The workshops each day comprised a lecture and hands-on experiments. During the first session, students were introduced to the discipline of archaeology, excavation techniques, and scientific dating analyses. Divided into pairs, they had a topographic map and had to choose a limited number of squares to survey, simulating what archaeologists do in real life. Next, the students were tasked with excavating their own “site”: a box prepared in advance with different soil types, structures, and artefacts hidden in the sediment. They had to apply what they had recently learned in the lecture and excavate their box, paying attention to stratigraphy and record keeping.
On the second day, the students were exposed to three specialty topics: stratigraphy, museum theory, and an introduction to GILAP’s work at Tsiteli Gorebi 5. Elena Rova led the lecture on Tsiteli Gorebi 5. Students also watched the animation called “Jack and Matrix”, which was created in collaboration with the Italian Embassy of Georgia, about sites in Georgia excavated by the Italian archaeological expeditions.
For the final day, students visited GILAP’s expedition house. They visited each expedition member to learn about their work for the excavation, including artefact drawing, ceramic analysis, and artefact photography. The youth also had the chance to do a bit of work themselves; they washed and left out to dry the artefacts from that day’s excavation.
The 2019 youth program headed by GILAP and the Lagodekhi Museum acquainted students with the current activities of the expedition and highlighted the collaboration between countries inherent in many archaeological expeditions. Students had the opportunity to participate in hands-on experiments and perform tasks normally completed by experienced archaeologists. The expedition hopes to continue the successful youth programs in the coming years in partnership with the Lagodekhi Museum.
