Practicalities

Accommodation
Students will be housed in the school of the village at Narthaki, a small but very hospitable village. Accommodations are comfortable but basic. The school has four large rooms, which will be used as dormitories. There are hot showers and washrooms. Beds and mattresses will be provided. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow. We also rent several houses in the village, and the former municipal building will serve as headquarters and lab.

Meals
A healthy and nutritious breakfast, lunch and supper will be provided Monday through Saturday. Dinner takes place at the Taverna of the Papadopoulos family. Ms. Evangelia cooks us a wonderful meal; much of the food is organic and derives from the local farmers. Snacks, coffee and fruit will be taken to the field. Sunday meals are at the student's discretion. Please indicate on the application form if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions.

Weekends
We work on Saturday, but will leave work early. You will have the rest of Saturday off, though we will meet for dinner in the evening. On Sundays we will leave around 9AM for an excursion to an archaeological site which will always end at one of the beaches at the Pagasitic Gulf.

Working and Living Conditions
Participants should be prepared to conduct hard physical labour as part of the field school, and live and work in basic conditions. As you will be involved in a lot of walking, measuring and drawing, often in hot weather conditions, every participant should be healthy and reasonably fit. July and August are hot months in Greece, though temperatures might vary considerably - typically July highs range between 28° C and 34° C. Because Narthaki is located in the hills, evenings will be cooler with lows between 23° C and 28° C. Protection from the sun is essential at all times, by using sun block and covering your head (with a hat or headscarf), wearing sufficient clothing (long trousers and T-shirts), and drinking a lot of water throughout the day. Narthaki is a farming village, so be prepared to face a variety of critters and insects.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Ethical conduct.
The CAPS project and field school adhere to principles of equity, diversity and inclusion and ethical conduct. The UofA’s student code of conduct is valid during the field school, and we subscribe to the EDI policy of University of Alberta International. We also acknowledge and recognize Greece’s archaeological law, which translates to a number of do’s and don’t’s on archaeological sites and in dealing with archaeological material. You will be introduced to the applicable rules and regulations in one of the information sessions prior to departure. These regulations are based on those developed by the UofA and have been amended with those developed at the Department of History, Classics, and Religion, as well as by the CAPS project itself.

Daily Schedule
We will start the day with breakfast at 6AM and begin work at 7AM. We will work until 1:30 PM and drive back to the village where we will have lunch. There is siesta until 5PM when we will be working on processing artifacts, receiving instruction, working on documentation and washing pottery until 7PM. Dinner is at 8:30 PM.

Health Care and Insurance
Medical help is available in case of emergencies: Pharsala has a very helpful medical centre with which we are familiar. Larissa has a university hospital. Narthaki has a pharmacy.

You will be asked to provide information about any medical conditions when you register. You will also be asked to sign a University of Alberta liability waiver. The project director has a First Aid certificate. It is mandatory to have a health care coverage that includes foreign travel. In general, extra coverage is strongly recommended as provincial plans are unlikely to be adequate. Please bring necessary medication, preferably in your hand luggage. An up to date tetanus shot is mandatory for our fieldwork season. In Thessaly tap water is safe to drink.

Money, Credit Cards and Bank Cards
The local currency is the Euro, worth about $1.40 Canadian.

It is of course possible to purchase Euros in Canada, but you are not allowed to bring too much currency into the country. It is best to use your card (credit or debit) at an ATM, available in all larger towns in Greece. The best ones to use are: Ethniki Trapeza (National bank of Greece) or Alpha Bank, Euro Bank.

You can pay with credit card at many businesses and shops in Greece. Notify your bank prior to departure, however, otherwise they may not work, or you can only obtain a limited amount of cash. Do NOT bring Traveller's Cheques; it will take forever to exchange them for cash.

A money belt or neck pouch for your money, cards and travel documents is highly recommended.

Travel Documents and COVID
As a Canadian citizen you will need a valid passport, but no visa is needed if you stay in the Schengen area for less than 90 days. Students who are citizens in other countries with Students Permits or Permanent Residents need to check their options. Please make sure that your passport (and visa) is valid for the entire duration of your travels.

Because we work and live in close proximity to one another, the field school can only take students who are fully vaccinated against COVID. Regulations regarding travel during the COVID pandemic change frequently. You will be updated on necessary travel requirements and registrations, follow the necessary preparatory courses organized by Ualberta Study Abroad, and check the travel advisory here. More information will be provided at the information sessions.

Travel
You will have to make your own travel arrangements for travel to and from Greece, but only do so after being admitted to the course and attending the information sessions. Purchase an adequate travel insurance and make sure that your health insurance covers foreign travel. For those flying from North America you will have to change flights in Europe. Check the internet for special offers of Air Canada and KLM/Delta. Often, London is a good place to change planes. You can take a cheap flight to London (Air Transat, for instance) and then take an Easyjet or Virgin Express flight to Athens.

You need to travel from Athens to Thessaly by train. Tickets are available online or at railway station Larissis (in Athens). You need to travel to Paleapharsala/Stavros in Thessaly (Thessalia). The tickets (one way) cost about $40. We will pick you up and bring you back to the station.

We will give instructions how to organize buying tickets together during one of the information sessions.

All UofA students need to register at the UAlberta Travel Registration prior to departure:

Please check the University of Alberta Go Abroad pages and register at the UGo Off-Campus Travel Registry after creating an account.

Clothing and things to bring
Temperatures in July and August in Thessaly can vary but count on at least a few hot summer days and nights.

Bring adequate clothing both for working and off-site time. The landscape is covered with shrubs and there is some interesting wildlife. Working clothes should therefore consist of long pants, strong light-weight boots, a t-shirt and a sweater. Something to cover your head is essential to protect you from the sun.

Bring some clothes that you can wear in the evening in the taverna, or when we visit museums etc. It is important to have a small rucksack to bring to the site everyday to store personal items, sunblock, water etc.

It is advisable to display our Canadian identity. Buy a sticker with the maple leaf and stick it on your rucksack.

Things to bring:

Essential items:

  • Passport
  • Credit card
  • Your personal medications
  • Other medical items: (Tylenol, Immodium, electrolytes for hydration etc.)
  • Mosquito netting for over the bed (available at camping stores)
  • Bug spray
  • Clothing (for work: long pants! and evening/weekends)
  • Strong hiking boots
  • Hat
  • Small daypack
  • Thick socks
  • Rain jacket
  • Light Sleeping bag
  • Pillow
  • Towels
  • Canteen or thermos for water
  • Personal items/toiletries
  • Sun block factor 35 minimum
  • Small notebook (moleskin or other)
  • Phone/alarm, plus charger
  • European outlet adapter

Recommended:

  • Swimming gear
  • Sunglasses
  • Camera
  • Pocket knife
  • Student card
  • Pencils
  • Eraser
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Black ball point pens