Tawara International Summer School
Archaeology practical course and dig summer 2019
Our new international course
Tawara Summer Schools are well known for their quality summer courses which provide a wealth of varied, interesting studies across a hugge range of subjects. Until now all our courses have been based in our home town, but this year we are ventureing abroad with a new course. The subject will be practical archaeology and will be based near the site of a Roman city where there will be opportunities to practise the skills of finding, recovering and recording of artefacts.
Dates
There are three archaeology on-site courses running this year. The first starts on the seventh of August 2019 (A1901) and the second on the twenty first of August (A1902). The last one starts in the last week of August. They will be based in Amman in Jordan and will focus on Greco-Roman sites. 
Visits
There will be visits to the amphitheatre in Amman and to the fascinating remains in Petra. There will also be a detailed study of the city of Jerash, just to the north of Amman. The highlight of this part of the course will be the opportunity to join local archaeologists in investigating new parts of the city. This will be a residential part of the course with travel to, and accommodation in, Jerash itself.
Why Jerash?
The city flourished through many periods of civilisation as a Greek, then Roman trading centre. Its history dates back much further to the Bronze Age. The remains that have been uncovered reveal many buildings and structures of the Roman city. Following occupation in the Byzantine period, it continued to flourish under Arabic rule. While it appears to have been deserted for several centuries until records of its habitation reappear under the Ottoman Empire, new research is finding evidence of inhabitants such as Mamluks, Jewish and Muslim settlements. 
The destruction of the city
In 749, a powerful earthquake destroyed many buildings; columns that collapsed along the main street can still be seen in situ today. Gradually the city became buried, and was almost forgotten, but in recent times, more and more has been uncovered with much more remaining to be excavated (some of it under present day Jerash).
What remains of the city?
There is much preserved of the Roman city including the main street through the centre of the city. This is bordered by impressive columns, some of which are still standing. There is the forum flanked by colonnades, a triumphal arch dedicated to the emperor Hadrian, an amphitheatre and fountains. At the north end of the city is the hippodrome; a race course for horses and chariots. Much of the city is remarkably well preserved.
Purpose of the field courses.
Members of our two courses (which overlap) will join together to take part in archaeological digs on the site. This operation will be led by a team of local archaeologists and will teach practical skills of finding, identifying, recording and preserving artefacts found on the site of the dig. Small teams will focus on different aspects of the history of Jerash. There will be opportunities to explore different ages of the occupation of the town from Bronze Age relics to more “modern” finds such as the reconstruction of a recently discovered mosaic floor. 
Field trip studies options			
Historical era	On site location	Activities	
The Bronze Age	Trench	Signs of human activity	
The Greek era	The Hippodrome	Greek style pottery	
Domestic Roman life	Mosaic	Preservation and reconstruction	
The Islamic town	A mosque	Reconstruction of an ancient building	
			
Delegates can choose the option that is most relevant to their own studies.