Dig Diary

Lina Rosenblueth (MAFS 2026; Student at the Universidad Iberoamericana de Ciudad de México, México) Finds or no finds, walls or no walls, cisterns or no cisterns, plastic or no plastic; I wouldn't have had it any other way. We started our final run with a Bioarchaeology class session, a break I decided to take in the library sketching away, and a wonderful insight into Archive. I found myself handling the remains and realizing the amount of respect involved in holding someone

Yv Scarlett Maciel (MAFS 2026; North Carolina State University alumna) Before coming to the University of St Andrews, I thought this program would simply teach me how to excavate an archaeological site and better understand medieval monastic life. Instead, it really changed the way I think about history and myself. Looking back, I realize the most valuable things I gained were not just archaeological skills, but a new perspective on humanity and a new confidence I did not kno

Ava Anthony (MAFS 2026; Student at Franklin and Marshall College) The most exciting aspect of field school, to me, is actually being in the field. While I enjoy lectures and field trips, these cannot compare to the experience of opening up your trench. At the end of week 3, my trench, Trench 18, opened up a new section on the western side. It brought me back to my first day on site, when we removed the sod and carefully started excavating Context 002. Every stone was excitin

Linday Kalb (MAFS 2026; Student at Brandeis University) Before this summer, I barely understood archaeology. I had read the program, learned quick terminology, and prepared to sit through lectures on theory and method. But there is a world of difference between studying archaeology in a classroom and actually doing it. The MAFS program thrust me into that world, and in the process, it changed not only how i see the past, but how I see myself. For weeks, our home base was Lind

Kate Clark (MAFS 2026; Student at Whitman College) While finds like the Victorian toys, seals, and coins are certainly fascinating, overall, the bulk finds have stuck with me the most during the dig, as they represent the reality of life/they provide a narrative not as well kept in artwork and records. As writing and recording was less common in the medieval period than now, while certainly having a higher likelihood of recording within monastic settings, the things that have

Zoe Levin (MAFS 2026; Student at St Andrews & The College of William & Mary) There are as many types of archaeology as there are types of materials in the ground, and one of my favorite parts of this season was learning what each type can tell archaeologists about the past. I dug in trench 7, a 2x5-meter trench next to the northmost wall of the abbey. Our primary goal was to locate the monastery’s great drain, which we believed we had located by the archway in the exposed por

Kathleen Laurance (MAFS 2026; Student at James Cook University, Australia) Lago Maggiore, Italy My first introduction with monks happened when I was about 14- living in the rural areas of Italy. We had occupied a small house, that connected to a vineyard and a lake, with a town and church the stretched around reservoir. We arrived in winter and had estimated our stay to be around half a year. The climate had disagreed with me, leaving me cold (and completely miserable). It wa

Bennett Owen (MAFS 2026; Student at the University of Washington, Seattle) Trench 20 and her mysteries During the last week of the program, I remarked to one of my classmates that archaeology was a bit like playing battleship. You select where you want to dig without knowing for sure whether it’s going to be a hit, even if you have some evidence from previous fieldwork done on a site. Trenches 20 (where I was digging) and 19 stand as polar opposites, both invaluable lessons a

Cay Olsen (MAFS 2026; Student at Haverford College) This past week was eventful at Lindores Abbey. On Wednesday, we welcomed 2 groups of elementary school students who were learning about the dinosaurs. Unfortunately for them, there are no known dinosaurs at Lindores Abbey, but we still did our best to teach them all about the abbey and archaeology as a subject. After bringing the children into the cloister and explaining what monks did in their everyday life, Dylan and I sho

Francesca Oppenheimer (MAFS 2026; Student at Bard College) The hands-on experience of digging in a trench, searching for answers to historical questions, offers an amazing window into the operation of history. As I have dug down from one layer of history into the next, I have gained new insight into how history builds onto itself – both literally and figuratively. As we all have experienced in our day to day lives, everything that happens builds upon what came before it, whet

Katelyn Scott (MAFS 2026; Student at the University of Tennesse, Knoxville) Most non-archaeologists have little to no idea what goes into the process of excavation. Even I did not, (mostly) as a third year archaeology student. Digging is obviously involved in most, if not all situations. How it looks, however, is entirely unique to each site. At Lindores Abbey, we have sectioned out four areas called trenches as pictured on the left. In these trenches we will use archaeologic

Michael Williams (MAFS 2026 Student; Student at University of Aberdeen) The amazing Lindores Abbey Distillery, found in Newburgh, Fife. Known as the spiritual home of Scoth Whiskey. Claiming the earliest evidence of Scoth whiskey distillation in c. 1494, how’s that! What an impressive logo on these sliding rail doors. Opposite here is the Abbey founded in 1191 by Tironesian monks. Sadly, during the sixteenth- century Protestant Reformation, the abbey was sacked and burnt, s

Paige Hutcheson (MAFS Student 2025, MAFS Intern 2026; Student at the University of Virginia) The Lindores Season 3 Prep Week crew on site (Paige second from left) After participating in the Monastic Archaeology Field School as a student last year, I have returned to site as an intern. Lindores Abbey is such a beautiful site to return to. The trenches had been within the Abbey, so I’m excited to see what we find near the orchards and by the gate out towards the Tay. Prep week

Camera crew on site in June 2025