Student and other volunteers are invited to apply to work on the project every fall, and an announcement appears annually on the Archaeological Institute of America Fieldwork Opportunities site: (https://www.archaeological.org/programs/professionals/fieldwork/afob/). Preference is given to those with previous fieldwork experience.
Volunteers
- Most summers the archaeological team at Mochlos needs student volunteers to excavate or assess found objects on the Minoan settlement.
Student volunteers are the lifeblood of the Mochlos Project. Without them, we would not be able to complete the objectives that our ambitious project seeks to complete. During study seasons, we provide students with the opportunity to live in Crete for three months while assisting with conservation or studying material for publication. Some students will go out to the island five days a week in order to clean, consolidate, or backfill the site, while other will spend their weekdays at the Institute for Aegean Prehistory in East Crete (INSTAP) in order to study and statistically analyze ceramics.
As a group, we live in the town of Mochlos, directly across the strait from the island on which the archaeological site is found. Our project is extremely hands on, and, if you are considering graduate school, it will provide you with an invaluable skill set that will make you a more competitive applicant to top institutions around the globe.
There are also many lectures throughout the summer that provide students with information about Cretan archaeology from Prehistory to the Byzantine period. Also, if you are only casually curious about archaeology, we will teach you the essentials of archaeological methodology and theory while taking site tours led by senior staff members to many archaeology sites across Crete on the weekends.
Lastly, though Crete is hot in the summer, there is no better way to cool down in the afternoons than a swim within sight of an ancient settlement with sunsets you won’t forget. You’ll never find a summer internship that beats this experience!
Those interested in future summer programs should write to Mr. Luke Kaiser on the Contacts page. - Many students have found their summer internships at Mochlos to be rewarding. Below are some testimonials.
Of the various archaeological projects throughout the Mediterranean, Mochlos is a wonderful project to work on. Minoan history is vaster and more amazing then average history books give it credit for, and Mochlos is a perfect place to learn about this rather intriguing past not covered. More importantly, at least for me, is that the senior staff on the project are exceptionally personable. There’s the risk on many projects that there is a drastic separation between the student volunteers and the staff in charge. From Dr. Soles, our director, to Luke and Giorgos, each senior member is friendly and willing to answer questions. This leads to an environment that promotes learning and helps ease over the length of the project. This is my second summer here and, at the heart of the many reasons which bring me back, there is the fact that the long days are worth the feeling of seeing pottery four thousand years old, getting to handle them and learning the stories behind them.
Sarah Duncan, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2017
The Mochlos Archaeological Project has been the most amazing experience of my entire life! The town of Mochlos and the site on the corresponding island of Mochlos are two of the loveliest hidden gems on Crete and the whole of Greece in my opinion! My favorite part is that you can swim from the town to the site in under 20 minutes (or take a wonderful boat ride to the site if swimming is not your thing)!! The site itself is one of the most amazing Minoan sites I have ever visited. There is so much to see with the Pillar Crypts, the Ceremonial Complex, the Temenos, the house tombs, and all of the wonderful houses. This site is the site that keeps on giving, and I cannot wait to see what hidden treasures it will produce in the future!
Jessica Miller, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2017
The Mochlos team is a stimulating environment where friendship and scholarship drive a powerful group dynamic in the exploration of the ancient culture of the Minoans. I had two of the best summers yet with the Mochlos team: I travelled across Crete, had on-site experience on Mochlos, and learnt the vital work of identifying and recording archaeological remains. I heartily recommend this summer experience as unforgettable, informative and highly encouraging for any student of archaeology or classics.
Barnaby Smith 2014-15
Studying archaeology in Mochlos was an eye-opening experience that assimilated all branches of my university and social experience into a fuller picture of the world, my place in it, and my career. I cannot recommend the experience enough. Between the professional connections and on the job experience, the trip is priceless for anyone who seeks a career in archaeology.
Conor Turoci, 2014
I think Mochlos was an awesome experience for me because it combined all the things I'm looking for. It was mentally stimulating work that was also super exciting because everyone there was so passionate about what they were doing. It was impossible not to get swept up in it and want to be a part of it because it has this unique energy. Then when that was combined with the family atmosphere, the setting, and the food it was easily my favorite months I've spent anywhere. Also nothing compares with getting off the boat and having Sifis ready with an ice cold beer.
Shawn Nelson, 2013
No matter what your interests are, Mochlos is a rich site offering diverse research opportunities. Not only does the site offer wonderful learning opportunities, but the staff and team members as well, and the sense of camaraderie is unparalleled. Mochlos is a life changing experience in every sense and I highly recommend it to any student looking to pursue archaeology.
Danielle Verrier, 2013
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Below is a list of readings for those interested in acquainting themselves with Minoan art.
AEGEAN POTTERY AND PAINTING
Avner, R. 1984. "The Thera Ships: Another Interpretation." American Journal of Archaeology 88: 11–19.
Betancourt, P.P. 1985. The History of Minoan Pottery. Princeton.
Doumas, C. 1999. The Wall Paintings of Thera. Athens.
Furumark, A. 1972. Mycenaean Pottery. Stockholm.
