In the Field: Bethsaida Week One
Throughout the coming summer months, I will post weekly or periodic progress/activity updates for several digs in diverse parts of the world as they unfold during their summer 2005 seasons. It is hoped that the continuing updates will afford readers (especially those who are not able to participate in digs at this time) a taste (albeit "virtual") of what it is like to be on a dig, and also a chance to share in the excitement of discovery as it occurs in the field.......so watch for the postings entitled "In the Field" for the latest activities, large and small, before they hit the press!
Soon to be posted at the Bethsaida website, here is the most recent report from a key Bethsaida Excavations Project volunteer. Bethsaida, the famous ancient fishing town near the Sea of Galilee in present day Israel, was frequented by Jesus during His ministry. It was mentioned often in the Bible's New Testament account, and has been under archaeological excavation for a number of years. It has yielded numerous important finds bearing on the ancient Geshurite Kingdom of the time of David and Solomon and, of course, the town that Jesus and the apostles knew:
Wow, the '05 season opened on May 23rd. Rami Arav (Excavations Director) & Elizabeth McNamer brought groups from their respective schools and additional volunteers joined from other parts of the USA. The first main objective was to further our knowledge of the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It is hoped to do this by exposing the northern section of the upper area just across from the "clinic house". Another objective is to continue expanding (after 9 years) the area of the beautiful iron age main gate of the city. This will be accomplished by digging in the gate chamber 2 through different strata. By doing this we hope to see what the inner city gate looked like in earlier times. We'll dig the ancient city wall east of the city gate to get down to the bedrock of the ancient city that was destroyed in 732 BCE. We'll also extend the cobblestone street that approaches the city gate from the north. The street was excavated during the period of 2000 through 2001 when the rubble (with very large basalt boulders from the toppled 25 foot thick city wall) was cleared off of the beautiful cobblestone street and was walked upon for the first time in thousands of years! Ground penetrating radar has shown that the street continues northward about another 50 meters, so it appears that we have another couple of years of work just in this area. Come and join us to share in the adventure !
Sunday evening orientation and introductions were conducted at the main room at the dormitory of the Ginosar Inn. Monday morning we drove out to the site which is about 10 miles (17 kilometers) north of kibbutz Ginosar. Rami explained about the site and the rest of the morning was spent cleaning up the area and setting up the shade awnings, sifters and the pottery washing area. During the course of the week the outer city wall next to the bastion to the east of the main city gate was uncovered. We continue to look for the bedrock base of the most ancient iron age walls of the city. Good progress was made taking off the top layer of dirt from the continuation of the cobblestone street leading to the city from the north. The top layer of dirt was also removed from the northern section of the upper area ("C").
Two coins were found; one apparently medieval and the second probably Roman. The "find of the week" was a beautiful bead that was discovered while sifting dirt. This illustrates how important every aspect of the work is, from digging out the dirt and rocks and putting all interesting items into the "find" bucket to sifting the dirt and lastly washing all the items in the "find" bucket. What is missed during the 1st stage can often be picked up during the sifting or washing.
---- Shai Schwartz
See the Bethsaida website for more information about the Bethsaida Excavations Project.
Pieces of Blackbeard's Ship?
Several items discovered in association with a shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina suggest that the sunken vessel dates to the early 18th century. The vessel is thought to be that of Blackbeard, the famous pirate of that period. The recently discovered items include the stem of a wine glass, the ship's sternpost, a six-foot long cannon, and an eight-foot long cannon.
Read More
A Monumental New Find at Ancient Petra
The remains of a monumental banquet hall dating as far back as the First Century was recently unearthed at the ancient site of Petra in Jordan. Thus far, 22 heads of ancient gods have been identified atop the capitals of columns that once graced the magnificent hall, which purportedly collapsed after a major earthquake in 363 AD. This, after a team had been digging in the area for the past four years.
Read More
Early Civilization in China Uncovered
Archaeologists in China have identified the ruins of a prehistoric Chinese state that existed between 3,000 and 2,200 B.C. The finding is based on surveys and excavations that have been conducted in the coastal city of Rizhao, in China's Shandong Province. The discovery supports ancient Chinese legend that the birth of Chinese civilization took place approximately 5,000 years ago.
Read More
The Cape Field School in South Africa
If you are a student of anthropology or archaeology and you are looking for an exciting and meaningful field school to enrich your skills and education, the Cape Field School of South Africa may be right for you. In three-month sessions twice a year, Professor Christopher Henshilwood leads field schools that take students to the coastal caves of the De Hoop Nature Reserve, where archaeological excavation and research is being conducted on Middle- and Late-Stone Age human deposits that will shed light on the lifeways of early humans that lived up to 300,000 years ago. The sessions run from February 1, 2006 -- May 1, 2006 and then again beginning in September. The deadline for application for the first session is October 1, 2005, so there is plenty of time to think about it and submit your paperwork.
More Information
Digging at Tiberias: A Volunteer's Experience
Judith Schwartz participated as a volunteer in the excavations at the ancient site of Tiberias, Israel, this Spring. Here is a sampling from her personal account of her experience.
Tiberias, Israel -- I decided this session to dig only twice a week. As a "local volunteer", digging 4 days a week for the whole month means giving up all of my activities, commitments, and supermarket visits for a long stretch. So Monday afternoon I used all my willpower and waved my dirt-covered arm and said, "See you Wednesday". (Someone else found the marble floor. (See previous post about the finds at Tiberias.) For three weeks, the dirt level in my shoes increased while my energy level was gradually reduced by digging, night lectures and trips to archaeological sites...all of which were unmissable.
Week 4 came along and Katherina casually said "We saw the edge of a floor tile as we were doing heavy digging in one area. Would you like to explore there?" I was captured heart and soul. For me, uncovering architectural features means even more than finding complete, beautifully designed, perfectly proportioned, highly decorated ceramic juglets!
One o'clock Monday afternoon arrived. I had removed uncountable numbers of buckets of dirt and revealed a 3 foot line of lovely red tiles in a neat row. Should I retreat? Say "See you Wednesday?" Go to the supermarket and aerobics the next day? No way! There I was early Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday...following tiles till they petered out, finding a tiny stretch of red frescoed wall in situ and having myself a good old time. In the balance, willpower hasn't got a chance against archaeology!
The archaeologists have a saying that the best finds are on the first and last days of the dig. This proved true in the very first session at Tiberias, last year, when the 17 foot bronze chain was found. Spring 2005 was no exception. Volunteers were digging in the second apse of the basilica where some beautiful ceramics had been found the week before by Vanessa. The last few hours of the dig arrived. And sitting in the apse diligently digging as the minute hand crept around was Jill, painstakingly removing from the dirt one after another of amazing, complete or almost complete juglets.
The dig ended ...no, not with a bang...perish the thought... with flashbulbs flashing at the row of lovely beautifully designed, perfectly proportioned ceramic jugs that ended the spring session.
-- Judith Schwartz, Tiberias Excavations Volunteer, Kibbutz Ginosar, Israel
Photographs courtesy Judith Schwartz
