Day Thirteen

Day Thirteen

Friday at last! After an eventful day, a dog in 51, another floor in 38, more big walls in 44, and popsicles at fruit break, we are off to enjoy the weekend. Below, or perhaps above, you will find a picture of Lawrence Stager discussing pottery with two of his former students, co-director Daniel Master, and co-teacher of the Harvard Summer School Program Adam Aja, and one of his current students, Joshua Walton, Grid 38 supervisor.

As mentioned, Grid 51 had a dog and one of the pictures shows Ben, a student at Troy University which sends a number of students every summer, excavating the dog. The second shows Ben in conversation with Paula and Deirdra, the two staff zooarchaeologists, as they discuss various matters in the compound.

And finally, the value of having a good microscope in the compound. Today in Grid 44 we found a small blue square about the size of a tessera (a small mosaic floor tile) and perhaps one quarter the width. Looking at it with the naked eye it was clear there was writing on it and that writing looked as if it was two letters. Turns out, once we looked at it under the microscope, the writing wasn't two letters, it was two words written in Arabic. Now we just have to translate this fascinating piece.

Day Twelve

Day Twelve

Now it is starting to get hot. Good thing the work is interesting and keeping us distracted.

In Grid 38 they continued to hunt for Phase 20 and the earliest Philistines. And I still owe you pictures!

In Grid 51 they continued excavating the street in addition to dropping their robber trenches, evidence that the building they are excavating was robbed for building materials, as they move ever closer to 604 B.C.E.

In Grid 44 we uncovered more walls, more marble paving, a plain white mosaic floor and a very interesting piece of metal shown below.

It is a six day digging week this week so tomorrow will be busy. I don't know how many students will try to travel but I for one am looking forward to a quiet day off Saturday. The hotel is filling up and I image a number of Israeli families will be joining us here in the hotel. The music is already loud, the pool full of kids. Place looks to be hopping.

Day Eleven

Day Eleven

Took a field trip to Grid 51 today and saw some interesting things which you'll see in the pictures below. The first is some "troughs" built up against the exterior wall of the insula building. The second is of Sarah welcoming me to the street. Kudos to her team today which moved an extraordinary amount of dirt as they work to bring the street in phase with the other squares. Great job!

Grid 38 is moving towards Phase 21, affectionately called the Silo Phase, though they still hope to catch more of Phase 20,or the earliest Philistines, which is where they plan to stop in order to fully expose and conserve the structure partially uncovered several seasons ago.

In Grid 44 we exposed some marble paving in a courtyard and, after two days of digging, we are starting to see signs of architecture in our newly opened square. The last picture is of Elizabeth trying to stay ahead of all the MC being collected. She spent much of the day working on OCHRE getting the data recorded.

Starting to warm up a bit though it hasn't gotten humid yet which qualifies as good news. I believe I still owe some pictures of Grid 38 which I will try to get soon.

Day Ten

Day Ten

As promised, Grid 38. First a picture of Adam Aja, from the Harvard Semitic Museum and one of the summer school instructors, working with a student in the Harvard summer school program, one in the Wheaton summer school program and a volunteer. Together he and the volunteers excavated a square pit full of pottery. In the second shot, Wylie writes notes as a group of volunteers excavate a street.

Today in Grid 51 they uncovered a stamped amphora, continued work in the street and excavated two surfaces with broken vessels smashed on them.

And in Grid 44 we opened a second 5 x 10 meter area and started working our way through topsoil layers. In our existing square, we continued to uncover more architecture further complicating our already dense stratigraphy.

The weather continues to be wonderful and not too hot. This is good news as we have a long six day work week ahead of us.

Day Nine

Day Nine

In Grid 44 we continued to expose what appears to be a building, possibly a house, with a courtyard that has a shallow basin or pool. Inside the building we have a room that produced a lot of material culture from iron nails and a copper alloy hook to slag and a possible earring. Sammy had the find of the day as she uncovered a coin while articulating one of our walls. Tomorrow we will start working in the adjacent square where we expect to uncover even more architecture.

