Workshops for Conservation of Roman & Late Roman Pottery

The Project and the Course

General information

Project type: Conservation workshop & field school. The balanced agenda of theoretical and practical activities on pottery conservation and documentation and the team flexibility make this project suitable for both Beginners and Advanced (either volunteers or students) in conservation.   

The course is designed primarily for students in Archaeological Conservation, Archaeology, Anthropology, History, Art History, and other related scientific fields.

The field school started: 2009

Artifacts & monuments in the project's focus: authentic Roman and Late Roman pottery from the Roman and Late Roman collection of National Institution Stobi, Republic of North Macedonia;

See the published results of the workshop (2010 - 2014) here.      

Venue: Archaeological site of Stobi, Republic of North Macedonia. The Hellenistic, Roman and Late Roman city was a significant urban center in Antiquity and capital of the Roman province Macedonia Secunda in the Late Antiquity.

Since 2012 Stobi is included in the World Monuments Watch List among the monuments with universal significance - Read more here.

Periods in the project's focus: Roman and Late Roman (1st century BC - 6th century CE)  

Major workshop activities: The main goal of this program is to provide theoretical and hands-on training experience on pottery conservation. It does so through the exposure of students to Stobi's site lab, enabling them to evaluate and appreciate similarities and differences in conservation problems, approaches, methods, technique, design and material choice applied on different types of artifacts. The participants will work with authentic finds from the ancient city of Stobi.

BHF partners in this project:   

• NI Stobi, Republic of North Macedonia;
• New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria;

Chief conservator: Biljana Jankulovska Peeva (Conservator, NI Stobi)

Field School coordinators: Dr Angela Pencheva (Balkan Heritage Foundation & Field School Program Director) and Biljana Jankulovska Peeva (Conservator, NI Stobi)

Project sessions available:     

Three week session on pottery conservation: 12 - 26 July, 2025

Application deadlines: until the places are filled, or 12 June, 2025

Minimum length of stay: Two weeks

Minimum age: 18 (16, if the participant is accompanied by an adult family member)

Number of field school places available: Maximum 8

Language: English

Experience required: No previous experience is required.

Special requirements: Good physical condition and command of manual operations. The average summer temperatures in the area are 25-38 C or higher. All participants should bring clothes suitable for hot and sunny weather, although the weather in June might be sometimes chilly.    

It is recommended that participants bring their laptops having at least 20 GB free disk space and a mouse. Operating system recommended: Windows XP or newer, Mac OSX or newer.       

The participants should have medical insurance including repatriation. The participants should inform the project staff about any health issues, allergies, and food preferences.         

All participants are expected to prepare for the workshop by reading at least the BHFS handbook (the BHFS e-handbook will be sent by e-mail to all registered students before the beginning of the project) and other recommended readings.   

Participants will use the tools and equipment available at the site and are not expected to bring any additional equipment.      

The Workshop

In 2025, the Workshop for Conservation and Documentation of Roman Pottery will be hosted for a 12th year by the National Institution Stobi, R. of North Macedonia at the Roman city of Stobi (today an archaeological park). It provides an unique opportunity for students and volunteers to gain comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience in Roman and Late Roman pottery conservation. The participants are guided through the history and technology of Roman and Late Roman pottery and consequent stages of their study, conservation, restoration and documentation. Both the theoretical and practical parts of the course will be based on ceramic vessels found in the ancient city of Stobi.    

During the first two project weeks, students begin their training with replicas of ancient vessels. Once they reach an acceptable level of skill, accuracy and precision, they can progress to originals. Most students will be able to master conservation and restoration efforts within the course of this field school and expect to complete work on 3-5 artifacts by the end of the program, depending on the initial state of objects’ conservation, the necessity of conservation treatment and the individual performance of the student.      

The project includes three modules: practical work in documentation and conservation of Roman and Late Roman pottery: lectures, training and behind-the-scenes study visits and excursions to the town of Bitola, the archaeological site of Heraclea Lyncestis, Ohrid and Ohrid Lake (UNESCO World Heritage Site), and optional excursion to the ancient Macedonian capitals  Pella and Vergina (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Greece as well as to a traditional pottery workshop. Refer to the Course description and Workshop agenda below.

