老司机福利社

Buried No More

老司机福利社 Duo Uncovers a Town鈥檚 History 鈥� and Their Students鈥� Potential

Rebecca Schindler and Pedar Foss arrived in Italy last May optimistic about the season ahead. It was their third summer bringing students to work at Via Belvedere, an archaeological site just outside the town of Castiglione del Lago, and they were eager to build upon the progress they had already made.

By the time they hung up their pickaxes and trowels six weeks later, even their most ambitious expectations had been surpassed. Not only did their work uncover fresh insights about the structures buried on the hillside, but it also upended existing narratives about the entire history of the region. It was the type of breakthrough that many archaeologists only dream of 鈥� and one that earned
a striking headline in the local newspaper: 鈥淎rchaeological excavations rewrite the history of Castiglione del Lago.鈥�

A Road Back in Time

Schindler is the scientific director of the Trasimeno Regional Archaeological Project (TRAP), a joint partnership between the Umbra Institute in Perugia and 老司机福利社.

Alongside Foss, her spouse and fellow professor of classical studies at 老司机福利社, she鈥檚 learned through 35 years of fieldwork in the Mediterranean that the only predictable aspect of archaeology is unpredictability.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what we鈥檙e going to find,鈥� says Schindler. 鈥淲e might speculate about the answers, but until we actually do the work, we鈥檙e not going to know. We are truly working with primary data, with data that nobody in the modern world has ever seen before.鈥�

That鈥檚 why the team came into the most recent season in Italy with a short list of theories and a long list of questions. What they knew for sure was that the site contained two distinct areas 鈥� one that resembled a Roman bath complex and another on the terrace just above it, covered in paving stones. Their research to date had generated some informed speculations about what the site might have been used for, but Foss and Schindler knew there were many mysteries left to unravel.

鈥淭his year we had two really important agenda items,鈥� says Schindler. 鈥淲e wanted to learn more about a particular room in the bath area. And we wanted to figure out what was happening with this pavement. That led to two big surprises.鈥�

Regarding the bath complex, the team was able to open up a semicircular room that proved far more interesting than originally expected. Among their discoveries were several niches that likely would have held statues, a large water basin with marble steps leading into it and the remnants of what may have been a metal fountain. All of this evidence, when paired with the prominent location of the site on the hillside overlooking Lago Trasimeno, led Schindler and Foss to the possibility that this structure was something entirely different from Roman bath complexes typically found at residential Roman villas. They now suspect that the Via Belvedere structure was a monumental public bath complex, a unique discovery in the region of Umbria.

But perhaps the bigger discovery took place on the nearby terrace as the team explored new sections of the pavement that, according to Schindler, 鈥渨as driving us crazy because it didn鈥檛 look Roman.鈥� As it turns out, it wasn鈥檛. In fact, it predated the Romans by several centuries.

Long before Rome ascended to a position of widespread power, the Etruscans enjoyed several centuries of cultural prominence. They occupied an area of Italy that roughly coincides with modern-day Tuscany and parts of Umbria, and although there had been some Etruscan artifacts previously unearthed at the Castiglione del Lago site, the relationship between this location and other nearby Etruscan settlements was not well understood. The team鈥檚 work is beginning to change that.

鈥淲e can now confidently say that this is a road dating back to the Etruscan period, as early as the sixth century B.C.E.,鈥� says Schindler. 鈥淭hat pushes the history of this town back at least 500 years earlier than previous evidence.鈥�

The most recent data collected by the TRAP team indicates that the paved road led up the hill to a major temple at its crest, designating this site as a place of deep religious significance. 鈥淎ll of the finds from this area suggest that people were making offerings to a deity,鈥� Schindler says. 鈥淲e just don鈥檛 know who the deity is. But if we鈥檙e right that this is an Etruscan sanctuary 鈥� and we feel like we鈥檙e 95 percent there 鈥� this would be huge. In this territory of Italy, there鈥檚 no other site like this.鈥�

There鈥檚 still much work left to be done. Schindler and Foss tell their students that for every day they spend in the field, they should expect to need a month for documenting, analyzing and publishing their findings. But it鈥檚 clear that what happened on the hillside of Castiglione del Lago last summer will drastically impact the way the region understands and interacts with its past for years to come.

For Schindler, the team鈥檚 discoveries are proof of the remarkable power of archaeology. 鈥淗istory isn鈥檛 fixed,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he exciting thing is that every day we鈥檙e getting little bits of new data. We always have to be revising our hypotheses.鈥�

Yet even as Foss and Schindler鈥檚 work transforms our understanding of the past, the most important result might just be the way that it shapes the futures of the students who join them in the field.

