![Nina Hopkins, BA 2018, attends the Poggio Civitate excavation in Italy](/sites/default/files/2018-02/nina%20hopkins.jpg)
"The summer of 2017 I participated in the Poggio Civitate excavation. The 6-week program gave varied training in both field work and preservation work in the lab. I participated mostly in the lab work where we received training from a member of the conservation team from the British Museum. It was extremely rewarding to be able to follow the process of archeology from the discovery of an artifact all the way through its cleaning and cataloging. We were also free to use our weekends for whatever travel we could fit in and I chose to visit as may historical sites as possible including the Roman Forum, Colosseum, Pompeii, and Herculaneum. Being able to discover the historical structures of Rome while working on a much older Etruscan site allowed me to have a more critical eye and deeper context for classical history. On site we also participated in an experimental piece of archeology by trying to replicate ancient dying and weaving processes. This program gave me a greater understanding of how our knowledge of the ancient world is produced, and gave me a vital sense of place and scale in talking about historical sites. It was a truly unforgettable and rewarding experience that has only inspired me to further my studies in Classics."