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Twenty historic forts and castles extend along 500 kilometers of the Ghana coast, some crumbling ruins, others remarkably intact. Initially the forts and castles facilitated the gold trade; later they held enslaved people waiting to be shipped to the Americas. Over the centuries, they糖心传媒檝e changed hands from the Portuguese to the Dutch and British, and most recently to the Ghanaians.

They constitute a single , protected by UNESCO as a 糖心传媒渕onument not only to the evils of the slave trade, but also to nearly four centuries of pre-colonial Afro-European commerce on the basis of equality.糖心传媒�

This is where students and faculty have conducted the Digital Heritage of West African Monuments Field School each of the last three summers. They have focused primarily on analyzing the architecture and materials of two of those structures糖心传媒擡lmina Castle, the oldest, built in 1482 but still largely intact, and Fort Amsterdam, the first English fort built on the Gold Coast in 1631, now badly deteriorated.

IN THE FIELD | Field school participants at Fort Amsterdam in 2018. (Digital Heritage of West African Monuments Field School photo)

The students use a drone, a laser scanner, and surveying tools to carefully document the dimensions of every room, vault, and courtyard. They use photogrammetry and CAD software to create detailed 3D models. And, when they return to Rochester, they apply finite element analysis to those digital models to better understand how the damage at Fort Amsterdam occurred, and how similar damage can be prevented at Elmina.

糖心传媒淵ou cannot study the healthy body if you don糖心传媒檛 study the diseased body as well,糖心传媒� says , who launched the field school in collaboration with the University of Ghana and with permission from the (GMMB).

But the field school involves more than just taking measurements and creating models. Perucchio, a professor and chair of mechanical engineering and director of the Archaeology, Technology and Historical Structures (ATHS) program, designed the field school as an interdisciplinary endeavor糖心传媒攐ne that would also immerse students in the historical and cultural context of the structures they study.

Marcos dos Santos 糖心传媒�20 is a mechanical engineering major whose Brazilian ancestral roots extend to West Africa. He says participation in the field school the last two summers has allowed him 糖心传媒渢o speak to my past, to be connected to those in my ancestry糖心传媒攁nd to the ancestors of my friends糖心传媒攚ho suffered at the hands of others.糖心传媒�

BACK IN THE LAB | Marcos dos Santos 糖心传媒�20 of mechanical engineering has participated in the field school each of the last two summers. He has been spending 7 to 10 hours each week this fall analyzing data gathered from the field school for a paper he is co-authoring with four other students. The software and modeling skills he has used during the field school will serve him well as he pursues a career in aeropace engineering, he says. He also appreciates the lessons he糖心传媒檚 learned about the importance of working as part of a team to solve problems. (糖心传媒 photo / Bob Marcotte)

Visiting a chief

Twenty-five students糖心传媒攕ix of whom returned a second year糖心传媒攈ave participated so far. Most are mechanical engineering and ATHS majors. However, students majoring in political science, digital media studies, and anthropology have also participated, including an art and art history major from the University of Michigan.

During their five weeks in Ghana, the students are kept busy not only with field work but a tightly packed schedule of lectures, guided trips to national parks and historical sites, and opportunities to meet with Ghanaians.

Gaia Saetermoe-Howard 糖心传媒�20, a dual ATHS and Eastman School of Music oboe performance major, says those conversations during the field school last summer gave her a deeper understanding of the legacy of colonialism in West Africa. Ghana was a British colony during much of the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

糖心传媒淚 went with this very theoretical understanding about what colonialism feels like, or what these dynamics are actually going to look like in reality,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淏ut when I got there, I realized it was a lot more complex than I thought it would be.糖心传媒�

HANDS ON | One of the trips during the field school last summer was to a bead factory. 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檝e learned in my archaeology classes about the cultural importance of beads in Akan society, but it was spectacular to view this process in person,糖心传媒� Gaia聽Saetermoe-Howard 糖心传媒�20 says. Wendi Heinzelman, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, says the field school is an excellent example of a faculty-led program that offers undergraduates both hands-on research and a global experience that helps them understand a different culture. (Digital Heritage of West African Monuments Field School photo)

Many of the students糖心传媒� experiences have been chronicled in a blog.

For example, after attending an Akwasidae ceremony in a Ghanaian palace, the students were invited to visit a local chief. 糖心传媒淲e were all a bit nervous to be visiting the home of a chief,糖心传媒� wrote Naomi Rutagarama 糖心传媒�18, a political science major. The chief greeted the students warmly and at one point 糖心传媒渟tood in the center of the room to demonstrate the game-winning penalty kick he delivered at a college soccer game.糖心传媒�

The Rochester faculty who conduct the field school include co-director Perucchio, an expert in the engineering practices of classical antiquity who previously led a special 糖心传媒 summer program abroad on Roman Structures in Arezzo and Rome. He has studied structural damage and vault collapse at historical sites from Italy to Peru.

