Excavations Archives - Page 81 of 98

Volunteers Needed at Magdala

Volunteer coordinator for the excavations at Magdala has written that they are preparing to excavate around the newly discovered synagogue and they are looking for volunteers. But they’re offering something that few (or no?) excavations do: free room and board.

The dig will finance accommodations (meals and transportation) for volunteers for up to one month, if you wish to stay more, we can prepare a special price for you. The accommodations will be in Tiberias, a town 5km /3 mi from Migdal, right in the center of town in a house in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, great location, near shops and restaurants, it’s beside the hospital and right across the street is the information center.
All rooms have bathrooms with towels, Air Conditioning system, internet and there are 2 small kitchenettes. A big dining room an outdoors dining area with TV, washing machine, refrigerator, freezer and parking lot.

Volunteers are responsible for their own transportation costs. Excavations begin next month and are scheduled to go through 2013.

A new blog has lots of information, including several videos (in Italian) of previous discoveries.

This could be a great opportunity to uncover a town very close to the center of Jesus’ ministry and dating from his time (unlike most of the excavations at nearby Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida). If you’re already in Israel (student or otherwise), you might consider a “summer vacation” in Magdala/Tiberias as a nice chance to get away and serve, learn, and make new friends.

View towards Magdala and Arbel from east

Tagged Excavations, Galilee, Opportunities

Northern Hinnom Excavations

A month ago, I noted an excavation in the northern Hinnom Valley of Jerusalem that was investigated and photographed by Tom Powers. The architecture was partly obscured in those photographs by tarps.

Reader Roi Brit passed the area a few days ago and noted that the excavation appears to have stopped and the tarps have been removed. Craig Dunning has sent some photographs he took this morning.

View of excavations, looking north

View of excavations, looking south. The artisans’ quarter is visible in the background.

Close-up of excavations

Jerusalem from southwest. Area of excavations is circled in red.

If anyone knows more about what we’re looking at, let us know.

Tagged Excavations, Jerusalem

Excavation Time-lapse

Wonder what it’s like to be on an archaeological excavation? This two-minute time-lapse video filmed a few weeks ago at Khirbet el-Maqatir (Ai?) will give you one perspective.

HT: Associates for Biblical Research

Tagged Excavations, Technology

Nazareth Graves Excavated

Construction in Nazareth required a salvage excavation, and the presence of graves required quick action in order to minimize protests of ultra-orthodox. From the Jerusalem Post:

In one day of intense work, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) completed on Sunday the excavation of ancient burial caves, uncovered at a construction site on Paulus Road in the center of Nazareth.
Groups of haredim, who arrived at the site in the early morning hours, protested what they considered disrespect to the dead. Police detained 49 of them for disturbing the peace and trespassing on the private property of the entrepreneur who is erecting a commercial center there.
A variety of bronze tools and bones, some of them human, were found in a series of caves from two periods in the Middle Bronze Age (2,200 BCE and 2,000 BCE), and in a series of caves from the Iron Age (1,000 BCE).

The story continues here. For some reason, the photo posted is the same as that from yesterday’s story of the Tel Kasis excavation. My guess is that the photo belongs here and not to the Kasis story.

I do not recall any previous evidence for Iron Age settlement in Nazareth. The city is first mentioned in the New Testament, and even then ignored by all other contemporary sources.

Tagged Excavations, Galilee

Preparing for an Excavation

The Ashkelon Excavations Blog has had a number of posts on the practicalities of archaeology as they gear up for the start of their season next week. If you’ve thought of joining any archaeological team, you’ll get a better sense for what it’s like from “A Day in the Life of an Archaeologist.”

By 5:10 we are at the Pottery Compound where we one and all race to grab our tools. We do this by the light of the florescent moon which pierces the still dark morning. Honestly, it is still dark! Then, tools in hand we strike off in the direction we believe will lead us to our designated excavation areas. (We haven’t lost anyone yet and, fingers crossed, we won’t this year.)
By 5:30 we are usually hard at work even though we can’t really see anything. We work using a range of tools from dental picks and tiny paint brushes on up to full size pick axes and shovels (although they have a more fancy name). We dump all the dirt we dig up into buckets called gufas and then haul it away.

The post continues here.

If you’re interested in more of the logistics, the Gath team has also made available the excellent packet of materials that they provide to volunteers.

Excavation in City of David, Jerusalem

Tagged Excavations, Philistines

Northern Hinnom Valley Excavations

Tom Powers has written and posted photos on a new excavation in the Hinnom Valley, just north of “Artists’ Lane.” The salvage dig is being carried out in advance of the construction of a park to honor former Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek. The hole is deep and there appears to be a lot of architecture, but the workers were less than happy to be the subject of the paparazzi and quickly chased Tom away.

It’ll be interesting to learn what they find. Historically this area has always been outside the walls of Jerusalem. Somewhere in the Hinnom Valley lies ancient Topheth, where the kings of Judah made sacrifices to foreign gods (2 Kgs 23:10; Isa 30:33; Jer 7:31-32; Jer 19:6-14). I’ve always pictured that being further to the south. When more becomes available, I’ll note it here.

Tagged Excavations, Jerusalem