Event: WEDS TALKS: Come Dig with Me: Fieldwork Adventures in Armenia

ABSTRACT: This talk explores the fieldwork experiences of undergraduate students participating in the Masis Blur Neolithic Archaeological Project in Armenia. As one of the region's earliest known farming settlements, Masis Blur offers a rich context for hands-on learning in archaeological excavation, analysis, and cultural heritage preservation. The presentation highlights student involvement in daily field operations, laboratory work, and engagement with the local and culture. Through firsthand accounts the talk underscores the value of experiential learning in shaping future archaeologists. But put simply, come, learn what we did last summer!

BIO: Kristine Martirosyan-Olshansky is an assistant researcher at the Cotsen where she directs the Armenia Laboratory, and she has been the co-directing the Masis Blur Archaeological Project since 2012. Rosalyn Campbell is a bioarchaeologist and Egyptologist who has excavated through the Middle East, Africa, as well as Peru and North America. Chloe Gupta, Elizabeth Petrick, Eric Large, and Holland Fox are undergraduate students at UCLA. Chloe, Elizabeth, and Eric are also the founding members of the “risen from the ashes” Undergraduate Archaeology Club.