The Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project at the University of Oxford is a major research venture to use satellite imagery to survey and monitor heritage sites across this region. Supported by the Arcadia Fund since 2015, this innovative project has been at the forefront of new discoveries and reporting on threats to archaeological sites from Yemen to Iran, and Egypt to Morocco. We have also developed training workshops with partner countries across this region funded by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, holding events in cities such as Amman, Tunis, Cairo, Baghdad and Beirut.
EAMENA’s training activities are an important part of the long-term impact of the project, disseminating skills to heritage professionals internationally, as well as working with student volunteers in the UK. Through this micro-internship you will undertake research using with these training resources, engaging in a geographically-focused research opportunity to contribute to our understanding of heritage issues across this region.
By the end of the internship you will have completed the remote survey of a designated area using satellite imagery data, and report on the results of your assessment. You will have learnt how to use Google Earth to survey, identify and monitor the condition of archaeological sites in your designated survey area. You will also have the opportunity to publish on your experience via a blog for EAMENA and/or the TORCH Heritage Programme blog. The results will also be fed in to the EAMENA project’s open-access database for use by researchers and heritage managers globally.
What you will do
For your virtual internship will be able to select from a range of geographical research areas that will be prepared in advance by the EAMENA team. You will be supported in developing skills in order to research the following:
How to interpret satellite imagery on Google Earth.
Identifying and interpreting archaeological sites using satellite imagery.
Monitoring land-use change over time, and its impact on archaeological assets.
Collating and reporting the data you have gathered.
The opportunity to write a blog for EAMENA and/or the TORCH Heritage Programme.
Supervision
You will be supervised by an experienced Research Associate from the EAMENA project, and will have the opportunity to engage with other members of the team where needed and to join any team meetings/discussions to give you a wider feel of how the project operates.
Candidates will be considered from any academic discipline. You will need to demonstrate:
An interest in the archaeology of the Middle East and/or North Africa.
Familiarity with online satellite-imagery platforms, particularly Google Earth.
Good written communication skills for reporting on your survey work.
