, recorder, siever, and laboratory technician.
• Digital documentation skills: Learn total-station surveying, photogrammetry, and digital field-data management.
• Scientific research experience: Work with archaeological materials, sediments, stratigraphy, and site-formation evidence to investigate past human lifeways.
• Career preparation: Build the technical, collaborative, and documentation skills relevant to cultural resource management, museums, heritage work, graduate study, and related fields.
• International collaboration: Learn within a faculty-led, international research community while living and working on an Adriatic island with a deep and complex human history.
• Personal and professional growth: Strengthen confidence, adaptability, problem-solving, independence, and teamwork in an immersive field setting.

Why a field school matters

A field school is an essential part of archaeological training because it teaches students how archaeological knowledge is made. Excavation requires much more than finding artifacts: it depends on careful observation, accurate mapping, detailed records, laboratory processing, and collaborative interpretation. Because excavation permanently changes a site, archaeologists must document each layer, object, and observation precisely. Field-school students learn to protect and record archaeological context while developing the scientific reasoning needed to interpret evidence responsibly. They also learn what day-to-day archaeological work is actually like—an important step for students considering careers in archaeology, cultural resource management, museums, heritage, paleoanthropology, environmental science, or graduate research.

“A field school is a life experience. Students are able to step into the real practice of archaeology. It’s a chance to build skills, explore a beautiful place, and take a major step toward your future in archaeology. Growth demands a temporary surrender of security, meaning you must step outside your everyday comfort zone to do new things. Traveling internationally is challenging, but what a wonderful challenge it is.”  --Dr. Jamie Hodgkins

Learn more and apply here!