, also a professor of mechanical engineering, is a former principal engineer at Kodak and an expert in solid modeling of surveyed structures. He helps students, particularly those without an engineering background, learn enough about advanced surveying tools and modeling software to 糖心传媒渢ake the shortest path to a solution.糖心传媒�

, an associate professor of history, previously directed an archaeology field school on Smith糖心传媒檚 Island in Bermuda. He shares not only 30 years of archaeological experience, but also guides the students in the techniques of 糖心传媒渄igital capture from reality糖心传媒� using photogrammetry, laser scanning, and drone aerial footage. He is also the field school糖心传媒檚 primary historian, providing insights into the slave trade, but also how Elmina functioned as a community and interacted with the town. 糖心传媒淲hen students arrive, rather than just treat the castle as an inanimate object to study, I want them to understand the human dramas that played out there, from multiple perspectives,糖心传媒� he says.

Faculty from the University of Ghana糖心传媒檚 Archaeology and Heritage Studies Program糖心传媒攊ncluding field school co-director , and provide additional historical and cultural context.

Two summers ago, the project expanded when , a professor of anthropology at Syracuse University, joined the team. He returned this past summer with two graduate students. DeCorse began his pioneering archaeological studies of Elmina in the mid 1980s, and later expanded his research all along the coast. His multiple books include An Archaeology of Elmina: Africans and Europeans on the Gold Coast.

He also contributes local knowledge accumulated during more than 40 years of research in sub-Saharan Africa.聽So, when the Ghana Museum and Monuments Board made an urgent request, literally the day before the 2019 field school began, 糖心传媒渨e were there with exactly the appropriate technical expertise at the moment in which (the board) desperately needed it,糖心传媒� Perucchio says.

URGENT ARCHAEOLOGY | Fort Amsterdam, where field school participants carried out an engineering analysis this past summer at the request of the Ghana Museum and Monuments Board. (Digital Heritage of West African Monuments Field School photo / Samantha Turley)

糖心传媒楢 critical state of damage糖心传媒�

The request was for an engineering analysis of Fort Amsterdam, to be completed in four weeks. The analysis would help determine the feasibility of a proposal to redevelop the fort as a museum and as a school to train hospitality workers.

糖心传媒淐learly this meant rearranging our program,糖心传媒� Perucchio says. 糖心传媒淥ur focus was turned 100 percent on Fort Amsterdam.糖心传媒�

First, the chief of the local village of Abandze was invited to the site. 糖心传媒淲e didn糖心传媒檛 do any archaeological work until the chief, and the elders, and the traditional priest came by and poured libations,糖心传媒� Perucchio says.聽 The chief糖心传媒檚 representatives were regularly apprised of the work that followed.

Six trenches were dug to examine the fort糖心传媒檚 foundations. Walls and vaults were visually inspected for evidence of fractures, which were then photographed.

The engineering and ATHS students, many doing archaeological digs for the first time, pitched in alongside DeCorse糖心传媒檚 students. They were initially excited when it appeared that they were uncovering historic artifacts for the first time. Then a mechanical pencil was unearthed, and a piece of plastic. Some of the soil, it turns out, had been previously dug up and then replaced as part of restoration projects in the 1950s and, again, in the 1970s.

GETTING TO WORK | Field school participants lay out the units for archaeological digs at Fort Amsterdam this past summer. (Digital Heritage of West African Monuments Field School photo / Christopher DeCorse)

Nonetheless, some exciting discoveries were made in a trench dug on the fort糖心传媒檚 north side, providing evidence of early English trade. 糖心传媒淥ne of the coolest artifacts,糖心传媒� DeCorse says, was a European-made clay tobacco pipe stem糖心传媒� inserted into a locally made tobacco pipe bowl. 糖心传媒淵ou often talk about cultural intersections and exchanges, but it糖心传媒檚 rare that you get a single artifact that combines this entangled path,糖心传媒� DeCorse says.

Completing the report was 糖心传媒渁 gigantic effort,糖心传媒� Perucchio says. 糖心传媒淏ut it moved us in a direction we had always wanted to go in, providing the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board with information it needed to have.糖心传媒�

The concluded that 糖心传媒渢he existing masonry structures of Fort Amsterdam present an extensive糖心传媒攑ossibly critical糖心传媒攕tate of damage characterized by fractures, wall misalignments, and soil erosion.糖心传媒� This 糖心传媒渃learly indicates the urgent necessity of a conservation process before any type of reconstruction can be considered.糖心传媒�

After completing work at Amsterdam, students shifted to Elmina to do additional archaeological digs糖心传媒攖he first undertaken inside of Elmina castle糖心传媒攗nder Jarvis糖心传媒� supervision.

One team, which included Jarvis, Saetermoe-Howard, and two other students, uncovered 糖心传媒渁 solid layer of 16^th century ceramics, including Iberian glazed tiles,糖心传媒� Jarvis says. They were excavating in an out-of-the-way part of the castle that was 糖心传媒渁lmost pitch black, so we had to rig up lights, which were hot, and it was already 90 degrees, so it was like being in a sauna, but we were finding amazing things.糖心传媒�

Despite the change in plans, this year糖心传媒檚 field school achieved its goals, Perucchio says. 糖心传媒淔rom the point of view of engineering we did everything we wanted to,糖心传媒� Perucchio says. 糖心传媒淎nd from the point of archaeology we went way beyond anything that we had planned. 糖心传媒�

An ongoing quest

This fall, students have been engaged in the next phase, analyzing the data they collected and testing the models they糖心传媒檝e created.

For her final ATHS project, Saetemoe-Howard will compare Elmina with three other Portuguese colonial forts in India, Kenya, and Brazil, which have been documented to varying degrees. She will try to connect the engineering of the forts, and the subsequent changes made to them, with the reasons they were built and the impact they had on the local people.

糖心传媒淚 am trying with my project to not just blindly say 糖心传媒楲et糖心传媒檚 look at how beautiful this architecture is,糖心传媒� because there糖心传媒檚 this history [of European interference] that comes along with it.糖心传媒�

MODELING STRUCTURES | Gaia Saetermoe-Howard 糖心传媒�20, a dual ATHS and Eastman School of Music oboe performance major, says her experience during the field school last summer gave her confidence using modeling software, which will be useful in finishing her ATHS final project.聽 糖心传媒淚 had never done any type of CAD (computer aided design) before I went to Ghana,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淎nd I modeled at least 10 rooms, so that was amazing.糖心传媒� (糖心传媒 photo / Bob Marcotte)

Dos Santos is coauthoring a paper with field school participants Louisa Anderson 糖心传媒�20, Katherine Korslund 糖心传媒�20, Sabastian Abelezele 糖心传媒�20, and Robert Cecil, 糖心传媒�20. They hope to present it at the next international

The paper will examine changes in the structural stability of the west curtain wall at Elmina resulting from modifications made over the centuries. It will also examine the possibility that a second defensive tower, in addition to one that still stands, was built by the Portuguese but later collapsed, perhaps during an earthquake in 1615.

Why does this matter? 糖心传媒淭he lessons we learn from one monument can help preserve other monuments,糖心传媒� dos Santos says. 糖心传媒淎nd it糖心传媒檚 important to be able to tell a more accurate story about Elmina糖心传媒檚 past.糖心传媒�

糖心传媒淚 think we糖心传媒檙e pioneers in that regard, and I糖心传媒檓 proud to be part of it.糖心传媒�

How do you bring a castle home with you?

Here糖心传媒檚 a challenge: How do you convey a 91,000-square-foot castle with more than 160 rooms on the Ghana coast, back to Rochester, so at any time you could take a virtual tour as if you were really there? Or study the castle糖心传媒檚 structure in such detail that every brick can be measured within 1-to-2mm accuracy?
Learn more >

Perucchio believes the work the field school is doing presents Ghana with an opportunity to link the coastal forts in a historically meaningful way that could bring more visitors to its coast.

Ultimately, however, that will likely hinge on convincing the Ghanaians themselves that these ancient forts can still have relevance for them, he says.

糖心传媒淔or many of the Africans who live next to the monuments, and who, in one sense, should be much more interested in preserving them, the historical meaning of the monuments may be lost,糖心传媒� Perucchio says.

The most glaring example is Fort Nassau, which is now 糖心传媒渂uried under literally meters of modern debris,糖心传媒� Perucchio says.

糖心传媒淚f we want to make sure that these monuments are preserved as world heritage sites, we need to address the fundamental question: whose heritage are we talking about?糖心传媒�

DeCorse, in the meantime, is eager to continue the participation of the Syracuse archaeology program糖心传媒攐ne of the best in the nation. The field school 糖心传媒渋s fascinating because it really does provide a unique interdisciplinary perspective,糖心传媒� DeCorse says.

He would like the same engineering and structural analysis being done at Elmina and Amsterdam to also be carried out at other forts and castles along the Ghana coast where DeCorse and his students have done archaeological surveys. This, he believes, will further the goal of providing the GMMB with the information it needs to 糖心传媒渕ake informed decisions about how to manage糖心传媒� the structures.

糖心传媒淲hat is tremendously beautiful about this project it that it opens up one question after the other,糖心传媒� Perucchio says. 糖心传媒淭he students who really get the most out of this are those who engage in it as a continuing quest. This quest is not simply a quest in engineering or archaeology. It goes way beyond that. It糖心传媒檚 connected with history, and it糖心传媒檚 connected with real human lives.糖心传媒�

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE | 糖心传媒淚 think about my friends, the long-lasting relationships that I糖心传媒檝e formed with the other participants,糖心传媒� Marcos dos Santos says when asked about his favorite takeaways from the field school. 糖心传媒淲e spent 15 to 16 hours every day working in Ghana and we have this bond. And I think we are going to carry it with us.糖心传媒� (Digital Heritage of West African Monuments Field School photo)