By the end of the workshop the participants will:

• be able to develop basic/further practical skills (depending on participant's initial level of qualification) in ancient pottery conservation. 
• get acquainted with the basic methods of all the required documentation for conservation and restoration of ancient pottery, which includes: drawing by hand and using graphic software, as well as photo documentation. 
• learn about the forms, types and technology of Roman and Late Roman pottery.   
• deepen their knowledge through first-hand experience of Roman and Late Roman History and Archaeology in the region of ancient Macedonia.
• meet professionals who work in the areas of Pottery Conservation, as well as Classical Archaeology.            

All participants will receive:

• Project handbook (in PDF version by e-mail and a hard copy upon arrival);
• Balkan Heritage Field School Certificate with the fieldwork hours, educational modules, and sites visited;  
• T-shirt.

NB! Students who must prepare field reports and presentations for their universities can receive additional instruction and assistance. Students registering for academic credit hours must take an exam.

Archaeological Context & Period

Why Stobi? The first historic records to mention Stobi belong to the Roman historian Titus Livy ( ca. 197 BCE). According to Livy, Stobi became an important center for salt trading after the Roman conquest of Macedonia and the establishment of Pax Romana. In 69 CE, Emperor Vespasian granted Stobi the rank of municipium and the right to mint its own coins. Stobi was not only an important salt trading center but also strategically located at the crossroads of the ancient roads that ran along the two rivers Axios (Vardar) and Erigon (Crna). The first road connected the North and South of the Balkans as it does today, while the second to the southwest connected Stobi with the Via Egnatia near Heraclea Lyncestis (present day Bitola) and to the northeast continued to Serdica (present day Sofia).   

This commercial and strategic position brought Stobi long-term prosperity, especially in the period between the 1 ^st and 3^rd centuries CE. Several monumental buildings in the city are dated to this period: the Theater, the first City Wall, Porta Heraclea, the Public Building with Arches (most probably the Stobi library), the Casa Romana, the Synagogue, as well as the water supply system. In 267 CE the city suffered from raids conducted by the Goths and Herules. At the end of the 3rd century CE, Stobi was devastated by an earthquake; it was later rebuilt but following a different urban plan. Most of the ruins visible today belong to buildings dating to this period.

In the 4 ^th century CE, Stobi became an important Christian center and the seat of powerful bishops. Late, in the 5 ^th- 6^th centuries, Stobi was the capital city of the Roman province Macedonia Secunda, but suffered from the raids of Huns, Ostrogoths, Avars and Slavs. The constant threat of barbarian raids as well as certain climatic changes lead to the gradual abandonment of the city in the second half of the 6 ^th century CE. Some records mention a small Slavic community that settled and lived there in later centuries. The last historical reference regarding Stobi describes the victory of the Byzantine troops over Stobi’s local militia during the 11 ^th century CE. 

The Team

Chief conservator & Field School coordinators:    

• Biljana Jankulovska Peeva, Conservator, NI Stobi;   
• Alexander Manev, instructor, Archaeologist, Department in Classical Archaeology, Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences;
• Jovan Radnyanski, Archaeologist, NI Stobi;
• Dr Angela Pencheva, Balkan Heritage Foundation & Field School Program Director;  

The Program

The workshop will focus on pottery conservation and will provide a minimum of 80 hours of practical work, workshops/lab work, lectures/instructions and guided tours as follows:    

Workshops and practical work:         

• Presenting of the working place, instructions for proper use of tools and materials; 
• Conservation and restoration of replicas and authentic Roman and Late Roman ceramic vessels (with fragmented pottery from Stobi) - series of workshops;

• Archaeological documentation and illustration (drawing, graphic reconstruction, image processing using graphic software, photographing, description etc.) of  Roman and Late Roman ceramic vessels - series of workshops;      

Lectures 

• Review of Basic Methods for Uncovering, "first aid", Consolidation in situ, Cleaning, Sorting out and Storing of Ceramic Artifacts
•  Clay properties; Types of Clay; Basic techniques of ancient pottery molding; Firing; From the world’s earliest ceramic find to the unique Byzantine pottery - a short review of the most important pottery styles through the archaeological periods on the Balkans; 
• Deterioration of ceramic finds; Salts efflorescence; Porosity.
• Conservation and restoration of Roman and Late Roman objects, basic steps and principles. Cleaning of ceramic objects: mechanical and chemical methods of treatment; Assembly of the fragments - adhesives and requirements. Gap filling, modelling and finishing touches.      

