Dig It

He’s gotten to wield an axe, shoo away scorpions and vipers, and hike for miles in the 100-degree heat of central Italy, which is really good for building character. But for Ben Tobin, who is fascinated by mythology and ancient cultures, the best part of his summer vacation is being a high school student among professional archeologists and college and graduate students attempting to unearth an Etruscan temple at a site called Poggio Civitate.

Ben was part of a group from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, home of the Center for Etruscan Studies, living and working together in an area south of Siena that was the seat of power for the Etruscans. The Etruscan civilization, which predates the Roman one, erected buildings at the site in the late 8th century BCE, some of which were ornately decorated with life-sized terracotta statues of people. According to UMass, the site, first discovered in 1966, hosts international scholars who conduct research and study the region. Participants engage in hands-on work: from clearing trees (hence, the axe) to digging with archeological trowels (participants bring their own from home), to cataloguing, illustrating, and photographing any finds. Ben, who instead of spending his senior year at NMH will attend the early college program at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, stayed for four weeks with scholars and fellow archeological students in a converted villa in the small town of Vescovado di Murlo, about a 25 minute walk from the hill where the group was excavating.