Each History in Hand program allows students to explore and connect with the past and experience at first hand the joys of discovery experienced by real archaeologists in the field. Our programs impart a respect and appreciation for the hard work and care with which archaeologists manage their excavations in the real world. Young people learn values which can have a lasting impact throughout their lives.
History in Hand programs are developed in conjunction with subject experts and advisers to ensure accuracy and to reflect current archaeological and educational values. We offer a choice of two unique, educational programs:
Ancient Rome: Our flagship program, simulating a digsite at Thessalonika, an ancient trading city where the Roman, Greek, Macedonian and Byzantine empires all held sway.
Prehistoric America: Reaching far back into prehistory, our southwest dig provides a true experience in experimental archaeology.
In January 2008 we will be adding two new programs:
The Maya: A vast and flourishing society that is all too often neglected in our studies of history. With our program, students will gain insight into the often overlooked Mayan civilization.
The Battle of Chancellorsville: Dealing with a far more recent timeframe than our other programs, the Chancellorsville dig is still a great leap backward in time for young people in the twenty-first century and an opportunity to learn at first hand about a pivotal time in american history.
Also under development and expected to be ready in late 2008 are programs dealing with the Aztec civilization and the ancient cultures of the Holyland. History in Hand can also build specially tailored programs to meet specific needs or to study periods of history not covered in our standard programs. Conatct us if you have unique requirements.
How the Programs Work
History in Hand programs consist of three separate phases, setup, field-work at the digsite and labwork in the classroom. Programs can be arranged to accommodate large numbers of students, or with a little reconfiguration run entirely indoors if no suitable space outside can be secured. Programs can be run over a series of days or in just one day with students encouraged to complete the cleaning and identification stage at home on their own.
Setup: Everything is included in the kit to help the instructor set up the digsite before the students arrive. A suitable area of sand or dirt is selected, a grid is staked out and the artifacts are buried with their number and position noted to ensure nothing remains behind. Student primers can also be pre-printed before the arrival of the junior archaeologists.
Field-work: The first thing the students need to do is head 'to the field''. This is the point where young people can feel the hands-on thrill of working as an archaeologist as, working slowly and carefully in their assigned area of the grid, they dig out and carefully brush off their artifacts. When their discovery is made, these young people will be handling for the first time ancient objects from times that until now had only existed for them in the pages of a history book.
Lab-work: after the students have dug their artifacts, its time to head back to the classroom to begin the work of restoring and identifying their finds.
Tools, magnifiers and cleaning agents (safe for young people if used with proper care, this cleaning mixture will help remove centuries of encrusted dirt) are included in the package. Students experience the joy of discovery as details on their artifacts begin to emerge for the first time in centuries.
As the artifact becomes more recognizable, the students, with the help of our Student Primers can take the next step and begin to identify their finds and place them within a historical context. In the end, when the artifacts are cleaned and identified, they take the final step of preserving them for the future.
At the end of the program, students emerge with a better understanding of the civilization being studied, a hands on experience and a new respect for the work of real life archaeologists, an artifact they can keep as a treasured possession and perhaps a new found desire to continue their studies in history or archaeology.
From it's founding under the Greeks through the rise and fall of the Macedonians, Romans and Byzantines, Thessalonika was a city of culture and standing. Our dig includes coins, ornaments and utensils from all of these civilizations. 
The earliest wanderers to North America brought with them the first stirrings of community and culture. In our Prehistoric dig students will uncover ancient stone tools and fossils which bring to life the world of our ancient ancestors.
The civil war has passed from living memory
Kings and pyramid builders, warriors, astronomers and simple potters. Students will learn about all aspects of the world of the ancient Maya by unearthing a Maya Lord's burial site and reconstructing the artifacts they discover.