Stobi (The Capital City of Macedonia Secunda) Excavation

The Project and Course

General information

Project type: Field school & archaeological excavation. The variety of activities and the team's professionalism and flexibility make this project suitable for both beginners and advanced in field Roman Archaeology.    

Тhe field school started: 2010

Site and venue: Archaeological site of Stobi is near the village of Gradsko, Republic of North Macedonia. Since 2012, Stobi is included in the World Monuments Fund Watch list among the sites with universal significance - read more here!

Period in the project's focus: Roman, Late Roman (2nd century - 6th century CE)   

Major field school topics/activities:  archaeological field techniques and methods for excavation and documentation in regard to specifics of excavation of Roman and Late Roman urban site; course on photogrammetry and 3D archaeological recording and modelling in collaboration with Queen's University, Canada; finds processing; as well as excursions to significant heritage sites in Republic of North Macedonia and Greece.   

BHF Partners in this project:    

• National Institution Stobi, Republic of North Macedonia;    
• Department of Geography and Planning of Queens University, Canada    
• New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria.

Dig directors: Dr Silvana Blazevska (archaeologist at National Institution Stobi) and Goce Pavlovski (archaeologist at National Institution Stobi, PhD Candidate in Archaeology)

Field school coordinators: Angela Pencheva (Balkan Heritage Foundation & Field School Program Director, PhD in Classical Archaeology) & Matthew Schueller (BHF affiliated archaeologist; visiting Asst. Prof. at William and Mary, USA); Goce Pavlovski (archaeologist, NI Stobi, PhD Candidate in Archaeology);

Visiting professor: George A. Bevan (PhD), Associate Professor, Department of Geography & Planning, Queen's University, Canada.

Field school sessions available: 

• Four week session: 23 June - 20 July, 2024 

Application deadlines:  Until the places are filled, or 23 May, 2024

Minimum length of stay for volunteers: Four weeks 

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

Number of field school places available: Maximum 18  

Project language: English

Academic credits available: 9 ECTS credits are available through New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria. 

Experience required: No previous experience is required.

Special requirements: The project is not recommended for individuals with solar allergies or other special illnesses that might be exacerbated during the intensive outdoor activities. The average summer temperatures in the area are 25-35°C (77-95°F) or higher. All participants should bring clothes and toiletries suitable for hot and sunny weather. Bear in mind that chillier days are very rare but not uncommon.       

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

Participants are also expected to prepare for the dig by reading at least the BHFS handbook that will be sent by e-mail before the beginning of the project.    

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

The Site and the Excavation Project

The ancient city of Stobi was the largest city in the northern part of the Roman province Macedonia, later capital of the province Macedonia Secunda and important urban, administrative, trade and religious center during the Roman and Late Roman periods. Located at an exceptionally significant position, at the intersection of the two main roads, north-south road (Thessalonica-Stobi-Signidunum) and the diagonal road (Heraclea-Stobi-Serdica), the town possessed all preconditions for greater rise and development.

First historical records for Stobi are found in Roman historian Titus Livus, who recorded the Paionian urbs vetus Stobi as а place close to the battleground where Macedonian King Philip V defeated the Dardanians in 197 BCE.The same author reveals that in the period after 168 BCE, when the Romans conquered the Macedonian kingdom, Stobi entered the fourth meris, and became a trade center from where salt was distributed to the north, to Dardania. When the Roman province of Macedonia was established in 147 BCE, Stobi was the largest city in the northern part.   

Roman period: The trading and strategic position allowed for Stobi's continual rise in the following centuries of Roman rule. Pliny recorded Stobi as oppidum civium Romanorum, a status gained during the time of Augustus meaning that there must be a community (conventus) of Roman citizens who possessed ius Italicum, besides the local population and other foreigners. The citizens who enjoyed Roman civil rights belong to the tribes Aemilia and Tromentina.

Stobi became municipium, a status which appeared on the first coins minted in Stobi by Vespasian in 72/73 CE, and on few inscriptions dated in the period between 1 ^st and 3^rd century CE. The imperial mint at Stobi, with interruptions, lasted until the time of Caracalla (198-217 CE). The town suffered in the second half of the 3 ^rd century, due to the intrusion of the Goths and Herules in 267/69 CE, and later, around the year of 300 CE, by an earthquake. These events, along with the general crisis in the Roman Empire caused decline of the prosperity of Stobi.

Few public buildings from this period are partially uncovered at the site: the Theatre, the House of Polycharmos with the northern part adapted to a Synagogue, the Temple of the Egyptian deities Isis and Serapis, the Building with Arches (the Library), and partially uncovered urban villa named Casa Romana , located close to Erigon River. Their grandiose architectural solutions, manner of building, used materials along with the magnificent marble, stucco, painted and sculptural decoration points to a city where benefactors were some of the emperors and local prominent families.   

