Matthew Mandich

For me, working for the American Institute for Roman Culture was an exciting and valuable experience. After working with the AIRC at its Villa delle Vignacce excavations in Rome's suburbium in the summer of 2009, when I served as an assistant trench supervisor, I was able to return to Rome and continue to be involved with the institute. From January to May, 2010 I served as a post-baccalaureate Teaching Assistant for Drs. Arya and Prieto during the AIRC-College of the Holy Cross Spring Semester in Classics and Maymester programs. In this role I was responsible for thorough knowledge of the curriculum for the primary course, Forma Urbis, in order to answer students’ questions, as well as grading the students' weekly photo (Flickr) and Blue Guide assignments; I also organized and delivered several lectures myself.  I assisted Drs. Arya and Prieto in guiding students on daily tours of historical sites in Rome, as well as field trips to places around Italy like Sperlonga, Terracina, Pompeii, and Heculaneum, and even abroad to North Africa (Tunisia). This position allowed me to gain important, hands-on teaching experience while working with students from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities in addition to helping me prepare for my future graduate-level course work.

While working as a Teaching Assistant I also participated in the AIRC and Northeastern University Documentary Film program, where I provided tours of and gave background history on Ostia Antica to the students. During this program I was also interviewed for the five short documentaries concerning various facets of ancient life in Ostia Antica. (These videos are available on the AIRC YouTube channel and the AIRC website’s videos page.)

From June to July 2010 I continued to work with the AIRC, taking on the role of trench supervisor at the Porta Marina excavations in Ostia Antica jointly run by AIRC and the University of Bologna. Having worked in the field for a number of years both in America and Italy, I was responsible for teaching students the basics of stratigraphic excavation and artifact identification, helping them understand the history of the site, grading their excavation journals, and managing the trench documentation and drawings.  This opportunity allowed me to work closely with both American and Italian archaeologists and afforded me the opportunity to improve my Italian in a professional setting, while gaining additional skills supervising both American and European students.

Shortly after working with the AIRC I went on to get a Masters degree in Roman Archaeology at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, which I recently completed. Now that I have the MA I plan to continue working in the field before ultimately pursuing my PhD, in either the US or the UK. I may be back in Rome as early as this summer (2012) to supervise another trench at Ostia Antica, in AIRC's exciting new project there.

It was a pleasure working closely with and assisting Drs. Arya and Prieto, and in the process learning a great deal about my field of study through this hands-on interactive program. I also gained a great deal of invaluable experience that helped me prepare for my future studies.  Working for the AIRC was a lot of fun and something I will never forget.