Education Beyond the Classroom

When Foss and Schindler joined 老司机福利社鈥檚 faculty in 1999, they brought two important assets along with them: a wealth of archaeological field experience and a resolute commitment to hands-on education. They understood that some of the most potent moments in a student鈥檚 learning might not happen within the cozy confines of Asbury Hall, but rather at the bottom of a trench on a hot summer afternoon while covered in several layers of dirt and sweat.

Foss found this out for himself as an undergraduate at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. 鈥淚 was a classics and chemistry major, and I had never been anywhere really,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he school got involved in a consortium to send students to Crete, and I applied to go over. All I could think about for four months was making sure I was one of the two students selected from Gustavus to go. And I was.鈥�

The experience reoriented his entire life. 鈥淚t was one of those situations where the first day I was on-site, I knew that was what I was going to do. It was literally a bolt of lightning from Zeus, and I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 ever gone away.鈥�

During their first several years at 老司机福利社, Schindler and Foss brought students with them to do field work in Turkey, where the two of them had already been working since their days as graduate and postdoctoral students. But after that project came to an end in 2005, a sabbatical in Perugia during the 2013-14 academic year opened the door to new connections 鈥� and new possibilities 鈥� in Italy.

鈥淲e had the opportunity to start a field school,鈥� says Schindler, 鈥渕eaning an archaeological project that is designed to teach undergraduates the methods, theories and practices of archaeology in the field. It鈥檚 experiential education, and it was appealing to us, because we hadn鈥檛 had a field school for a while for 老司机福利社 students. We were also both at a place where we were looking for a new research project.鈥�

The result was the highly collaborative and community-based TRAP initiative. Since its inception, Schindler and Foss have excavated three different sites in the region, including their most recent investigations at Castiglione del Lago. Their team is composed of professional Italian archaeologists and conservators, as well as undergraduate students representing a range of majors from 老司机福利社 and other universities in the United States. It鈥檚 an ideal environment for students to explore the ins and outs of archaeological work while simultaneously developing interpersonal skills that will serve them in any field they enter.

鈥淚t鈥檚 perfect really,鈥� says Foss. 鈥淭hey have a core group of colleagues they know, but then they get to meet and work with students from a diversity of backgrounds. They all have to find a way to work together, so it鈥檚 really good modeling of what might happen out there in the next stage of their lives when they鈥檙e done with college.鈥�

A Program for Everyone

For students like Ana Foutty 鈥�27, TRAP represents a milestone of personal development. When she made her first trip to Italy during the summer of 2024, she already knew she loved history and was interested in archaeology. Yet working in the field pushed her in ways she couldn鈥檛 have expected.

鈥淚t was hard work, but I loved it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t made me feel strong. There鈥檚 a lot of manual labor, so I felt like I grew physically. And it was also my first time going abroad by myself, so there was a lot of personal growth as well. It showed me that when you put in the time and put in the effort, you鈥檙e going to get the result.鈥�

Foutty fell in love with the program, and she returned to Castiglione del Lago this past summer to take on an expanded role as an area supervisor. 鈥淭he first summer taught me hard work. This summer was all about leadership 鈥� having to figure out how to work with students from all over and navigate the very important research with Schindler and Foss.鈥�

As a history major, Foutty鈥檚 experience at the archaeological site has given her an entirely new perspective on everything she鈥檚 continuing to learn in the classroom. Yet she jokingly admits how this can have its downsides. 鈥淚t鈥檚 both a blessing and a curse,鈥� she says. 鈥淧art of the problem is now I open a medieval textbook, and I鈥檓 like, 鈥極h, boring. I just held a 2,000-year-old coin.鈥欌��

Even if a student鈥檚 long-term plans don鈥檛 include archaeology, TRAP provides a flexible environment for them to find 鈥� or create 鈥� their own niche. Schindler and Foss work with students to find out what they鈥檙e interested in, and then they carve out roles that allow everyone to achieve new levels of knowledge and skill.

One such student is Jimmy Anderson 鈥�26. As a physics major who鈥檚 been flying drones with his dad for the last 10 years, Anderson鈥檚 career goals have always been more likely to land him in aerospace than archaeology. But while taking a Latin course with Foss during his junior year, he learned something that piqued his interest: the TRAP expedition could benefit from the addition of a skilled drone pilot. This would enhance their ability to secure high-quality aerial imagery for the purpose of creating detailed maps and models of the dig site.

