2016 Offseason Week 6

Tracy Hoffman February 7, 2016

The 1993 field season was a big one for excavation areas on the North Tell. In Grids 3/10 on the northern slope of the North Tell, excavation uncovered a 22 line Fatimid imperial inscription. The piece commemorated the building of a tower in 1150 on the orders of the Grand Vizier in Cairo. Three years later after a seven month siege Ashkelon fell to the Crusaders. Almost a century later a knight named Sir Hugh Wake, traveling to Ashkelon with Richard of Cornwall, inscribed his shields over the earlier Fatimid inscription providing the latest direct evidence for the Crusaders in Ashkelon.

In another area on the summit of the North Tell excavation uncovered the remains of a small bath.

Elsewhere on the North Tell, more of the gate complex was uncovered and in another area an Islamic and Crusader period workshop was excavated. On the South Tell, excavation continued in Grids 38 and 50 where there were a few more dogs to excavate.

2016 Offseason Week 5

Tracy Hoffman January 31, 2016

The 1992 field season was another one filled with discoveries both large and small.

In Grid 50 signs of Nebuchadrezzar's destruction of Ashkelon continued to appear.

And on the North Tell, the Canaanite Gate emerged.

2016 Offseason Week 4

Tracy Hoffman January 24, 2016

We are just four months away from members of the senior staff heading to Israel to prepare for the season.

During the 1991 field season, work continued in Grids 2, 38, 50 and 57.

In Grid 50, Square 47 was opened and excavation began in an effort to bring it into phase with the remainder of the grid. Elsewhere, excavation moved the grid closer to the 604 destruction of the city.

In Grid 38, work focused on the excavation of a large courtyard building flanked by a street on its western side.

Over on the North Tell, excavation continued to reveal the towering mudbrick fortifications of the Bronze Age city.

2016 Offseason Week 3

Tracy Hoffman January 17, 2016

During the summer of 1990, excavation continued in Grids 2, 38, 50, and 57.

It was a summer of discoveries both big and small.

"Brindisi" amphora dating to the Hellenistic period

Ivory comb depicting a hunter on horseback.

This was especially true on the North Tell where even greater expanses of the ancient fortifications were revealed. Of course, the North Tell is also where one of the most important "small find" discoveries on site was made.

2016 Offseason Week 2

Tracy Hoffman January 10, 2016

What will make the cut and be put on the Ashkelon 2016 t-shirt? Have any ideas? Let us know what you think might be worthy of the final dig shirt.

Yes, it is Ross Voss front and center. He is not, however, a current staff member. Someone else in the photo is on staff and has been since 1991.

2016 Offseason Week 1

Tracy Hoffman January 3, 2016

Excavation expanded during the 1989 field season to include Grids 1, 2, 9, 16, 38, 50 and 57.

Supervisors and volunteers in Grid 38 (This was the first season of a current staff member. Can you guess who it is?)

Excavation in Grid 38 continued to reveal a complex stratigraphic sequence dating to the Roman and Byzantine periods.

Excavation also produced a wealth of small finds including a cache of oil lamps many of which, but not all, depicted erotic images.

In Grid 50, there were more sea views, more dogs, and more evidence for earlier Persian occupation.

On the North Tell, excavation uncovered an impressive section of the mudbrick ramparts.

2015 Offseason Week 23

Tracy Hoffman December 27, 2015

A couple of fun pictures to end the year.

The stones that archaeologists collect during excavation...

...must get moved for final photos.

(With a little help from some friends, of course.)

We'll see you in 2016!

2015 Offseason Week 22

Tracy Hoffman December 20, 2015

As 2015 comes to a close, and planning for the 2016 field season kicks into high gear, it's time to think about:

...one more day in the dirt...

...helping out with one more guffah chain...

...enjoying one more Pottery Compound Day...

...one last chance to find something amazing.

Grid 47 staff and volunteers in 2012 (first half of season)

2015 Offseason Week 21

Tracy Hoffman December 13, 2015

It's no secret 2016 will be the last field season for the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon. We are asking for stories and photos and anything you might want to share as the project comes to a close. Over 50 past and present staff and volunteers have contacted us with some wonderful memories. If you'd like to contribute, you can email us at Ashkelon2016@gmail.com. We will be collecting photos and stories until March. There is plenty of time to see what you can "dig up!"

Our celebration of the excavation will culminate in a week of events in Ashkelon from July 3rd - 7th. Details coming soon.