• Required documentation for pottery conservation:    
  • Graphic documentation
  • Graphic reconstruction
  • Photographing
  • Conservation journal
  • Conservation history lists      
• List of used materials and safety data sheets
• Ancient traditions and technologies in ceramic production;   
• Typology and chronology of Roman and Late Roman pottery (with examples from Stobi);   
• Archaeological record and illustration of Roman and Late Roman pottery;   
• Introduction to technical photography
• History of Stobi and Macedonia in the Roman and Late Roman period (2nd century BCЕ - 6th century CE);
• History of the ancient Heraclea Lyncestis and Bitola;  
• History of Ohrid, the ancient city of Lychnidos (UNESCO Heritage Site);   

Guided tours:   

• "Behind the scenes" visit of authentic pottery workshop in Veles - Experiment with pottery making;
• The Roman and Late Roman city of Heraclea Lyncestis and Bitola;
• Ohrid, the ancient city of Lychnidos (UNESCO Heritage Site).      
• Pella and Vergina (not covered by the participation fee).      

Lectures will take place at the cabins, lab and the site. Workshops will take place in Stobi's lab. Instructions and training - will take place in Stobi's lab.

Reading background   

Balkan Heritage Foundation, National Institution Stobi, 2016 - Workshop for Conservation of Roman and Late Roman Pottery from Stobi (2010 - 2014)

Anderson-Stojanovic, V.R., Stobi, The Hellenistic and Roman Pottery (Princeton University Press, 1992)   

Buys, S., V. Oakley - The Conservation and Restoration of Ceramics, (Oxford, 1993); 3-163.

Elder, A., S. Madsen, G.,Brown, C., Herbel, C., Collins, S., Whelan, C., Wenz, S., Alderson and L. Kronthal. 1997. Adhesives and Consolidants in Geological and Paleontological Conservation: A Wall Chart. SPNHC Leaflets, Vol. 1 No. 2.

Hayes, J. W. - Handbook of Mediterranean Roman Pottery (British Museum Press, 1997).

Peacock, D.P.S., Pottery in the Roman World, (London, 1982).

Sease, C. 1992. A conservation manual for the field archaeologist. Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology (book available as a free PDF): 
http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8ft6488x

Wiseman, J.R. and Mano-Zissi, D., Stobi: A City of Ancient Macedonia, Journal of Field Archaeology, 3(3): 269-302, 1976.

Travel & Accommodation & Practicalities    

Travel

The Nearest Airports: Skopje, R. of North Macedonia (80 km) and Thessaloniki, Greece (160 km). If participants arrive at these airports, a transfer to Stobi may be arranged by request. Individual or group transfers' price may vary depending on both distance and number of passengers from 80 to 200 EUR.

How to get there? Stobi is located in the center of the Republic of North Macedonia. It can be easily accessed by: 1. travelling by bus or car on the highway E-75 (from Athens, Greece to Belgrade, Serbia and Central Europe across North Macedonia) - the highway exit STOBI is just in front of the site's entrance; 2. catching a bus/train from Skopje (R. of North Macedonia) or Thessaloniki (Greece) - the bus stop is at Gradsko (5 km. away from Stobi), from there participants can get a taxi to Stobi or request a free pick-up available from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm on the arrival day (please ask for details); the railway is next to the site 3. from neighboring towns of Negotino (13 km) and Kavadartsi (20 km) participants can get on a bus to Gradsko or on a taxi directly to Stobi.

Accommodation & Meals

Accommodation: in the recently renovated air-conditioned cabins at the archaeological site next to the ancient ruins of Stobi, in rooms with two to three beds. Every cabin has 4 bedrooms + living room, 2 bathrooms with showers and WC. Washing machine and Wi-Fi are available for free. There are outdoor and indoor dining and social spaces.

Meals: Three meals per day are covered by the reimbursement payment. They usually take place (except the lunch packages during the excursions) at the site's dining room or outdoors next to it. Requests for vegetarian food are accepted. Specialized diets (vegan, kosher, gluten-free etc.) are difficult to maintain in this location.

Participants must pay on their own for extra meals, beverages, services and products. No single room accommodation is available at Stobi.

Free Time & Trips

Free time: Films, sports games and visits to the neighboring towns/villages are the options for free time in the evenings.    

Trips:   

• Guided visit of the Old Town Quarter of Bitola  
• Guided visit of Ohrid and the Ohrid Lake    
• 1-day excursion (not covered by the reimbursement payment) to Pella and Vergina (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Greece for an extra fee of 199 EUR.
  Please follow the links above for excursion details. 

Technicalities & Practicalities

Insurance: The reimbursement payment does not cover health insurance. It is necessary to arrange your own insurance before your trip to Republic of North Macedonia! There are hospitals, clinics and pharmacies in all the larger towns. Foreign tourists must pay for health services, but might receive a refund if their home country has signed the Health Insurance Convention with R. of North Macedonia (you should check this information with your Ministry of Health). The insurance must cover as a minimum the following risks: medical treatment in case of an accident or disease, as well as costs related to evacuation and repatriation.

Weather: Moderate continental climate dominates in Stobi. Summers there are usually hot (up to 40-45 C; 100 – 110 F). Rainy and chilly days in this season are rare but not excluded.

What to bring?

• A pair of working shoes (sneakers, running shoes) and a pair of comfortable shoes for walking/hiking.
• Clothing suitable for an outdoor working environment: sun-hat and light clothes with long sleeves and legs (protecting from the sun and insects), including a light raincoat (consider weather conditions - hot and sunny, but rain may fall as well).
• Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop having at least 20 GB free disk space, a mouse and an USB flash drive. Operating system recommended: Windows XP or newer; Mac OS X 10.0.0 or newer.
• Medication - only prescription medicines you may need. It is not necessary to bring non-prescription medicine since you can buy all basic non-prescription drugs in North Macedonia.      
• Wide brim hat.   
• Small backpack (for your water bottle, snacks, camera, etc.)
• A converter to EU type electricity wall-plug if needed.        
• A good attitude for work, fun, study and discoveries! :)         

 NB!! All Conservation & Documentation tools and materials are available at the site! 

The Cost

All field schools are conducted as non-profit projects by the Balkan Heritage Foundation, Bulgaria. Their costs, including students' costs related to participation in the field school are covered by the reimbursement payments made by field school students.

BHFS project reimbursement payment covers: Educational and fieldwork activities, full-board accommodation (hotel + 3 meals per day), tools, materials, project handbook or readings, issue of Certificate of Attendance, administrative costs, travel related to the fieldwork and the excursions included in the field school program plus relevant entrance fees.

BHFS project reimbursement payment does not include: travel costs to and from the project venue or related to activities not included in the field school program; medical products and services and any expenses related to medical quarantine (food delivery, accommodation, etc.).

The costs in USD are approximate. Please check current exchange rates!

Early Bird Cost - until January 31, 2025:

Early Bird Cost for three-week project session is 2349 EUR/ approx. 2349 USD

Regular Cost - after January 31, 2025: 

The Regular Cost for three-week project session is 2599 EUR/ approx. 2599 USD   

All students registered for BHFS season 2020 shall contact BHFS Admissions office at b[email protected] for further information about the conditions of their participation in season 2025. 

Reimbursement Transfer Options:

- Bank transfer
- Online transfers via the Balkan Heritage virtual POS Terminal. VISA, MASTERCARD & MAESTRO cards are accepted.      
-  Wise money transfer

For further information contact Admissions Office at: [email protected]!

 Discounts off the regular cost:

* 5% DISCOUNT OFF the regular cost available for:

1. Participation in more than one BHFS project in 2025 (discount applies to the second, third, etc. project).
2. Membership in the Archaeological Institute of America.

* 10% DISCOUNT OFF the regular cost available for:

1. Participation in any BHFS project/s in the past.

* 12% DISCOUNT OFF the regular cost available for:

1. Group Participation (three or more people who participate together in one BHFS project in 2025). The discount is valid for each participant.

* 15% DISCOUNT OFF the regular cost is available for:

1. Group Participation (three or more people, who participate in more than one BHFS project in 2025 (the discount is valid for each participant).
2. BHFS alumni, who participate in more than one BHFS project in 2025. (discount applies to the second, third, etc. project).
3. BHFS alumni who attended a full project in the past and return to the same project.

NOTE, 5% OF EVERY COST FOR THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE BALKAN HERITAGE PROTECTION FUND'S ACTIVITIES!

For more information about scholarships, low-cost flights, hotels, etc. please feel free to contact us or look at our recommended links.

Academic credits

New Bulgarian University grants 6 ECTS credits to students for attending the two week session. Transcripts of Records (ToR) are available upon request for an additional tuition fee of 400 EUR for EU students and 600 EUR for Non-EU students.

For details: Regulations for obtaining Transcripts of Records.

Participants in the field school who do not need academic credit units are not expected to pay for them.