About the Laboratory
The Lab has grown since its inauguration on June 2, 1992, to offer a variety of fellowship opportunities, a library, and comparative reference collections, as well as a range of the specialist equipment and tools required by scholars exploring the past through scientific means. Research conducted at the Wiener Laboratory includes biological anthropology (the study of human skeletal remains), zooarchaeology (the study of animal bones), geoarchaeology (the study of soils and rocks, including metallurgy), and environmental studies (including the study of organic residues and botanical remains). Annual fellowships are offered in each of these areas.
Dissemination of the work of the Wiener Laboratory to the School along with the local archaeological community is accomplished through participation of Wiener Laboratory researchers in workshops, seminars, and lectures, as well as individual consultations. The prestigious Malcolm H. Wiener Lecture is part of the School’s public lecture series dedicated to an area of research within archaeological science. During the School year, a monthly Fitch-Wiener Labs Seminar Series on Science-Based Archaeology is co-hosted with the Fitch Laboratory of the British School at Athens (conveniently located across the garden). The Lab Fellows and Research Associates also present a workshop for School members in the spring centered on a theme, for example, “Diet in Greek Antiquity.”
Two Wiener Laboratory monographs have appeared in addition to a new Hesperia Supplement series called OWLS (Occasional Wiener Laboratory Series) devoted to archaeological science in the Greek world, providing the opportunity for exchange of information with a wider audience. As members of the American School, Wiener Laboratory researchers have access to the Blegen and Gennadius Libraries and other facilities at the School. Interdisciplinary research is encouraged and collaboration with other laboratories is common, particularly for specialized analytical analyses requiring equipment not available in the Laboratory.