The Southern Etruscan Tomb Survey is committed to non-discrimination on the basis of age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, and disability. Accordingly, the Southern Etruscan Tomb Survey (SETS) includes two teams, each individually aimed at addressing one of these disparities: an exclusively female field team and a co-ed architectural analyst team that facilitates the inclusion of all persons, including those with disabilities. 

The Field Season: An All-Women’s Field Project

The Southern Etruscan Tomb Survey uses both digital methods and fieldwork to analyze the tombs of Cerveteri. The SETS field season is committed to an all women’s team. Gender divides are often exacerbated in archaeological fieldwork since much of the work is physically demanding, and women are often passed up in favor of their physically stronger male peers. The gender gap, however, is even more substantial in digital archaeology. According to Forbes, women comprise only 25% of the digital workforce, and in archaeology, most field projects are composed of an entirely male topography team. This traditionally male model offers a barrier to women in archaeology, and consequently, few women remain in archaeological fieldwork throughout their careers, and even fewer go on to direct projects. During the SETS field season, we aim to empower female archaeologists to use their own voice, learn in a supportive environment, and cultivate more female archaeologists in their technological skills, skills that are increasingly in demand on archaeological sites. 

The Field Season: Managing Disability On-Site

The Southern Etruscan Tomb Survey aims to be transparent in conveying the physical labor required of archaeologists during the fieldwork season. Archaeologists should adequately prepare for conditions beforehand. 

The terrain of Cerveteri is relatively flat. Due to the terrain of Cerveteri and the nature of survey work, the Southern Etruscan Tomb Survey is a reasonably accessible archaeological site, and invites archaeologists who experience disability to participate in fieldwork as well. 

Although there is a fair amount of shade onsite, archaeologists should anticipate working in temperatures in the 90s Fahrenheit. While the project’s 2025 field season will concentrate on further survey work of Cerveteri, survey work is still physically demanding. Archaeologists should feel comfortable squatting and standing for a long amount of time.

We hope to continue updating this section in the future, particularly with information about the availability of restrooms on site, and the distance between fieldwork and restrooms. Additionally, we will update this site on the types of medical equipment that will be accessible during fieldwork. 

While emergencies are unlikely they are possible. For this reason, all field members participate in a training session led by an emergency medicine certified physician before entering the field.

If an archaeologist wishes to participate in survey work and has a disability, it is recommended that they should speak with the project director, Dr. Amelia Eichengreen, before arriving on site to see if accommodation is available.

The Architectural Analyst Team: Disability and the inclusion of all persons

The architectural analyst team facilitates the inclusion of all persons, including those with disabilities. Since much of the analysis is conducted remotely using LiDAR scans, individuals are not required to be physically capable of being involved in archaeological fieldwork. Thus, the architectural analyst team allows the participation of individuals with physical disabilities who might have otherwise been barred. 

Several members of our current architectural analyst team have acute or long-term disabilities. Archaeologists with disabilities are especially welcome to join the architectural analyst team, and accommodations for archaeologists with reasonable disabilities can be arranged.