In Jaunary 2006 I went on an archaeological dig in Israel. The group was mostly made up of students, and three co-leaders. My friend and co-worker Terrance, who is one of the group's leaders, invited me to go on the trip. Terrance is finishing his doctoral work in Biblical Archaeology and was an invaluable source of information on the trip, both for myself and for everyone else.
The actual archaeological dig took place at Tel Tamar, a site in the Aravah with occupation layers from the Late Bronze Age all the way through the early 20th century. Since the focus of the archaeological dig was on Biblical archaeology of the Bronze and Iron Ages, the majority of other sites we visited were in some way related to that same time period, allowing us to see some of the common themes in city architecture and other elements.
I thoroughly enjoyed this trip and I highly suggest that everyone take the time to do something like it. Going on a tour of the Land can be fine, but going on an archaeological dig, being able to get your hands dirty, and being able to make a small dent in the uncovering of the past, is much more exciting and rewarding.
In the following sections you will find photos of the places I visited, along with explanations of some of the key archaeological and historical elements of those sites. I have also included pictures of the pottery sherds I collected at the different places and even a few videos of Terrance talking about historical backgrounds at Caesarea and Capernaum.
Enjoy! And feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions or thoughts.