Late Roman period: The large reconstruction of the city occurred during the 4 ^th and especially in the 5 ^th century. Since Constantine issued the Milan Edict in 313 CE which equated the Christianity with the other religions, many cities throughout the Empire became bishop’s seats, including Stobi. Budios was the first recorded bishop in Stobi, who participated at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325 CE. Besides Budios, six other bishops from Stobi are recorded in the sources or inscriptions.

In 388 CE, Emperor Theodosus visited Stobi from where he issued two edicts. When new provincial division was established in 386 CE to Macedonia Prima and Salutaris, Stobi probably remained in Macedonia Prima, and later in the 5th century it became the capital of the newly formed province of Macedonia Secunda. Ancient sources mentioned eight cities within the province and Stobi was mentioned as first.In 447 CE Stobi and seventy cities or towns on the Balkans suffered in the raids of the Huns, while Theodoric and the Ostrogoths plundered Stobi on their way to Dyrrachium in 479 CE.

Most of the excavated buildings and fortifications at Stobi belong to the Late Antiquity, and were erected between 4 ^th and 6^th century. A new inner fortification wall was built on the eastern side in the early 5 ^th century, thus shortening the city’s territory. Some of the existing houses were renovated and more large residences were built with many rooms organized around the central inner courtyard with fountains and pools, lavishly decorated with mosaics and rich architectural marbles: the House of Parthenius, the Theodosian Palace, the House of Peristeria, the so called Casino, as well as two public baths and the city fountain. The buildings were divided by streets, some of them paved and colonnaded.

Christianity largely shaped the urban layout of the city. The Early Episcopal basilica was built in the late 4 ^th century, renovated by bishop Eusthatios in the early 5^th century. In the late 5^th century a new, larger Episcopal basilica was built on artificial terrace, 4.5 meters above the Early church. Three more basilicas are known from the second half of the 5 ^th century within the city walls (North basilica, Civil basilica, Central (Synagogue) basilica and three outside the fortification: the Cemetery basilica, Basilica Extra Muros and Basilica in the village of Palikura, 2km southeast of Stobi.

The earthquake in the early 6 ^th century caused damages to the buildings. Major repairs and rebuilding is recorded on the public and residential buildings as well as on the fortification. The incursions of the Slavs and Avars and other tribes from the north during the second half of the 6 ^th century devastated the cities throughout the Balkans. Besides the earthquakes and barbaric incursions, the bubonic plaque during Justinian reign which caused depopulation as well as climate changes were reasons for decline in the second half of the 6 ^th century and abandonment of the city in the first decades of the 7 ^th century. The city was probably stroke by another earthquake shortly before or after it was abandoned.   

Medieval period: The last historical records mentioning Stobi refers to the victory of the Byzantine emperor Basil II over the military garrison stationed in Stobi in the year of 1014. During the Medieval period (11 ^th-14^th centuries) a small settlement existed, judging by the remains discovered in the southeast part of the city, around the Temple of Isis and in the corridors of the abandoned Theatre, while the small cemetery was found above the remains of the Civil and Central basilica. In the following centuries Stobi vanished into oblivion until it was discovered in the second half of the 19th c.

Periods of excavations:

For more than a century the ancient city of Stobi has been attracting scientists from all over the world to reveal its secrets. 

The first reported excavations were begun during the World War I by German officers and the archaeologist Hald and later on Krischen;

1923 to 1940 - Excavations, directed by Balduin Saria and R. Eger, Kj. Truhelka, V. Petkovic, J. Petrovic, Dj. Mano-Zissi - the Belgrade National Museum;

1955 to 1969 - Excavations carried out by the Archaeological Museum of Skopje and the Agency for Protection of Monuments of Culture, Macedonia;

1970 to 1980 - Excavations, directed by Dj. Mano-Zissi and J. Wiseman - the Museum of Veles, Macedonia, University of Austin, Texas, and later Boston University - both from USA.

1992 to 1995 - rescue excavations by the Agency for Protection of Monuments of Culture, Macedonia;   

The National Institution Stobi (NI Stobi) was founded in December 2008 as an independent governmental institution under the Ministry of Culture. The large-scale excavations conducted by S. Blazhevska (NI Stobi) began in 2009. Until 2024 numerous archaeological and conservation projects were successfully finalized (for more information, see: www.stobi.mk).    

Despite all the excavation campaigns, only 15% of the territory within the city wall of Stobi has been excavated.   

The Baptistery at Stobi, Republic of North Macedonia by Balkan Heritage Foundation (BHF) on Sketchfab

The Temple of Isis, Stobi, Republic of North Macedonia by Balkan Heritage Foundation (BHF) on Sketchfab

The Field School

FIELD SCHOOL HISTORY (2010 - 2023)

In 2010, the field school project concentrated at two places: the Western Necropolis, in use from the 1st century BCE to the 5th century CE and the temple of Isis dated to the 2nd and the 3rd century CE.

In 2011 and 2013 the field work took place in the Northern Residential Area of Stobi, inhabited mainly in Late Antiquity.

Since 2014 the participants in the field school excavate an area next to one of the most representative residential buildings in Stobi: the Theodosian Palace located at the center of the city, bordered by two main streets: Via Principalis Inferior and Via Principalis Superior. The building, which is richly decorated with mosaics, was given its name by early scholars under the assumption that the Emperor Theodosius I was accommodated there during his visit to Stobi in 388 CE.

The excavations in the last six years brought to light a late antique building situated between the Theodosian Palace and an adjacent building, called “the Jail” due to the discovery of shackled skeletons in the 1920s. In 2024, the work will continue in the same area in an effort to investigate the chronological and architectural relation between the three buildings. 

The field school includes the following three modules:   

• Fieldwork, including excavation of Roman and Late Roman layers and structures: practicing basic excavation techniques and developing of archaeological field documentation by maintaining a field journal on a daily basis, filling locus sheets and labels, drawing an elevation plan/ a ground plan/ a cross-section, 3D positioning of finds, taking coordinates with a dumpy level, as well as taking photographs at the site; 

     

• Lectures and workshops in Roman and Field Archaeology, Finds' Processing and Documentation; workshops on Photogrammetry & Surveying for Archaeological and Architectural Recording alongside the excavation, taught by Dr. George Bevan (Queen's University, Canada). Further training will be given in the operation of a Total Station and the establishing of a survey control network on site;           

• Excursions to to the old towns of Bitola, the archaeological site of Heraclea Lyncestis as well as to Ohrid and Ohrid lake(UNESCO World Heritage Site), Skopje and to the ancient Macedonian capital Pella and the royal burial complexes in Vergina (UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Greece (optional, not covered by the reimbursement payment).

Students who need to prepare field reports and presentations for their universities can receive additional instruction and assistance.

All participants will receive:

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

The Team   

Instructors, Trainers and Area Supervisors:         

• Dr Silvana Blazevska (archaeologist at National Institution Stobi)   
• Goce Pavlovski (archaeologist, NI Stobi: PhD candidate in Archaeology)
• Jovan Radnyanski (archaeologist, NI Stobi)      
• Dr. Mathew Schueller (BHF affiliated archaeologist; visiting Asst. Prof. at William & Mary, USA )
• Dr. George A. Bevan (Assoicate Professor, Department of Geography & Planning, Queen's University, Canada)    
• Kristen Jones (PhD Student, Department of Geography & Planning, Queen's University, Canada)

The Program

The four-week field school session provides a minimum of 180 hours of fieldwork, workshops/lab work, lectures/instructions and guided tours.

Field Work   

• Practicing basic excavation techniques
• Use of tools and working techniques
• Creating of field documentation - field journal, locus sheets and labels, ground plans and cross-sections, photographs, etc;
• Identifying and sorting of archaeological finds;       

Workshops

• Practical total station operation;
• Introduction to surveying: GNSS;
• Photogrammetry capture and processing;
• Archaeological documentation of pottery (drawing, graphic reconstruction, photographing, description, etc.);
• Cleaning of pottery;
• Basic principles of finds processing.

Lectures  

• History of Macedonia in Antiquity (Hellenistic, Roman and Late Roman Period)
• History and Archaeology of Stobi and Introduction in the Excavation Area 
• Architecture and Urban Development of Stobi   
• Cemeteries and Burial Practices in Stobi
• Typology of Roman and Late Roman Pottery, with Examples from Stobi    
• Religious Beliefs in Stobi
• Basic Field Methods and Practices for Excavation and Documentation
• Introduction to the Field Journal; Locus Sheets, Log Book and Other Forms 
• Stratigraphy: Horizontal, Vertical and Chronological
• From the Field to Storage: Review of Basic Methods for Uncovering, "First Aid", Consolidation in Situ, Cleaning, Sorting, Labeling, Documenting and Storing Ceramic Artifacts

   

• Field Graphic Documentation: Scale-drawing of: Ground-plan/elevation-plan/Cross-section
• Excavations Preparation. Preliminary Indoor Research
• Excavation Completion. Post Excavation Work and Analyses. Excavation
• Total Station and GNSS Surveying; Ground Control Setup
• Digital Photogrammetry of Excavations and Total Station Operation; Mapping in 3DM Analyst
• Processing Photogrammetry Data in 3DM Analyst and Agisoft Photoscan
• History of Bitola and Heraclea Lyncestis
• History of Ohrid.  

