Archaeology: Gervase Programs: Learning to Lead

Leader: Jack Carlson

Members: Chris Robinson, Eric Wind

The Archaeology Cluster seeks to open up the interdisciplinary subject of archaeology to a wider audience at Georgetown. Archaeology as the study of material culture and remains encompasses a wide range of methodologies. Scientific and technical expertise; language skills; and historical, art-historical, and anthropological knowledge all form parts of the discipline of archaeology. Even international relations, ethics and law have important bearing on the subject of archaeology today (think about recent spats between the Getty or the Met and Italy or Greece, or why Taiwan's hordes of ancient Chinese art can only be displayed in a few countries outside of the island itself). Moreover, archaeology spans the whole range of human cultures and periods: from Pre-Columbian America to the Etruscans and the Byzantine Empire and the Zhou Dynasty, archaeology is a key element of our understanding of the past.

A wealth of local resources are available to us. With faculty from many different departments and from both Georgetown College and the Walsh School of Foreign Service involved in archaeology; one of the world's leading centers for Byzantine and New World archaeology (Dumbarton Oaks) just a few blocks away; numerous archaeological sites in the area; and the Washington branch of the Archaeological Institute of America's series of lectures - some of which are hosted at Georgetown, the cluster has many possibilities before it. The cluster will pursue these activities, as well as discussions of current issues in archaeology on a monthly basis, and will operate with the goal of increasing exposure for this multi-faceted subject to a wider range of students at Georgetown.