Michael Resig, Volunteer 2007

As I stood on the eastern cliffs overlooking the turquoise Mediterranean, the salty sea winds filled my nostrils. Behind me lay the vast ruins of ancient Ashkelon, their story soon to be steadily unearthed. My mind flitted with excitement, imagining what the next six weeks would hold in store. In a matter of days, I was having one of the best experiences of my life. This was my first time on a dig, and I must say that it will not be my last. The feeling one gets by actually touching and unearthing the past is fantastic, it brings the ancient to life.

I was fortunate enough to be able to excavate in the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon this past summer '07 through the aid of the BAS. Arriving at Ashkelon, there were many fellow students I knew and recognized from my current studies as a full time student at Wheaton College. Being that this was my first year at a dig, I was a volunteer who was assigned to, and partook in many different tasks. From digging with a pickaxe to sighting points with a theodolite, I was able to participate in the excavation to the fullest of my dreams. The ancient site of Ashkelon is a beautiful area filled with lush vegetation surrounded by ramparts thousands of years old. The city itself is located on the Mediterranean coast about fifteen miles north of Gaza. Ashkelon was the oldest and largest seaport in ancient Canaan being one of the Pentapolis, or "five cities" of the Philistines. Occupational discoveries have been found from many different successive cultures, including: Canaanite, Philistine, Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, and Crusader occupation. Archaeological excavations began in 1985 led by Lawrence Stager of Harvard University. The grid that was excavated this past season was 38, from which we were attempting to further expand our current knowledge of the Iron Age in ancient Ashkelon.

When stepping onto the site at 5am for the first time, I was eager to begin learning the tools of the trade. Using the equipment was not a new concept for me, but the certain careful techniques that are essential for precise digging were. Having great supervisors and veteran excavators work next to me, it was not long until I was able to keep up the pace. Every day was filled with new discoveries of dusty pot-sherds, scraps of bone, decrepit wall foundations, burnt fire pits, pieces of corroded metal the size of a pea, and many more glorious treasures. Each new unearthed discovery was another piece of the puzzle of ancient Ashkelon.

As the weeks progressed and we continued to expand our areas of learning, I continued to enjoy the excavation more and more. I began to understand the process that goes into reading the stratigraphic layers of soil and debris. I was able to recognize certain types of pottery just by feeling the texture and composition. I gained an insight of different aspects of the excavation by participating in many other tasks, such as: pottery restoration, pottery reading/identification, documentation and storing, and mapping points with a total station. By observing and partaking in the different parts of the excavation I learned through first-hand experience what it takes to succeed. There is no way that I could have learned and experienced all I was able to at Ashkelon from a classroom.

The Ashkelon excavation was an amazing opportunity and experience for me this summer. I have wanted to go on a true excavation for many years in order to see, feel, and discover the ancient remains of cultures long past. I enjoyed every aspect of the excavation at Ashkelon, including the digging, which I believe anyone seeking to study archaeology or history should take part in at one point in their life. Now having experienced an excavation, I know personally how the digging method ties into the research, development, and publication process. I am incredibly grateful that the Biblical Archaeology Society made it possible for me to go to Ashkelon this past summer. I hope that someday I may be fortunate enough to return to Israel.