In June of 2022, a group of UMD students crossed the Atlantic to study Ireland’s past in Galway. With the help of professors and high-tech radar, the group conducted surveys and mapped out historic structures. Many of these sites were partially or entirely underground, ranging from bronze-age forts to medieval castles.
Despite the rain and heavy equipment, the students traveled to their work sites on foot. One area they examined was Merlin Castle, a 12th-century structure. While surveying the area, the group found something unexpected.
“We noticed that the ground was sunken low,” said Adam Herman, an anthropology major who was on the trip. Looking around, there were remnants of walls sticking out of the ground, clearly the ruins of a building. Herman worked alongside five other students: Luke Dickinson, Autumn Wolter, Lucas Finch, Jack Hartford, and Josh Kizilos. “As an anthropologist, you kind of dream of finding something like that,” Herman said. “It was so cool to find something that has been sitting there for so long, and yet nobody knew.”
The group never broke ground at the sites they visited. Instead, they utilized Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). Herman describes the device as looking similar to a lawnmower. The device sends radio waves into the ground and observes the echoes that are returned. As students pushed the cart across the ground, it slowly created a map of what was below.
UMD students also set up their equipment at other nearby sites. At Roscam Abbey, students surveyed a sixth-century monastery that was hidden beneath a cattle field. On the Aran Islands, the group mapped out settlements that date back to 2000 BCE.
This fall, Herman is applying to work on archeological sites around the world. “This experience was so helpful for me,” Herman said. “I feel way more comfortable and confident going into a career in archaeology.”
Steven Matthews and David Woodward are leaders of the Ireland Study Abroad Program. Matthews, an associate professor of history, has returned to Ireland year after year for archeological studies. Woodward, an instructor of history, is the director of the Museum Studies Certificate Program at UMD.
Banner Photo: Autumn Wolter, Adam Herman, Luke Dickinson, Lucas Finch, Josh Kizilos, and Jack Hartford.
This story was written by UMD student Jack Wiedner, who is majoring in journalism and political science. Jack works with Cheryl Reitan in University Marketing and Public Relations.