Anderson jumped at the opportunity. It was an ideal outlet for him to utilize his expertise, while giving him a terrific excuse to spend six weeks living in the beautiful Italian countryside.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to be an archaeologist to have a good experience,鈥� he says. Anderson particularly enjoyed the communal nature of the project, which allowed him to build deeper friendships with people he already knew and form new relationships with others he didn鈥檛. 鈥淓veryone had different interests, and there were so many different perspectives. But you really get to know each other when you鈥檙e working with them in 100-degree heat.鈥�

In the end, Anderson came away with a cache of lifelong memories and an expanded imagination for what his future might hold. 鈥淚t鈥檚 given me an insight into a new career path,鈥� he says. 鈥淧iloting drones has always been something I鈥檝e been interested in, but I didn鈥檛 know I could apply it to something like this.鈥�

Foss points out that students like Anderson aren鈥檛 the exception when it comes to this kind of research; they鈥檙e the norm. 鈥淭his kind of work is聽inherently multidisciplinary. Anybody from any major or any background can get something out of it and contribute something to it.鈥�

Foundations for Success

With so many years invested in mentoring and teaching, it鈥檚 no surprise that Schindler and Foss have built a legacy of impact. Many of the students who have accompanied them in the field have gone on to enjoy success at the next stage of their lives, building upon the skills they acquired while working on-site.

Rebecca Kerns 鈥�19 is one of them. She鈥檚 currently finishing her Ph.D. in classics at the University of Cincinnati, and a crucial part of her journey was the time she spent in Italy with Schindler and Foss over the course of four different seasons.

鈥淓ach subsequent year, they scaffolded additional skill-building opportunities where I was able to develop my own research toolkit,鈥� says Kerns. By her final year, she collaborated on a faculty-student research grant to develop a 3D photogrammetric modeling workflow and a digital site museum for the project 鈥� invaluable experience that continues to serve her today.

鈥淣ow that I鈥檓 pursuing my own career in archaeology, I still find it very grounding to think back to my time at 老司机福利社,鈥� Kerns says. 鈥淪chindler and Foss inspired me from the start and continue to be some of my best mentors in the field. They are models of what I aspire to be.鈥�

Jessica Tilley 鈥�17 was part of the first group to travel to Italy in 2015 after the partnership with the Umbra Institute was formed. As a first-generation college student, she had experienced homelessness and hunger prior to arriving at 老司机福利社 and had never heard of 鈥渃lassics鈥� as a field of study. But after taking courses with both Schindler and Foss, she began to develop an interest that would change her life.

鈥淭hey made the past come alive in a way I didn鈥檛 know was possible,鈥� says Tilley. 鈥淚n various ways, they showed me that regardless of one鈥檚 background, there is something to connect to in antiquity. The ancient world is accessible to everyone.鈥�

Tilley is now a visiting assistant professor of classics at Centre College, and she also serves as the assistant director of excavations at the Montereggi Project in Italy. Looking back, she recognizes how formative it was to work in the
field with Schindler and Foss, and she traces much of her present outlook to the lessons she learned during that first encounter.

鈥淚t was my first archaeological experience as well as my first time abroad,鈥� Tilley says. 鈥淭hrough their example, they showed me how to be a citizen of the world and how to responsibly navigate life abroad while getting the very most out of the cultural experiences. The field training I received laid a strong foundation for my career as an archaeologist.鈥�

The Value of History

As Schindler and Foss reflect on their groundbreaking work this past summer in Castiglione del Lago 鈥� and on the archaeological progress they鈥檝e helped facilitate for over three decades throughout the Mediterranean 鈥� they hope their discoveries can serve the people and communities living there.

鈥淲e鈥檙e researchers, so we鈥檙e qualified and skilled enough to have interests,鈥� says Schindler. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 very conscientious that ultimately, the site is not mine. It belongs to the community, and in the long term, it鈥檚 important for it to be a part of their story.鈥�

Toward that end, one key initiative for the TRAP researchers has been the establishment of a new archaeological museum in the town. This would be the first of its kind in the region, offering an accessible way for local residents and visitors to connect to their past.

The benefit of that connection is hard to overstate.

鈥淚n times of uncertainty or stress or conflict, there are lots of useful lessons to learn from these past situations,鈥� says Foss. 鈥淗umans aren鈥檛 really any different. We may have more powerful, faster and more deadly tools, but the human problems are comparable. Whether it鈥檚 social problems, political strife or environmental danger, these things are not new. People have faced them and documented them in the past, and there鈥檚 a lot we can learn from their responses. Sometimes if we paid a bit more attention to that wisdom, we might be more humble in how we approach problems today. We might be better listeners and more empathetic collaborators and contributors in our societies.鈥�

To the cynic, digging up 2,500-year-old paving stones may seem irrelevant to the complex challenges facing our world in difficult times. But as Foss and Schindler have shown throughout their careers, maybe the answers we need are buried just beneath our feet.

Note: Photos and images courtesy of Pedar Foss and Rebecca Schindler.