Sino-American Field School of Archaeology (SAFSA)
4206 - 73rd Terrace East, Sarasota, Fl 34243
T.& F: 941-351-8208--- E-mail: fmfsafsa@Juno.Com
In 1990, the Fudan Museum Foundation in collaboration with Xi'an Jiaotong University, and the Archaeological Research institute of Shaanxi Province, established the Sino-American Field School of Archaeology. The Education Commission of Shaanxi Province, China, and the Society of Professional Archaeologists, (USA), accredited the school. Since c. 1906 China was closed for foreign archaeologist, SAFSA was the first foreign group which had a permit to excavate in Xi'an together with Chinese archaeologists. Presently more foreign groups are excavating under Chinese supervision.
There are a great number of foreign specialists on Chinese art, but until 1990 none of them excavated in China. Through our field school, the participants could establish under the umbrella of SAFSA future contacts with leading Chinese archaeological experts. In China every program should be attached to a UNIT. Our School within Xi'an Jiaotong University is an unit. Our goal is to exchange methodology and to teach the future generation of American or foreign archaeologists who want to specialized or just gain an exposure in Chinese archaeology. Therefore we are accepting a limited number of interested adults.
Our program is an archaeological practicum, and not a spectacular campaign. In China, except some monumental excavations, the concentration is on salvage archaeology. We helped to unearth a late prehistoric village from the matriarchal Yangshao culture. During other campaign we un-earthed great many built tombs from the Qin and Han Period. One tomb was accidentally discovered in the perimeter of Xi'an Jiaotong University, which dates back c.50 BC. On its barrel vault, it was painted the first Chinese Sky-map which up to now was discovered.
From the Eastern Han period (c.50 AD), in a tomb of an officer we discovered a child's secondary burial. The child died earlier and re buried with the father. We helped also to unearth one of the Treasuries of the First Emperor of China ( r.221-210 BC.). It was already robbed and burned in antiquity.
We also helped to unearth the Mausoleum of Han Emperor Jing Di, and that of Li Xian, the grandson of the only Chinese woman Emperor Wu Zetian, the Han Dyn. city of Yang LingYi, and some 3000 years old tombs from Zhou kingdom in Fufeng. In addition to field archaeological methodology, the participants are studying the site conservation and preliminary restoration, in the laboratory, which was given by the Germans. We are trying to persuade the US Government, Us companies and individuals to donate an earth resistivity station to the Shaanxi archaeology Institute in Xi'an.
The school welcome institutional affiliations. The affiliate institute shall pledge to send one participant in each summer, and in return, would get one place in the Advisory Council. The basic principle of the school is not only the summer archaeological practice, but also a good will gesture toward the Chinese people. Through archaeological fieldwork, we want to build up a mutual respect and pave the road of further peaceful and prosperous collaboration.
Dr.Alfonz Lengyel
Professor and American Director of SAFSA