Students are welcome to participate to the departmental systematic excavations of the NKUA at Marathon-Plasi (northeast Attica), which regularly take place from late April or early May (after Easter vacation) to early June, and usually last five (5) weeks.

Participation

Participation is optional and students are able to attend two (2) days per week (max. 3 weeks of attendance). Participation should be organized in such a way that does not intervene with the seminars and other academic duties. Transfer to the site is organized by the NKUA, and all details are communicated to the participants fair soon, before the beginning of the excavation period.

The Marathon excavation

The fieldwork at Marathon is a collective project of the Department of Archaeology and History of Art of NKUA, subject of which is the excavation, conservation, study and publication of the Prehistoric Settlement and the Classical Demos of Marathon at Plasi, in northeast Attica. Cross-disciplinary in nature, the research combines different scientific techniques, related to archaeometry, micromorphology, geophysical prospection, and environmental approach.

Beyond its scientific aspect, the Marathon excavations program has educational character. This is the main training ground of all NKUA students as part of their curriculum in archaeology. More specifically, students are trained in:

• modern field practices, including excavation techniques and digital methods of recording (high accuracy GNSS for the coordinates, tablets and ODK software for the documentation, photogrammetry and drones for creating georeferenced 3D models, laser scanning),

• public archaeology, through structured educational activities designed for school kids from Marathon and further afield.