Today, a view of Grid 51 where they are making great progress in clarifying the Persian period city plan.

Tomorrow, more about Grid 38 where they continue to focus on the Philistines and the Iron I.

Day Eight

Day Eight

It was another day of finding walls in Grid 44. Put a pick in the ground, find a wall.

Grid 51 was very busy today as they dismantled walls and part of a well, removed paving from the Persian period street, discovered a juglet and a spindle whorl on a floor and, to top it off, knocked through doorways connecting rooms. Very fun.

In Grid 38 walls were disappearing faster then you or I could ask what happened to them. Big discovery was a puppy in a pot found in a courtyard. And to prove that Grid 38 does in fact exist, here are a couple of pictures.

Day Seven

Day Seven

Some fun pictures for everyone today. Last Wednesday on Seminar Day several members of the staff went in search of the Iron Age in a previously unexplored area of the site. Unfortunately, the search didn't turn up anything other than dirt and some random Byzantine pottery sherds. The excavators where joined at one point by a herd of goats which are visible in the background of the second picture.

Yesterday, as mentioned previously, was the field trip to Jerusalem. There are two pictures of Josh as he led the tour. The first in the City of David, the second overlooking the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was hopping yesterday with an exhibition car race, or so I am told, and the usual last minute running around before the start of Shabbat. As expected, many people stayed overnight in Jerusalem while a few returned to Ashkelon and the Dan Gardens. Tomorrow we are back at it at 4:30 am. Can't wait to see what Happens in Week Two!

Day Six

Day Six

It is a rare Friday off for the volunteers who are, as I type this, winding their way up the hills into Jerusalem. Today they are on a tour led by Josh who will give one of his usual stellar introductions to the city and then unleash them for a weekend of exploring.

For much of the staff it is a work day as we catch up on computer database entry, prepare lectures and otherwise enjoy a more relaxed day of work. The hotel on weekends is always interesting, very good for people watching if nothing else, and is best survived by eating breakfast early and then hiding out in the room or a cafe somewhere else. Nevertheless, with planning much can be accomplished to set us up for the next week.

Some pictures to tide you over. These come to us courtesy of Grid 51.

Day Five

Day Five...

It's almost the start of the weekend. Only two hours of pottery washing and a lecture to go! Tomorrow the volunteers are off to Jerusalem for a day long field trip and I know many of them will be staying overnight and deservedly so. We had a fantastic first week of digging!

As promised, here are a couple of pictures from Seminar Day yesterday. The fist one is of the microarchaeology presentation, the second metals.

And a bonus picture. Today in Grid 44 we were lucky enough to have Adam spend some time digging with us. We had a very productive morning as he helped us articulate rubble collapse on a floor.

In Grid 51 they unblocked a doorway to the street from one of the rooms in the insula. They also traced a late Persian floor and continued to drop the Persian period street.

And in Grid 38 they worked to expose a new series of floors in their Philistine period building.

Day Four

Day Four

The best thing about Seminar Day? Sleeping in and enjoying a hotel breakfast complete with pastries and coffee!

Today volunteers attended seminars on a range of subjects including GIS (the survey team), zooarchaeology, botany, metals (XRF technology), microarchaeology, late period site tour (Hellenistic - Crusader) and early period site tour (Canaanite and Philistine) and they learned more about our work on site. I hope to post pictures from some of those seminars later tonight.

To tide everyone over, here is one from breakfast.

Day Three

Day Three

Another beautiful day to excavate. So far the weather is really cooperating and it hasn't gotten too hot.

Grid 38 was again dealing with floors and subfloors today.

Grid 51 started excavating today and Kate reports they removed a Byzantine wall (later reused in the Islamic period), cleared out more of the sewer and uncovered a new tabun (oven) in the insula's courtyard.

I will try to get pictures of both these grids posted in the next couple of days so everyone can see more.

In Grid 44 we uncovered a number of walls and a possible plaster floor. One of the walls is quite substantial, it has a later rebuild on top of it, and we anticipate the area will quickly fill up with architecture. Today we also enjoyed a visit from Michael and Meg, the two microarchaeologists on staff.

