Swiss International Summer School for Alpine Archaeology: 10th–16th August 2025
Between Alps and Lakes: The Pre-Alpine Valleys of Simmental and Kandertal as Connecting Routes
The Universities of Bern and Zurich are organising the sixth Swiss International Summer School for Alpine Archaeology (SISA) from 10th–16th August 2025. This year’s summer school will take place in the Simmental and Kandertal regions of the Bernese Pre-Alps—an area of particular interest due to its location between the Alpine foreland, rich in lakes, and the main Alpine ridge, home to numerous mountain passes.
Finds from the Stone Age and Bronze Age highlight the significance of these valleys as key communication routes and trade corridors. They played a vital role in the acquisition, processing and distribution of mineral raw materials, such as radiolarite and copper ore. Despite their historical importance, pre-Alpine valleys remain under-researched.
SISA 2025 aims to address this gap through a combination of hands-on fieldwork and methodological training, led by invited keynote speakers and fieldwork specialists.
Topics:
- The archaeology of Pre-Alpine and Alpine Landscapes
- Valleys as economic and social spaces and connecting routes
- Alpine settings through time
- Alpine resources and their exploitation
- Excavation methods in the Alpine region
- Field surveying methods, handling metal detectors, 3D-SfM-models
Programme:
10.08.: Arrival of participants at Jaunpass
11.08.: Colloquium with invited speakers
12.–15.08.: Fieldwork (survey, excavation, 3D-Models)
16.08.: Departure of participants
Teaching team (invited experts):
Dr. Donat Fulda, ETH Zurich
Prof. Dr. Albert Hafner, University of Bern
Prof. Dr. Christoph Schwörer, University of Bern
Sina Aregger, PhD, University of Bern
Prof. Dr. Igor Villa, University of Bern
Dr. Erica Hannung, LEIZA Mainz
Dr. Regine Stapfer, Archaeological Heritage Service Bern
Dr. Wenke Schimmelpfenning, Archaeological Heritage Service Bern
Regula Gubler, MA, Archaeological Heritage Service Bern
Anja Buhlke, MA, expert on fieldwork methods
Romano Agola, expert on metal detector survey
Cooperation:
Archaeological Heritage Service of the Canton of Bern
Municipality representatives Boltigen/Simmental & Reichenbach/Kandertal
Organisational Committee:
Caroline Heitz, Raphael Berger, Mirco Brunner, Ebbe Nielsen, Rouven Turck, Philippe Della Casa
Who:
PhD and advanced MA with special interest in mountain, landscape and environmental archaeology; geography, paleoecology
Where:
Jaunpass/Simmental, Switzerland – 1800m a.s.l.
Dates:
10th to 16th August 2025
Accommodation:
Group House
Camping Jaunpass AG
Postfach 33, Jaunpass 1073
CH- 3766 Boltigen
https://www.campingjaunpass.swiss/
Deadline:
Please send your CV and a short letter of motivation by 5th May 2025.
Participation fee:
250 CHF
Contact: