Welcome to
Ancient Odysseys®
a website devoted to helping people find paleontology and archaeology digs
around the world


Ancient Odysseys is the brainchild of Marisa Rodriguez, founder and citizen scientist. I developed the idea for Ancient Odysseys to make it easier for travelers to join research-based paleontology, archaeology and paleoanthropology digs and work right alongside the scientists themselves.
How my passion turned
into a mission
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It all started in 2012 when, with no experience whatsoever, I joined a dinosaur dig in Wyoming. Braving the 100-degree heat and 35 mile-an-hour winds, I helped to unearth the horns, jaw, legs and frill of a Triceratops, a creature that hadn’t seen the light of day for 66 million years. It was thrilling.
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As the years went on, the fun continued. I worked on a Hadrosaur here, an Ankylosaur there and even joined a Neanderthal dig in Spain.
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The excitement I felt working every day was matched by the sense of fulfillment that I was doing something that benefited science. And the more I told others about my adventures, the more I heard how many people had a lifelong dream of going on a dig and experiencing the thrill of discovery.
As a citizen scientist, you can have fun and make a difference
An important part of our mission at Ancient Odysseys is ensuring that by joining a dig or helping in the lab, you provide much-needed hands-on assistance to the scientists, and your dig fees fund the important work being done by these researchers now and into the future. Read about how we are starting a mission.
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How we want to influence the future of paleontology and archaeology
Ancient Odysseys’ reach continues to expand, and we are always talking to new scientists and adding new digs and labwork experiences on a regular basis—some of which have never been available before.
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We hope you are inspired to join an excavation on your next vacation. Dig into the Adventure with Ancient Odysseys and be sure to sign up for our newsletter to be the first to hear about new digs.
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