Move Along

The departure of the Irvine group means our team is much smaller, and it felt that way today. Not a bad feeling when pottery washing came around - we seemed to have hardly any. However, on site, things seemed much different. Lot's of work...less people. We've gone from five squares open down to three, and, since we were essentially done in F8 on Thursday I was moved to square ZZ-0.

ZZ-0 is completely on the opposite side of the complex in comparison to where I was working prior, so getting my bearings took a few minutes. We didn't have many big finds today, but we moved about a half-meter worth of dirt out.

The two things we did find were a column with a "fluted" end and a hole drilled through it and a piece of marble squared off on three sides and rounded on the last. Concerning the column, we're not talking a small hole, it's wide enough to put your hand through. We will have it dug further tomorrow and maybe then we will have more answers about what it could be. The marble piece is somewhat perplexing - it looks like a piece of a banister from a staircase. There was some speculation from Darryl (a retired officer) that it could be a night-stick.


Thanks to all for continuing to read this - we're glad you're enjoying this adventure with us!

"There's a leg attached to the shower squeegee"

Kristina killed a cockroach on the floor just outside our room.

Andrea and I are staying in Dr. Schuler's old room which is attached to the lab area. The area which we use as a lab (which means the place where all the small finds and pottery are sorted, numbered, counted, stored and sometimes photographed) used to be the dressing room of a music hall here on the kibbutz. The music hall has pretty much been moth-balled, so on occasion we have a cockroach that sneaks in. Thus far Andrea and I haven't seen any in our room...knock-on-wood.

Kristina was here working on some pottery stuff when she came out, knocked on our door, said goodnight and started heading for the exit... then came a scream and some noise and she burst into our room. A few seconds later she and Andrea went back out into the entryway and the cockroach was nowhere to be found. That is, until Andrea lifted up Kristina's backpack...another scream and they were yelling for me to come kill it. I got up and grabbed my boot, but before I even got the chance Kristina had the shower squeegee. The squeegee smacked the hard concrete floor once, twice, three times and then finally met its mark. The cockroach was dead, antennae still twitching.

So if anyone asks, it was Kristina, in the lab with the squeegee.

To Our Friends from Concordia Irvine

The group from Concordia Irvine left this morning. This video, while it has nothing to do with the dig, is dedicated to them and all of their hard work and random musical talent - especially those who were at dinner last night and started their own "Stomp" group over at the other table. I posted this video a couple of years ago, but I think it deserves to be watched again. And remember...all God's creatures got a place in the choir...

A (Not Quite) Three Hour Tour.

Andrea stole my thunder and preempted the post that I was going to write today about our boat tour on the Sea of Galilee! So, here are just a few more pictures...









One more day to rest and relax, then it's back up early tomorrow for another week of digging.

Thursday's Boat Tour

I have a new appreciation and understanding for the story about Peter walking on water. Being on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, in the midst of wind and waves, watching the sun go down and the water turn black may have something to do with it. We spent 2 hours on a boat, beginning before sunset and returning in the dark. Darryl led devotions, choosing to use the story of Peter walking to Jesus on the water. First of all, it was windy and there were some big waves when we were out there on a calm night in a big boat; I can't imagine what it would feel like to be in a small fishing boat with more violent weather conditions. Secondly, it would be really scary to see someone walking out to you over that pitch black water. And because of these two things, way to go, Peter, for stepping out of the boat at all! I think my perspective on this story is changed for good.

And now, some more pictures from the boat.

Here is the mountain that we climb every day to dig... Hippos!

Kristina...

Kristina, Hannah, Anna, Liz and me...

It was just a little windy...

A beautiful sunset.

Just for Fun.

My most sincere apologies to anyone who may not want this photo posted...it just had to be done. It's still not the "silly-face" picture that Andrea has been hoping for, but we're getting closer.



I will post more in depth about our Thursday night boat trip and devotions on the Sea of Galilee tomorrow.

Late to Bed and Early to Rise...

...Makes a man Crabby and Sleepy and...Zzzzzz



Last night we had what sounded, on paper, like an amazing opportunity; visit the ancient city of Scythopolis at Bet She'an. Scythopolis is another city of the Decapolis, so a sort of "sister-city" of Hippos. The city was destroyed in 749 AD by the same earthquake that destroyed Hippos. A grand total of 46 acres of the site has been uncovered including the main street, Roman Bathhouses and Theatre (just to name a few) For a Biblical context of the site see 1 Samuel 31, and the story of the death of Saul, specifically verses 8-13.

The plan, as we heard it, was to leave the kibbutz around 8:00 (sundown) and arrive at Bet She'an sometime between 8:45 and 9:00. Part A - Check.
After arriving at Bet She'an we would have a chance to take part in their new nighttime tours. Part B - Check
We would have around 45 minutes to one hour and be back for bed around 11:00. This is where we got off track.