Tomorrow is Seminar Day when volunteers have the opportunity to learn about some of the technologies we use as well get tours of the early and late period archaeological material. We should have plenty of photos of the day so check for them tomorrow.

Day Two

Day Two...

Today Grid 38 began fine griding (dividing an excavation area into 1 x 1 meter squares) floors. They are currently in Phase Twenty, the earliest Philistine layers on site. As one supervisor described it, "It's the time when the Philistines stepped off the boat." I'll be very interested to see what Josh and his crew come up with in the next few weeks.

Grid 51 finished all their cleaning today and tomorrow will continue, picking up where they left off last year, excavating their Persian period insula and street.

It is official. Today, as you see below, Ben and Emily were able to locate the new excavation area within the site. The new grid is Grid 44 Squares 2 & 3. Cleanup went faster than expected today, even with baulk cutting, and we started digging after breakfast. A big thank you to Megan who came and helped run the computer for us.

Day One

Day One Part II

The first picture is of the GIS team discussing business.

The second is of all the activity in Grid 51.

And the third? Well, you might be forgiven if you thought Christian and Jeff planned to wear the same shirt because really, how does such a happy accident happen otherwise. I'm assured they didn't, plan it that is, and were delighted to see they had in fact dressed in the same t-shirt for their first day of digging.

Day One

Everything went off without a hitch this morning in large part because jet lag had everyone up bright and early. Once in the field a lot of progress was made. Josh reports that Grid 38 will be digging tomorrow which is great. Almost as great as having Wylie back in the field in fact! In Grid 51, Kate tells me another half day or so of cleaning and then they too will be digging. Melissa our dig photographer took pictures of both those grids which I should have soon. I will be sure to post them as soon as I have them in hand. And in the very new Grid 44, we had a very successful day. We brought in some heavy machinery to clear off the agricultural overburden and just about a meter down we started hitting walls, one of which you can see Shimi cleaning.

The grids weren't the only areas in action today. The pottery compound was hopping as Jessica, our registrar, worked on getting everything set up and Dan, the co-director, met with other members of the staff. It's great to have everyone here and to get the season under way. Persian period, Philistine period and who-knows-what in Grid 44 here we come!

Just got word from Melissa that photos are on the way so I'll be doing a second post shortly.

Arrival Day

We are having some Internet troubles today so I'll keep this short. Most of us already here are just relaxing ahead of the arrival of the volunteers later today and the start of digging tomorrow. I'll try to post something every day during the season so check back frequently to get a glimpse not only of our work but also the lighter side of the excavation.

It was a productive preseason. Can't wait to start digging!

Preseason Day Eighteen

The day started out quietly enough, the wheelbarrows standing at the ready. Within moments the quiet was shattered as grid supervisors Kate and Josh raced to pick their preferred tools...

Well, it really wasn't all that cutthroat, we like each other too much. The empty wheelbarrows didn't stay that way for long as we apportioned everything from guffahs and buckets, and picks and trowels to dustpans and brooms. Kate and I would both like to thank Josh who very generously allowed us to take the guffahs. All he asked in return was to use Lady Hester Stanhope, the pick of choice, for the summer. Happily, we agreed.

The process was not without its moments of concern as you can see with Kate's inspection of the pick she has in hand.

All in all, things went smoothly and we are well prepared for Sunday's start. 4:30 for wake up, 5:00 for the bus! Should be fun!

Remember, you still have a little time to let Robyn know which shuttle you would like to be on Saturday. See you tomorrow!

Preseason Day Seventeen

It's time... FOR TOOL DRAFT!

Tomorrow!

Another reminder. Shuttles will be leaving Ben Gurion for Ashkelon at 3:00 pm and again at 8:00 pm. If you haven't already told Robyn which shuttle you would like to be on, please do so. We want to make sure everyone who wants transportation gets on one of the shuttles. For those of you coming in later in the day, Robyn herself will be taking the shuttle as well so you can meet up with her at the cafe while you wait for Melissa and the 8:00 shuttle.

