ASCSA Athenian Agora Internship

Core Literacy:

• Visual

Learning Goals:

• Identify and assess selected artifacts and monuments within their cultural contexts
• Read and analyze historical documents within their social contexts and evaluate the role of the individual in ancient cultures

During my semester abroad in Spring 2025 through College Year in Athens, I had the opportunity to intern through the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA), at their location within the Athenian Agora. Over the course of my time there, I learned an immense amount about the behind the scenes of the archives and was able to work with information and artifacts from decades of excavation at the site. My tasks ranged from pulling selected artifacts for scholars coming in from around the world to entering catalogue information in the online database. I primarily worked with many Roman amphorae that were recovered from the Agora excavations, carefully inking their unique ID numbers onto the pottery and then cataloguing them. My supervisor, Aspa, supported my interests and allowed me to explore various aspects of archival work that not only helped complete necessary tasks at the Agora, but contributed to my learning as well.

Overall, I felt that this was a successful experience, especially because I felt this internship paired well with the coursework I was completing that semester, and I was able to apply both experiences to each other. This experience enhanced my overall learning experience while abroad, and let me develop previously learned archaeological lab skills in a new setting. Additionally, I made connections with the staff who work at the Agora with ASCSA, and discussing the paths they took to get to their current position allowed me to consider different options after graduating from Skidmore. I’m hoping to work with ASCSA in the future, specifically through their Agora Excavation Program, and I feel that this internship has helped me gain the knowledge and expertise needed for this program.