This article is taken from the "Tomorrow learn" column in the December 2024 issue of Omalius magazine.

This initiative is spearheaded by Fanny Martin, lecturer in national archaeology at UNamur. "Leaving archaeology studies without having experienced the discipline doesn't make much sense. When I arrived, the University of Namur didn't yet have any field schools. It seemed essential to me to offer a project for students, because field archaeology is a discipline in its own right," she explains. Julian Richard, professor of Greek and Roman archaeology and head of the department, adds: "At UNamur, our trump card is to take students out into the field as much as possible. Right from the bachelor's level, they are brought into contact with the object, observing it, manipulating it, understanding it. This is a pedagogy we're keen on, and setting up work-schools is part of it."

During these work-schools, students, confronted with the realities of the field, have to apply their theoretical knowledge to concrete situations, developing not only their technical skills, but also analytical and problem-solving abilities. "In the first and second years, students receive a methodological background on excavation. And then, between their second and third years, they go out on the training site for two weeks and put these principles into practice," adds Fanny Martin.

These internships offer an immersive experience. Bérénice Didier, an art history and archaeology student, worked on the site of Tintigny, an Iron Age tomb necropolis in the Gaume region, while others went to the Feudal castle of Moha, in the Province of Liège.

Chantier école sur le site de Tintigny
Excavations at the Tintigny site

I got a lot out of this internship. The team on site was lovely. We first learned the basics of excavation, then, little by little, explored all the stages of the discipline, which was exciting", she recounts. Marion Drabbé, a third-year bachelor's student in archaeology, backs up Bérénice's words, adding, "I was a little apprehensive, as the workcamps are like a little exam in our curriculum. But in the end, it was a great experience. We were surrounded by lovely professionals, and I was supervised by Fanny Thirion, archaeologist at the Musée des Celtes. It was great! These workcamps let you see what you're studying, and you realize just how precise and meticulous archaeology is. There's also the satisfaction of discovering previously unseen objects: we found an urn with bone residues and a fibula pin, which is quite rare in excavations. We were delighted!".

The experience of workcamps is not just professional. For Bérénice Didier, it was also a time for sharing and cohesion: "It felt a bit like summer camp. It was really great and I had the opportunity to forge a lot of bonds." Outside digging hours, the students share their daily lives, which fosters strong bonds and develops their ability to work as a team.

These workcamps, which constitute research projects in their own right, require significant organization and varied support. "We chose to work in the Tintigny region, in Gaume. The site is in conservation danger, and we benefit from funding from the Agence wallonne du Patrimoine as well as a partnership with the Musée des Celtes de Libramont and the Commune de Tintigny to carry out the operations. This type of project requires a lot of collaboration to manage the logistics and the study," explains Fanny Martin. What's more, support from partners and UNamur means that internships are free of charge, so that no student is deprived of this opportunity.

A dual mission and an opening onto the professional world

These projects fulfill a dual societal mission: to preserve and pass on heritage to society. With this in mind, students welcome visitors to the site to share their discoveries, enabling them to acquire cultural mediation skills. Bérénice testifies: "Giving guided tours really appealed to me, to the point of making me want to explore this field in the future". Marion adds: "The tours were really enriching. You realize that being able to express your budding knowledge in front of people who are interested in what you're telling them is also very glorifying". This dimension makes these internships much more than mere digs: they are also places of transmission where students value their work to society.

The work sites are also a first experience in the professional world. "They offer them a first baggage for the future", notes Julian Richard. Students can also take part in international missions, such as those organized by Julian Richard in Ostia, the ancient port of Rome, with UCLouvain. These excavations abroad bring a complementary perspective and enrich their training through the study of other contexts, particularly built, as well as other periods.

Thanks to this approach, UNamur archaeology students develop a deeper understanding of their field while building a useful professional network for the future. The workcamp-school becomes a landmark experience, preparing students both academically and personally for the rest of their career.

A new name for the department!

Le Département a récemment pris le nom de Département d’archéologie et sciences de l’art. Selon Mathieu Piavaux, professeur à l’UNamur et ancien directeur du département ayant contribué au projet, « ce changement visait deux objectifs. Premièrement, mettre en évidence une approche très pratique de l’archéologie, fortement mise en avant dans notre démarche pédagogique et dans l’activité scientifique du département. Que ce soit dans les cours dédiés aux méthodes de l’archéologie, à la technologie des objets et de l’architecture, mais aussi dans les travaux pratiques des étudiants comme dans les cours donnés en partie in situ. Deuxièmement, privilégier une appellation d’origine germanique, "sciences de l’art" (Kunstwissenschaft), qui recouvre un domaine beaucoup plus vaste que l’histoire de l’art stricto sensu et apparaissait donc mieux adaptée à la diversité des approches de nos disciplines, qui comptent par exemple la muséologie ou encore la conservation du patrimoine. Cette nouvelle appellation révèle aussi la polyvalence du département, impliqué dans des masters de spécialisation liés à la gestion et à la conservation du patrimoine. Enfin, le fait de mettre "sciences" dans le nom, est aussi un clin d’œil à la Faculté des sciences, avec laquelle nous collaborons régulièrement compte tenu de l’interdisciplinarité inhérente à nos disciplines. Tout cela représente un beau travail d’équipe, une belle dynamique collective qui permet ce genre d’évolution. Se redéfinir ensemble et faire évoluer notre identité est toujours enthousiasmant. » 

This article is taken from the "Tomorrow learn" section of Omalius magazine #35 (December 2024).

Visuel de Omalius #35 - décembre 2024