Preseason Day Sixteen

Another busy day in the compound with everyone hard at work on their different projects. We are well into our routine and will be happy, I'm sure, to have things mixed up on Saturday when everyone arrives. Final preparations for the season are underway -- tools are being inspected, routers are being tested in the field, laptops are being put through their paces and the breakfast arrangements have been made.

Volunteers, if you are arriving Saturday and have not asked for a seat on one of the shuttles, please get in touch with Robyn at Harvard and let her know which one you would like to be on, the 3:00 or 8:00 ride. If she doesn't hear from you, she will put you on whichever one makes the most sense with your arrival time (so don't worry about being left behind). On your ride down to Ashkelon Melissa, the volunteer coordinator, will inundate you with useful information, the most important piece of which may very well be your grid assignments. Sunday's wake-up call will come quickly, at 4:00 am, and the buses will leave promptly at 5:00 for our first day of work. Best way to get over jet lag EVER.

Preseason Day Fifteen

And now, the lighter side of the excavation...

Yes, Robyn did bring her own Starbucks cup for her two week stint in Ashkelon this summer. Happily she has put it to good use as we have enjoyed French press coffee on a near daily basis.

Food, in fact, becomes very important during the season. Though the hotel food is plentiful, and yes that is a plate of pastries n the table in front of Robyn and no she did not eat all of them herself, and is well prepared there isn't a great deal of variety. A week or two into the season, trips to the Russian Market for ice cream, jaunts down to the Marina for pizza, and forays into Afridar for burgers become ever more popular and frequent.

We are lucky, however, and quite honestly spoiled to be fed by the Dan Gardens Hotel. During the preseason and postseason breakfast is in the hotel every morning where we feast on pastries, bread, cereal, yogurt and granola, a buffet of salads and cheeses, a variety of eggs and for the really brave an assortment of pickled fish. The big bonus is the addition of a coffee machine that can make an espresso or latte at the touch of the button. This is the same breakfast that we will all enjoy Saturday mornings during the dig season. Lunch and dinner are very similar and generally consist of hot and cold buffets as well as an extensive dessert/fruit selection. There is something for everyone and the choices can accommodate almost any diet plan.

Of course, breakfast in the field is a big deal too. And I'm pleased to report that it is equally plentiful if not quite as exciting. We usually get multiple types of bread, yogurt, vegetables, cheese, one hot dish (the type varies) and plenty of fresh fruit. Speaking of fruit, if you want some for "fruit break", our late morning break while in the field, you will need to save some from breakfast. I'm sure I'm forgetting something but these are the basics. Interesting, while many people lose weight on the excavation, the work is strenuous after all, many manage to somehow gain weight. (I've been told already this summer that the new dessert lineup is rather delicious.) Fortunately, for the really ambitious there is a gym.

So, Robyn and her coffee and, in case you didn't see the tweet, the lovely tea with mint and cookies we enjoyed in the compound this morning as we all worked on our various projects.

Preseason Day Fourteen

Preseason Day Fourteen

Less than a week out and anticipation is building. I'll mention pickup arrangements a couple of times this week so please excuse the redundancy. We just want to make sure we reach as many people as possible.

If you are arriving at Ben Gurion airport on Saturday you have a couple of options. There will be two shuttles picking up and bringing people to Ashkelon. The first will be at 3:00 pm and the second at 8:00 pm. Both shuttles will be led by our volunteer coordinator Melissa Aja. When you exit customs with your luggage in tow you will see a coffee shop off to the left. Melissa will meet everyone there. We strongly recommend waiting for the shuttles because other transportation, while available if you want to take a cab, will be expensive since it is Shabbat. Of course, if you wait until after Shabbat then the trains and buses will start running but that would get you in rather late ahead of your first 4:30 am wake-up call. So, best recommendation? Meet Melissa and ride down on one of the shuttles.

In other news, projects continue. Today, Josh, one of the grid supervisors, and Dan, the co-director laid out Iron I pottery to review with another co-author on a book chapter they are writing. Both the Islamic glass and Islamic pottery collections also received attention today.