The section of rupestre.net about Valcamonica summer fieldworks

Valcamonica Archaeology and Rock Art Fieldwork
-- > all 2021 fieldwork infos (Jul 15 - Aug 05) in the specific TRACCE page

--> Valcamonica, campagna estiva 2021 di Archeologia Rupestre



Panorama from Paspardo over the Concarena mountain   

--> Valcamonica Rockart Fieldschool Facebook profile

Paspardo, Valcamonica (Italy)

The Footsteps of Man Archaeological Cooperative Society is based in Valcamonica, an alpine valley comprised between the province of Bergamo and  Brescia in Northern Italy, where rock art constitutes an archaeological, artistic, ethnographic and historical patrimony of inestimable value, not only for its antiquity but, above all, for the thematic and iconographic wealth.

The rupestrian tradition of Valcamonica consists of about three hundred thousands engraved figures mainly located in  open air and on flat rocks.
Valcamonica, Naquane, Iron Age warrior, tracing
Iron Age warrior, tracing
The art is distributed across five fundamental periods from Palaeolithic to the arrival of the Romans in the valley.

As an active rock art centre, member of IFRAO (International Federation of Rock Art Organizations), the Footsteps of Man organizes its annual archaeology fieldwork at Paspardo, one of the major area with engravings concentration, giving the opportunity to those interested (archaeologists and scholars, students and  enthusiasts) to help the research and the study of the rock art of Valcamonica.

The project participants will: survey, excavate, clean, photograph, draw and catalogue the rocks engraved in three main sites at Paspardo, Valcamonica: Vite-Deria, Dos Costapeta, Dos Sulif.


Paspardo - Valcamonica

Tracing Valcamonica Rock Art
Tracing Valcamonica rock art, Iron Age figures    
Valcamonica, Paspardo, Taranis figure
Taranis, an Iron Age God
The archaeological site is Paspardo and others areas in Valcamonica, where  there are many engravings  and situated in different places. The engravings are dated from the Neolithic to the Middle Age.

The project consists of different phases, some are made on the sites, some in the laboratory:

1) researches on the sites: surveys for finding new engraved rocks; analysis of the damages of the rock surfaces and conservation problems; drawing of the engravings with permanent pens on plastic sheets; photographs;
2) in laboratory: reduction of the drawings in scale size and catalogue of the engravings.

Participants usually come from different countries of the world, official languages are English and Italian. In Paspardo the accommodation is provided in houses with rooms, dormitories, showers and kitchen.

Who is interested in coming should stay for a session of seven days in minimum.

a link to the application form is included in the Fieldwork TRACCE page


Program of a week session Tracing Valcamonica Rock Art
Tracing Valcamonica rock art, Etruscan writings    
  • 1st day: Opening and welcome. Visit to the rock art sites of Paspardo.
    Evening: conference "What is rock art? Rock art in the Alps"
  • 2nd day: Morning and afternoon: introduction to the work of documentation, tracing rock art figures.
    Evening: conference "How to study a rock: examples from Valcamonica and Valtellina"
  • 3rd day: Morning and afternoon, research and documentation tracing and recording
    Evening free
  • 4th day: Morning and afternoon: survey in rock art sites
    Evening: conference "How to date Rock Art?"
  • 5th day: Morning and afternoon: research and documentation; tracing and recording.
    Evening free
  • 6th day: Morning: guided visit to an Archaeological Museum and/or Rock Art sites.
    Afternoon: computer work (data and pictures). Evening conference: “The management of rock art sites: the example of Valcamonica and Valtellina”.
  • 7th day: Morning free.
    Afternoon: collecting materials and closing session.
    Evening free.
Tracing Valcamonica Rock Art
Paspardo In Valle    

This itinerary is only an example of a session of 7 day. The programs of the two weeks are different. The conferences (usually in English or with English translation) will be illustrated with the help of slides or Power point. The themes of conferences also will be diversified.

We suggest also to take a look at Rock Art in the Alps page.

There are vacancies for 25 volunteers


Useful Information

Italian - English - French - Spanish spoken

Paspardo (Valcamonica)

  • How to reach Paspardo: there are two ways, by bus or by train.
  • BUS: from the Piazza Garibaldi Station (Bus Terminal) in Milan (that you can easily reach with the green line of the underground, get off at the Garibaldi station) there is a bus (at 2.00 p.m.) that takes you to the Valcamonica where you get off at Ceto-Cerveno station.
  • TRAIN: from the National Railway station in Brescia there is a train (at 5.00 p.m.) that goes to Valcamonica. You get off in the station of Ceto-Cerveno.
Tracing Valcamonica Rock Art
Dos Sulif, research and documentation    
Things to bring

Work clothes and gloves, gym shoes, sleeping bag, solar cream and sun glasses, mountain clothes (Paspardo is 1000 m over the sea level). Please to take out insurance against illness and injury, because we decline any responsibility. If you can, please have an anti-tetanus vaccination. Minimum age is 16 years.

 

 

Tracing Valcamonica Rock Art
Valcamonica granaries    

Attendance certificate

At the end of the course, on request, it will be possible to obtain a certificate of attendance.

Bibliography

 


For any further information :
read the specific TRACCE paper (2021)
Footsteps of Man, Archaeological Cooperative Society
Piazzale Donatori di Sangue, 1 
25040 CERVENO (BS) - ITALY 
tel. – fax +39-0364-43.43.51 Cell. +39-340.851.7548
email: cont@ct form

by Footsteps of Man
Orme dell'Uomo