Guided tours (covered by the participation fee):

• Bitola and Heraclea Lyncestis;
• Ohrid and Ohrid Lake (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• Tour of Skopje  
• Pella and Vergina (not covered by the participation fee).

For students with archaeological experience who would like to concentrate mainly on 3D documentation of active excavations using photogrammetry, surveying, RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging), and CAD (Computer Aided Design), please contact Balkan Heritage or George Bevan ([email protected]) directly.  

Reading Background   

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

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

Blazevska, S. - "Urban Transformation of Stobi. From oppidum civium Romanorum to capital of Macedonia Secunda", in Milena Raycheva – Martin Steskal (eds.), Roman Provincial Capitals under Transition. Proceedings of the International Conference Held in Plovdiv 04.-07.11.2019, Österreichisches Archäologisches Institut Sonderschriften Band 6 (Wien 2021), pp. 189-213. 

Boardman, J., et al. (ed.) The Oxford History of the Classical World. Oxford & New York, 1986.

Brown, P. The World of Late Antiquity AD 150-750 (Library of World Civilization). Norton & Company, 1989.

Errington, R. M. A History of the Hellenistic World: 323-30 BC. Wiley-Blackwell, 2008.

Errington, R. M. A History of Macedonia. Barnes Noble, 1994.

Grant J., Gorin S. and Fleming N.. The Archaeology Course Book: an introduction to themes, sites, methods and skills. Routledge, 2008.

Renfrew, C. and Paul B.. Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice. New York, 2006.

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/49 mi) and Thessaloniki, Greece (160 km/100 mi.) Transfers to Stobi from these airports may be arranged by request.  Individual or group transfer prices may vary, depending on the 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 highway E-75 (from Athens, Greece to Belgrade, Serbia and Central Europe across R. of 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 stop is at Gradsko (5 km. away from Stobi), from there participants/visitors can get a taxi to Stobi or request a free pick-up available from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm on arrival day (please ask for details); 3. from neighboring towns of Negotino (13 km) and Kavadartsi (20 km) participants can take a bus to Gradsko or a taxi directly to Stobi.      

A detailed travel info-sheet will be provided to enrolled students.

Visa requirements: Citizens of EU, EEA, USA, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand do not need a visa to visit Republic of North Macedonia for up to 90 days. Citizens of all other countries may need a visa. The Balkan Heritage Foundation can send an official invitation letter that should be used at the relevant embassy to secure a visa to the program. For further details please visit our Visa information page.  

Accommodation & Meals 

Accommodation: Participants will be accommodated in the recently renovated air-conditioned cabins at the archaeological base next to the ancient ruins of Stobi, in rooms with two to three beds. Every cabin has 4 bedrooms and living room, 2 bathrooms with showers and WC. A washing machine and Wi-Fi are available for free at the site. 

Meals: Three meals (fresh, homemade food) per day are covered by the reimbursement payment. They usually take place (except for the lunch packages during the excursions) at the base's premises. 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. There is no option for single room accommodation 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.  

Extra trips and excursions:

• 1-day excursion (not covered by the reimbursement payment) to Pella and Vergina (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Greece for an extra fee starting from approx. 100 EUR.

Please follow the links above for excursion details.     

Technicalities & Practicalities

Insurance: The reimbursement payment does not cover insurance. It is mandatory to arrange your own health insurance before your trip to R. of North Macedonia. There are hospitals, clinics and pharmacies in all the larger towns. Foreigners 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);   
• Wide brim hat;   
• Small backpack (for your water bottle, snacks, camera, etc.)
• Medication - only prescription medicines you may need since you can buy all basic non-prescription drugs in North Macedonia.
• A converter to EU type electricity wall-plug if needed.
• A good attitude for work, fun, study and discoveries ;)

   

     

• NB! Excavation & documentation tools and materials, as well as working gloves 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, 2024:

Early Bird Cost for four-week project session is 2799 EUR/ approx. 2799 USD

Regular Cost - after January 31, 2024:     

The Regular Cost for four-week project session is 3099 EUR/ approx. 3099 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 2024. 

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 2024 (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 2024). 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 2024 (the discount is valid for each participant).
2. BHFS alumni, who participate in more than one BHFS project in 2024. (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   

ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credit units are available for students attending European universities . They shall enroll directly through the Balkan Heritage Field School. New Bulgarian University grants 12 ECTS credits for attending the four-week session. Transcripts of Records (ToR) are available upon request for an additional tuition fee. For details: Regulations for Obtaining Transcripts of Records.

US credit units are available to all students. They shall apply to the BHF-IFR Program for the Balkans and enroll through the Institute for Field Research (IFR), USA. They will be awarded 8 semester credit units (equivalent to 12 quarter units) through our academic partner Connecticut College and will receive a letter grade. The tuition fee is included in the IFR admission fee.   

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