Opportunities to take part in practical training exercises, field trips, experimental archaeology and research-led fieldwork projects are a key part of postgraduate study at the CMA.
Many of the skills that are developed during our taught Masters programme are practical, including familiarity with ArcGIS, GRASS and CAD, Rockworks, Web for Windows, GPS and GPR processing software, foreshore and underwater survey, recording and excavation, finds illustration and photography, first aid for finds from waterlogged contexts, how to run an archaeological survey, how to write a desk-based assessment and, how to record boat and ship structures. Over the course of a year these one to three day practical modules comprise the equivalent of a three week fieldschool. In addition, we offer the opportunity to spend a week at the Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde, Denmark, which includes the chance to sail a replica Viking ship. We then encourage students to put these skills into practice by participating in research-led fieldwork projects run by CMA staff members.
More locally, all postgraduate students are encouraged to get involved with the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology (HWTMA) based in Southampton and the Nautical Archaeology Society, based at Portsmouth. They are also offered the opportunity to experience and learn traditional skills in seamanship and boat-handling on the replica eighteenth-century Admiral’s gig, Intégrité, based in Lyme Regis.
