It's no secret 2016 will be our last season of excavation. As we inch ever closer to next summer, a process which is moving unnervingly fast for some of us, we're revisiting past seasons, retelling favorite stories and sharing memories. Have a story to tell us? A favorite picture you want to share? Send it along. Our institutional memory is long but by no means comprehensive. That moment when you determined archaeology was for you? We want to hear about it. The one thing you found that has stuck in your memory until even today? We want to know why.
Check back soon for more details on how you can be a part of or contribute to festivities celebrating the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon during the 2016 field season.
Ryan cleans off the remains of a column shaft found in Grid 47 -- 2010 field season
The column in the picture above is part of a fascinating story, one which we love to share with visitors. We rediscovered it while excavating Grid 47. It was first discovered by John Garstang during his excavations in the 1920s. It's what we refer to as a "heart shaped column," two columns adjacent to each other which would have stood in a corner. What makes this column so special is the line in the center, the one just under Ryan's brush. While carving the column up into pieces to be used in other building projects, workers ran into a little trouble; their saw got stuck. We discovered this once the column was fully excavated and we found rust stains running down one side of the stone. When we peered in the cut, we could see the remains of the iron saw still stuck inside. It's a fascinating discovery and a wonderful story.