Student digs up Roman pottery from 200 A.D.

In the heart of Rome,  senior Kelsey Bidwell spent two weeks uncovering ancient artifacts with the Monte Testaccio archaeological project.

Monte Testaccio is one of the world’s largest archives of ancient Roman commerce and is located in one of the most popular areas of the city center, next to the shore of the Tiber River.

Bidwell worked with ArchaeoSpain, an educational field school and archaeological organization.

“I think it’s really important that people who are interested in archaeology participate in a field school,” Bidwell said. “There are a lot available at IU, even for people who are just curious about archeology.”

Bidwell worked six hours on site each day, six days a week, for two weeks.

“The team from the University of Barcelona excavates this every year and invites people from ArchaeoSpain to help them,” Bidwell said. “We do the same thing archeologists do, but we’re volunteers.”

Bidwell said she was working with artifacts from the third century when she discovered pottery from 200 A.D.

Ancient Romans painted many of the pieces with writing, and a high percentage of the writing was in Latin, describing where the product came from with specific dates, she said.

“Ninety-nine percent of the pottery on the site is amphorae shards,” said Antoni Pugi, Monte Testaccio’s team leader. “This is because the place was a specific dump for the trade of olive oil, used just for the amphorae from some specific port facilities related with that trade.”

Pugi said the writing on the amphorae, a type of ceramic vase, revealed the weight of the container, the oil inside and the name of the trader, altogether giving an archive of economic documents dealing with Roman trade.

“It was pretty magical when you put things together and you had every piece in the same place,” Bidwell said. “When you put it together, you’re able to see the shape of the vessel and learn more about it.”

Bidwell said she single-handedly put together beautiful pieces of an amphora at the site, which was one of her most memorable experiences.

“We can only learn about what (ancient Romans) were importing based on the trash they left behind,” Bidwell said. “This has exposed a lot more about commerce in ancient Rome.”

Bidwell said her dream job would be to work in a museum, which is one of the best ways to work with artifacts from ancient Rome. She is currently a double major in Latin and classical civilizations with a minor in archaeology.

“As an ArchaeoSpain program member, Kelsey has been involved in all the tasks the rest of the University volunteers are, involving the classification of the pottery, the labeling of the shards and the reconstruction of some of the better preserved pots,” Pugi said. “She has been working alongside the professionals and team volunteers doing and learning how to do exactly the same tasks.”

ArchaeoSpain director Mike Elkin said students could only benefit from working with the program.

“Students who join ArchaeoSpain programs not only learn about how an archaeological project works, but they are immersed in a new culture and language,” Elkin said. “And for archaeologists, context is everything.”