From July 14 to August 8, 2025, the RCE, in cooperation with Museum Batavialand, is organizing the Field School of Marine Archaeology Flevoland. There is room for a total of 10 new and 5 returning students with ambition in the field of maritime archaeology.
About the field school
The field school will take place in Zeewolde and at Museum Batavialand in Lelystad. In Zeewolde, two shipwrecks will be investigated. The first is the water ship from the early 16th century, which we have been researching since 2022. The water ship can be seen as the classic fishing ship of the Zuiderzee, believed to have existed since the 14th century. This year is the last campaign on this wreck. The emphasis is on digital documentation techniques, dendrochronology and reconstruction.
The second project is a 16th-century cargo ship, where we will be conducting a small-scale exploratory survey this year. We will investigate the condition of the wreck and try to gather more information about the dating and ship type. In Zeewolde you will learn about ship archaeology, work with (digital) excavation techniques and get experience with all aspects of a ship excavation.
During the field school various workshops will take place at Museum Batavialand on ship carpentry, conservation, museology, public archaeology, the Batavia and the national ship archaeological collection. The field school consists of 2/3 practical fieldwork and 1/3 lectures and workshops. During the field school we organize a field trip related to the shipwrecks we are investigating.
Practical information
- Board and lodging (Glamping Zeewolde) and transportation to all locations will be arranged
- Transportation costs to and from Zeewolde on Mondays and Fridays will be reimbursed
- The field school is in Dutch
- There is no internship stipend
Requirements
The following requirements apply to new or returning students:
Requirements for new students
- Basic fieldwork methods in archaeology should be known
- Youare available for the entire period
Requirements returning students
- Field school participation in one or two previous years
- You can demonstrate that maritime archaeology is an important part or major of your studies
- You are available for the entire period
Sign up
Because places are limited, we would like motivated students with ambitions in maritime archaeology. Therefore, we ask you to write a cover letter addressing your experience and what you hope to learn during field school. We require senior students to set clear learning goals in the letter. This letter can be mailed until March 1, 2025 to the field school coordinator: Dr. W.B. Waldus: w.waldus@cultureelerfgoed.nl
