Tuesday, 21 June | “Dig For A Day”
It’s time to update our resumes–although it would be quite a stretch to have one’s cv read “amateur archaeologist”. Nevertheless, that is exactly what we set out to accomplish upon entering Bet Guvrin National Park. It’s safe to presume that this is the day that many of us circled on the calendar months ago, and when the moment finally arrived, there was electricity in the air. The anticipation was palpable.
Archaeologist Ian Stern met us at the dig site. It’s hard to imagine that Stern–a youthful, medium-build archaeologist sporting a shock of salt and pepper hair under his bucket hat–is celebrating over thirty years of excavating the caves of Maresha. He speedily guided us to a spot beneath the shade of a Carob tree in order to properly introduce us to the region. Picture a pastoral scene of rolling hills, Olive groves harvested by Israeli Bedouin, and thorny semi-steppe brush, as far as the eye could see.
As we ventured to the caves, we were surrounded by tented access points and benches erected as places to escape the sun and regroup before going underground. We deposited our belongings and made our way down a ladder to the subterranean excavation site.
In this video, Dig For a Day Explained –
Archaeologist Ian Stern has the most difficult job of all–teaching teachers. Here, Stern instructs us in the art and science of archaeology. Because these caves are self-contained and specific to one time period, novices like ourselves can “Dig For a Day”. This is a delicate way of suggesting two key thoughts, namely:
We cannot possibly mess things up… Unless, of course, we get too close to the stabilizing beams of wood supporting the ceilings. That warning, as you see in the short video, provided a bit of comic relief as well as a Stern warning–pardon the pun!
We are actually helping to excavate and unearth some pretty remarkable relics of the Ancient Near East. These primary sources from approximately 250 BCE give us extraordinary insight into the daily lives of the inhabitants of this region.
At last, equipped with a pick, trow, and two buckets, we each set off to rediscover the world that once was. One might say that these ancient columbarium caves yielded a bounty of riches. Not the sort of riches that the Israeli Antiquities Authority would publicize in the form of a promotional poster, and certainly not something that would appear in the next issue of the Biblical Archaeology Review, but we encountered artifacts that embody a teacher’s definition of “primary sources: the litter of history”.
In this video, Artifacts Discovered in the Caves, Yonni–a site worker pursuing his degree in Biblical Studies–teaches us about what we can learn from the everyday objects discovered in the excavation process.
It is thrilling to think that we were digging and sifting through 2,200 year old debris, building materials, cooking implements, and what remains of an ancient society that existed during the time of the Maccabees. To say that this experience and the memories that I’ll cherish will inspire and enlighten my teaching practice is an understatement. It is the fulfillment of a childhood dream. It is a testimony to the wisdom and resourcefulness of those who came before us. It is the enduring power of our human history and all that makes us human–our rituals, our art, our culture. It is a celebration of life and a celebration of joyous discoveries.
Colleen uncovers a beautiful specimen–a shell used to form water-tight plaster for the cave walls. It’s all committed to camera in this video: Seashells in Judea – Colleen’s Discovery.
As our time in the cave came to a close, each of us resembled children begging for “just five more minutes” of recess. It was an extraordinary moment. Yet, another unforgettable moment awaited us just around the bend–the infamous bucket-line of the archaeological site.
The twelve of us assembled in a row, from the cave floor to the ground-level door, and on every step and stair in-between. We manually schlepped the rocky debris all the way to the surface. It was exhausting, but personally satisfying. Our work and effort was on full display–and the numerous buckets of dirt needed to be sifted and sorted once more–so that we could make sense of what we might have missed down beneath the surface.
The sifting and sorting process is the necessary final step in processing our site excavation: Sifting & Sorting the Dig for a Day.
An archaeologist’s work is process oriented. Much like teaching, it is neither for the faint of heart not the sort of person that must see immediate results. There is very little instant gratification, but the next scoop of dirt just might yield the next big find. Bits of metal, to the untrained eye, might be a rare coin from the Second Temple Period… That potsherd might be part of an earthen vessel containing a papyrus scroll…
Stern shares an interesting theory about the political implications of some of the 2,200 year old artifacts in this video: Archaeology Sheds Light on the Formation of Ethnic & Civil Identities in the Hellenistic Age
Archaeology is an art and science build upon discovery and wonder. We can then use the l historical and religious narrative in concert with the artifacts that we found to propose theories and make conjectures about the ancient world. Hopefully this post captures the essence of our “Dig for a Day” so that we may share our joy with you.
– Jennifer Lanas
Cultural Literacy Teacher Holy Family Academy, Pittsburgh, PA
Bonus Images – Because we have so much that we want to share with you from our time in Israel!
Did you know that domesticated chickens existed in Israel hundreds of years before anywhere else?
Not pictured:
Our CWB candle-light spelunking adventure… The highlight-worthy images of us scooting through the tightest of cracks and crevices in the yet-to-be excavated caves are certainly something to smile about. What happens in Maresha stays in Maresha… 😉