Christina Chandler, a first year graduate student in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, spent her winter break excavating at the site of Tell Abraq in the United Arab Emirates with Professor Peter Magee and fellow archaeology students. Tell Abraq is a late prehistoric settlement in the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE, where people lived 4000 years ago and participated in trade across the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean. Though excavating six days a week, Christina and the other students visited various archaeological sites and museums around the UAE, worked with artifacts in archaeological labs, and interacted with an international team of archaeologists. In their free time they explored Dubai and other modern cities.

This semester Christina is back on campus taking a full course load, including graduate seminars on Assyria, Athens, and mortuary practices in antiquity. Additionally, she is studying modern Arabic at Haverford College and Bryn Mawr.

Christina’s participation in the UAE excavation was made possible thanks to The Sharjah Directorate of Archaeology, Government of Sharjah, UAE; The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Bryn Mawr College; The Carus Trust within the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology; and Department funds from the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology.