Permits

All aspects of fieldwork (from project duration to the qualifications of participants) are under the control of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports. Applications for permits must be made via the BSA.

Each year the School sponsors up to 6 fieldwork projects as specified in Greek law (3 sole projects and 3 collaborations with the Greek Archaeological Service). There is no provision in current law for collaborative fieldwork projects with Greek universities or other research institutes. Separate applications are required for work underwater and on land.

Initial discussion should take place with the Director and/or the School Administrator well in advance of the Committee for Archaeology’s deadline for receipt of applications (around mid October in the year preceding the proposed fieldwork, using the forms downloadable below). Early discussions with the relevant Greek authorities, and planning for matters such as land purchase, conservation and the storage of finds, are essential to the success of applications. The Committee welcomes outline expressions of interest 1-2 years before an application is submitted. A full list of Ephorates with details of their areas of responsibility can be found here.

The Committee for Archaeology is charged by Council with determining which requests for archaeological fieldwork permits should be made annually by the School to the Ministry of Culture. It has adopted the following criteria for evaluating applications: academic merit (aims, research strategy, and the appropriateness of the proposed methodology); project management and value for money; plans for publication within an acceptable time-frame and knowledge transfer (emphasizing public benefit in the UK); the suitability of the personnel proposed; and the circumstances of the project director. Under the last head it will require evidence of:

i) suitable experience both in the field methods proposed and in the overall management of projects (the Committee may require that a field director is employed or specific experience acquired before a project is approved);

ii) a sound record of publication, i.e. the absence of any backlog of unpublished fieldwork, and a record of publication in the relevant area of research;

iii) appropriate stable employment for the period of the project (to include study seasons and publication). Applicants in short-term posts must demonstrate how their work will be brought to publication during the period of their contract. Recently retired applicants should demonstrate continuing access to the necessary resources and support services.

Early consultation with the Director is required, at the latest in the spring or early summer before the application is submitted. The Director should be in a position to advise the Committee for Archaeology that management issues (such as the appropriate storage of finds) have been addressed and that any prior recommendations of the relevant Greek authorities have been heeded.

A risk assessment is required for fieldwork projects (submitted to the Committee for Archaeology with the application). The application requires PIs to accept responsibility to ensure proper insurance cover. A copy of this cover should be lodged with the School before the start of the project.

If approved, the School then submits an application to the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and levies a project fee. Excavation and survey permits are issued by the Ministry to the BSA as an institution, rather than to individuals.

For new applications, the following information must be sent to the School Administrator no later than 1st November (see circular for systematic archaeological research):

i) a general statement of the purpose and location of fieldwork and an overall description of the programme and a statement of method and techniques to be employed; a short powerpoint presentation should accompany this;

ii) the name of the director of excavation/survey team, with a short CV;

iii) the name of any supporting foreign institution other than the BSA, if there is one;

iv) a list of participants and their roles, plus short CVs of senior staff;

v) a 1:5000 topographical map (obtainable from the Greek Army Mapping Service) showing the exact area to be investigated;

vi) details of the ownership of the land to be investigated (systematic excavation of privately held land is not generally permitted);

vii) a project timetable and programme (including study seasons) over the next 5 years, with precise dates for the field season in year 1 which should not be more than 4-6 weeks. Fieldwork should not be scheduled to start earlier than 1st April each year. If there is any reason why it should take place earlier, this must be explained in the application.

viii) for survey work, details of the equipment to be used and field procedures to be followed;

ix) a budget and statement of funding;

x) arrangements for the storage of finds;

xi) arrangements for post-excavation site conservation, as relevant;

xii) if environmental or object sampling (including osteological studies) are proposed, the following information is required (see circular for sampling and fill in the sampling application form):

• purpose and aims of the analysis;
• a catalogue (a table in Word format) of all objects or fragments of objects to be sampled, with description and photographic documentation with indication (if possible) where the sample is going to be taken;
• details of the analytical technique/s, sampling equipment to be used and preparation of sample, and the location of sampling and analysis to be carried out (NB the export of samples requires specific justification);
• if material is organic, the proportion of the whole to be used;
• agreement to send a copy of any resulting publication to the Archaeological Service;

xiii) applications for site conservation should also include a detailed plan of the areas to be treated, a statement of the methods to be used, and CVs of the professional staff undertaking the work.

If the request is for a continuation of a project, it must be accompanied by a report on the status of work already accomplished (in both Greek and English), with plans and illustrations (captioned in Greek and in English) giving details of the condition of the site and state of conservation, as well as the reasons for continuing. The storage arrangements of the finds must be detailed. Reports are submitted to the Committee for Archaeology and to the relevant Greek authorities. Copies of the day-books, plans and photographs must be submitted. NB: the project fee does NOT cover the costs of translating reports of previous work (this can be arranged for an additional fee).

A full report and statement of accounts must be received by the School Administrator by mid October in each season of work. A principal short report (approximately one A4 page) with up to six captioned photographs must be submitted by 1st November for inclusion in the BSA Newsletter and in the print and online versions of Archaeology in Greece, and for use in lectures about the work of the School and on the School’s web site. Digital images must be supplied in JPEG format.

Permit holders are also required to submit annual reports on their work (in Greek) for publication in the Archaeologikon Deltion.

Material cannot be made public outside the agreed schedule and in the case of synergasia, without agreement of the collaborator. Project directors, especially directors of collaborations with the Ministry, must consult the Director before issuing any press release or speaking to the media about their work, in order to ensure that Ministry protocols are observed.

All digital material (photographs, site records and databases) form part of the project archive and must be deposited with the School. A service of in-project archiving is offered (presenting no conflict with the ADS). Early consultation with the ITOfficer on the form of e-records is strongly advised.

A database, containing detailed documentation of samples, the results of analyses and information on the location of samples, should be deposited with the Fitch Laboratory for all BSA material subject to analytical procedures. Early consultation with the Fitch Laboratory Director on the form of the database is strongly advised, so that the latter can be incorporated to the digital collection of the laboratory (when relevant). Where analyses are carried out in a recognised laboratory with facilities to conserve analytical products and / or the samples themselves and allow their re-examination (when relevant, i.e. re-examination of thin sections under polarising microscope), these may be conserved in the relevant laboratory. Should the laboratory not wish to do so, or should their conservation become impossible / impractical, then these should be submitted to the Fitch Laboratory for conservation in its reference collections. Similarly, if analyses are carried out in a location without facilities for conservation, it is expected that such materials be returned, immediately upon completion of analyses, to the Fitch Laboratory for conservation in its collections.