2015 Offseason Week 20

Tracy Hoffman December 6, 2015

Today, some more people shots from 30 years of the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon.

The early days of Grid 38 when it was a step trench.

A nearly complete jar gets ready for its trip to the Pottery Compound.

One of the most common building materials at Ashkelon? Mudbrick.

There's always another dark corner to explore.

2015 Offseason Week 19

Tracy Hoffman November 29, 2015

During the 1988 field season, work continued in Grids 38. 50, 57 and 64. For the first time, work expanded to the North Tell where portions of Grids 1 and 2 were excavated.

Each area produced a wealth of small finds including ceramics, always the largest category of artifact, glass, metals, animal bone and more.

Column bases standing in north end of basilica

2015 Offseason Week 18

Tracy Hoffman November 22, 2015

Ashkelon was well represented at ASOR's Annual Meeting in Atlanta. Staff members presented papers in a number of sessions including Food and Feasting, Crusader Archaeology, the Classical Periods and Carthage. Between sessions, the senior staff met and started planning the upcoming 2016 field season.

Have memories or pictures of earlier seasons to share with us? We'd love to have them!

2015 Offseason Week 17

Tracy Hoffman November 15, 2015

No, you didn't read those dates incorrectly. In the early years, there were several times the excavation ran for double seasons. There is nothing like digging in Ashkelon in May when the grass is green, the flowers are blooming, and an occasional sprinkle cools you off and colors the dirt.

Check back for a report from ASOR next week.

2015 Offseason Week 16

Tracy Hoffman November 8, 2015

The ASOR Annual Meeting, this year in Atlanta, is right around the corner. Ashkelon will be well represented as many staff members will attend and a number will give papers on a range of subjects from Hellenistic to Crusader Ashkelon. It should be a great time as always.

Planning is well under way for 2016 and with that planning, thoughts of getting back to work. The start of every season is marked by two unavoidable tasks; cleanup and staircase building/repair.

The deeper we dig, the bigger the cleanup and the taller the stairs. Consider joining us as we go through it one more time in 2016. Check the "Join Us" section of the website to learn more.

2015 Offseason Week 15

Tracy Hoffman November 1, 2015

During the 1987 field season Grid 38 was split into upper and lower, Grid 50 expanded, Grid 57 went deeper, Grid 37 wound down and Grids 64 and 71 were opened and excavated for a single season.

In Grid 38U, it was all Roman period as excavation uncovered the remains of a bath and a large apsidal building.

Grid 50 expanded in 1987, adding new squares to the excavation area. The more they dug, the more excavators encountered what would become one of the most fascinating discoveries made at Ashkelon; the dog burials.

In Grid 37, excavation of the large Islamic period house first uncovered in 1986 continued. The highlight of the season was finding more pieces of gold filigree jewelry, several pieces of which were found in 1986. Today, the jewelry is on display in the Israel Museum.

In the southwestern corner of the site, off the South Tell, excavators found a building at the base of the large earthwork mound on which the medieval fortifications stand in Grid 64.

We're digging in 2016! Check back soon for more information on our last season of excavation.

2015 Offseason Week 14

Tracy Hoffman October 25, 2015

Some pictures from dig life this week. See yourself in one of them? Let us know. Tell us your story. We'd love to hear from you.

Want to see yourself in one of these pictures? We're digging in 2016! Join us and help us investigate the history and archaeology of Ashkelon in our final season.

Volunteer with undoubtedly the find of the day.

2015 Offseason Week 13

Tracy Hoffman October 18, 2015

Here's a familiar face from the 1999 field season. Need a hint? He's working in Grid 38.

2015 Offseason Week 12

Tracy Hoffman October 11, 2015

Before the internet, social media, and the ability to sends texts from one country to another free of charge, there were airmail letters, tokens to use the pay phone to call home, and paper brochures advertising the expedition. Much has changed over the years. Today, we even use laptops in the field.

2015 Offseason Week 11

Tracy Hoffman October 4, 2015

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.

2015 Offseason Week 10

Tracy Hoffman September 27, 2015

Today the ancient city of Ashkelon is a national park that attracts thousands of visitors every year. It is also a nature preserve, a facet of the park we've gotten to see more of recently. Turtles, foxes, and, oh yes, cats are all familiar, if not sometimes surprising, sights. It's fair to say, we never know what we might see when we stick our heads up out of the grids.

The Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon