Dig Greece

Introduction

The Project: In Depth

Ancient Halieis

Halieis House 7

The Team

Budget

Project Specifications

Welcome to Dig Greece!

A web-based simulated excavation that teaches the basics of archaeology
and introduces users to the culture and daily life of ancient Greece.

Excavations at Halieis in southern Greece
(Courtesy Bradley A. Ault)

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) proposes--in collaboration with the Onassis Public Benefit Foundation--developing a simulated online excavation based on a real excavation of an ancient Greek house. This will be an engaging resource for individual and classroom use for grade 6 through introductory college level.

Aerial view of House 7 at Halieis, the model for the simulated excavation (Courtesy Bradley A. Ault)



Preliminary rendering of House 7 remains (Institute for the Visualization of History)

By "excavating" the site, formulating conclusions about the rooms and artifacts, and relating regional and historical information to their interpretations, students will become familiar with the fundamentals of archaeological science. The artifacts found will serve as jumping-off points from which students will investigate and learn about ancient Greek culture, from basic household activities such as cooking to religion and social life.

The simulation will be a cornerstone of a children's archaeology website now in development. It will also complement reports on real excavations on the Archaeology Magazine website (archive.archaeology.org; 5.6 million page views annually), as well as the extensive lesson plans in the Education section of the AIA website (www.archaeological.org; 2.0 million page views annually). A specially commissioned lesson plan will provide educators the tools to use the simulated excavation in the classroom. The simulation and lesson plan will be available in English and Greek.

The Archaeological Institute of America and the Onassis Public Benefit Foundation have shared outreach and education missions that this co-branded excavation simulation will meet, bringing an appreciation of archaeological and ancient Greek culture to a large and young audience.