Immerwahr, S. 1990. Aegean Painting in the Bronze Age. University Park
Morgan, L., ed. 2005. Aegean Wall Painting. A Tribute to Mark Cameron. London.
Morgan, L. 2000. "Form and Meaning in Figurative Painting." The Wall Paintings of Thera. Proceedings of the First International Symposium, Petros M. Nomikos Conference Centre, Thera, Hellas, 30 August - 4 September 1997, Sherratt, S., ed., Vol. II. Athens, Thera Foundation - Petros M. Nomikos and The Thera Foundation, 925–946.
Morgan, L. 1988. The Miniature Wall Paintings of Thera: A Study in Aegean Culture and Iconography. New York.
Morris, S. 1989. "A Tale of Two Cities: The Miniature Frescoes from Thera and Origins of Greek Pottery." American Journal of Archaeology 93: 511–535.
Mountjoy, P.A. 1993. Mycenaean Pottery: An Introduction. Oxford.
Warren, P. 1979. "The Miniature Fresco from the West House at Akrotiri, Thera and its Aegean Setting." Journal of Hellenic Studies 99: 115–129.
GENERAL GREEK STUDIES
Barr-Sharrar B. and E.N. Borza, eds. 1982. Macedonia and Greece in Late Classical and Early Hellenistic Times. Washington.
Belozerskaya, M. and K. Lapatin. 2004. Ancient Greece: Art, Architecture, and History. Los Angeles.
Biers, W. 1996. Introduction to Greek Archaeology. 2nd ed. Ithaca, N.Y.
Biers, W.1992. Art, Artifacts and Chronology in Classical Archaeology. London.
Boardman, J. 1999. The Greeks Overseas. Their Early Colonies and Trade. London and New York.
Burn, L. 2004. Hellenistic Art: From Alexander the Great to Augustus. London.
Cartledge, P. 1993. The Greeks. A Portrait of Self and Others. Oxford.
Charbonneaux, J. 1973. Hellenistic Art (330-50B.C.). New York.
Coldstream, N. 2003. Geometric Greece. 2nd ed. London.
Donohue, A., and M. Fullerton, eds. 2003. Ancient Art and Its Historiography. Cambridge.
Dunbabin, T.J. 1968. The Western Greeks. The History of Sicily and South Italy from the Foundation of the Greek Colonies to 480 BC. Oxford.
Ferrari, G. 2002. Figures of Speech: Men and Maidens in Ancient Greece. Chicago.
Fullerton, M. 2000. Greek Art. Cambridge.
Garnsey, P. 1999. Food and Society in Classical Antiquity. Cambridge.
Green, P. 1993. Hellenistic History and Culture. Berkeley.
Hanson, V.D. 1998. Warfare and Agriculture in Ancient Greece. Berkeley.
Hanson, V.D. 1999. The Wars of the Ancient Greeks: And their Invention of Western Military Culture. London.
Hurwit, J.M. 1985. The Art and Culture of Early Greece, 1100-480 B.C. Ithaca, N.Y.
Koloski-Ostrow, A. and C. Lyons, eds. 1997. Naked Truths: Women, Sexuality and Gender in Classical Art and Archaeology. London.
Langdon, S., ed. 1997. New Light on a Dark Age. Exploring the Culture of Geometric Greece. Columbia MO.
Langlotz, E. and M. Hirmer. 1965. The Art of Magna Graecia. London.
Lemos, I. 2002. The Protogeometric Aegean. Oxford.
Lewis, S. 2002. The Athenian Woman: An Iconographic Handbook. London.
Morris, S. 1992. Daidalos and the Origins of Greek Art. Princeton.
Munn, M. 2000. The School of History: Athens in the Age of Socrates. California.
Murray, O. 1980. Early Greece. Glasgow.
Onians, J. 1999. Classical Art and Cultures of Greece and Rome. Yale.
Osborne, R. 1996. Greece in the Making, 1200-479 BC. London.
Osborne, R. 1998. Archaic and Classical Greek Art. Oxford.
Pedley, J.G. 2007. Greek Art and Archaeology. 4th ed. New York.
Podlecki, A.J. 1998. Perikles and His Circle. London.
Pollitt, J.J. 1972. Art and Experience in Classical Greece. Cambridge.
Pollitt, J.J. 1986. Art in the Hellenistic Age. New York.
Pollitt, J.J. 1990. The Art of Greece, 1400-31 B.C.: Sources and Documents. Cambridge.
Pomeroy, S.B. 2002. Spartan Women. Oxford.
Richter, G. 1987. Handbook of Greek Art. New York.
Scanlon, T.F. 2002. Eros and Greek Athletics. Oxford.
Shipley, G. 2000. The Greek World after Alexander. London.
Snodgrass, A.M. 2001 The Dark Age of Greece. New York.
Sparkes, B. 1991. Greek Art. Oxford.
Stewart, A.F. 1997. Art, Desire, and the Body in Ancient Greece. Cambridge.
Spivey, N. 1997. Greek Art. London.
Whitley, J. 2001. The Archaeology of Ancient Greece. Cambridge.
Woodford, S. 2003. Images of Myths in Classical Antiquity. Cambridge.