Staying up until 11:00 PM when you have to be up at 4:00 AM is already crazy enough, so we debated about whether we wanted to go or not. Ultimately, we decided that, since I had never seen it and the idea of a nighttime tour was intriguing (and it was free) we couldn't pass the opportunity up! However, after arriving at the site we were greeted by a tour guide...a long winded tour guide...

To make a long story short. I'm still glad we went. The site is amazing, and the short introductory video (which they cleverly projected on the back of the theater complex) was really cool. However, not getting back to the kibbutz until nearly midnight made for a short, short night of sleep.



Surprisingly, I was OK for most of the day, and didn't really feel the effects of how tired my body was until later in the morning when I was in the sun running the wheel-barrow.

Today was the last day for the group from Concordia University Irvine which means our team will be drastically different come Sunday morning. Eric and Will, the two other members of Arny's Army (along with Andrea and I) are leaving, but we can be proud of what we accomplished on our square. I am not sure where I will be placed next week, but I am hopeful of finding something worth winning a beer from Kristina...(I thought I had it in the bag with the perplexing piece of painted marble that I found early in the week, but Darryl's square won with a cache of 6 nails all sitting nicely on a door jam...)


Arny's Army


The Whole Group at it's largest point.


Eric is 6'2" - we took a lot of dirt (AND ROCKS) out of this square!


And, for good measure, here's the sunrise we enjoyed today.

Just a Little Early Morning Stroll

Every morning we wake up at 4:00 AM, get ready...tighten the crusty laces (and I mean crusty...hard and caked with dirt) on our boots and head to the Kibbutz parking lot to meet the bus by 4:40. The bus takes us three-quarters of the way up the hill, and then we're on our own.


The trail is steep, and full of rocks which jut up and out, reminders of the road that once led the way up to the ancient city of Hippos. It is vital to lift your feet while walking. Along the way their are even more reminders of this mountain's history. These come in the form of "Warning: Mine Field" signs and small bunkers that denote it as a former outpost of the Israeli Military. Most, if not all, of the mines are now gone...but I have no desire to be the person who finds the remnants of that not-so-distant past.

I have never been intimidated by the mountain, or the trail, and Andrea and I are generally some of the first ones up the hill. Living at higher elevation and having a love for the outdoors have prepared us well for making this daily trek. Although, at 5:00 AM there's not much to enjoy about it...



F8 Update!
The past two days we have had some amazing fortune! Darryl, Sam and Drew came over from their square (which is mostly finished) and helped us get closer to finishing our square. Just a little bit of work tomorrow, and (crossing fingers) no more big rocks. We've found the floor of what Dr. Schuler believes is a plaza area. This afternoon someone called it "Plaza De Arny." We also have the possible beginning of a staircase heading to the west. We will have that uncovered by tomorrow, I am confident.

I'm a Rock Drawing Machine!

Ok, maybe not "machine" ... not yet, at least. In previous trips, I have started my drawing assignments about halfway into the first week and that was all I did the rest of the dig time. This was partly due to having to draw things that just hadn't been drawn in previous years. This season, however, there is no "catch up" work to do, so most of my time has been spent working in square F8 as part of Arny's Army. My service with them is coming to an end, though, as squares have finished their work and new walls are revealed which long to be recorded on paper. My metric graph paper, to be more specific. Today I did very little digging and spent my first full day drawing. For those of you who don't know what I do, allow me to explain (I will keep it short so as to ensure your complete attention). Dr. Schuler says, "Andrea, I need you to draw this wall." This can be either a top plan or profile or both. I say, "Yes, Sir," and skip away (literally). I prepare my tools: drawing board, metric graph paper, metric tape measure (which, would you believe, was hard to find in Billings, MT and got me a funny look from the guy when I asked if they had them?!), pencils, ruler, string and chaining pins and my water bottle (you remember we must stay hydrated). I approach assigned wall (or column, of floor, or bench, whatever) and take a good long look at it. This serves two purposes: 1) I have to decide where to start and how to go about the drawing, and this helps me make a plan, and 2) I like to think it makes me look professional walking around examining the wall for a few minutes with my tape measure in hand and pencil in my mouth or tucked in my hat before I begin, and of course it is important to always look professional when one is drawing rocks. Next, I set up a straight line (or two) using the chaining pins and bright pink string - this is the place from which all my measurements come, so it is obviously an important step. At this point, I am ready to draw, so I use the tape measure to see how far rocks are away from my string and from each other, mark the points on my paper (in proportion to the scale I've decided) and then ... I draw the rocks! Intriguing, yes? It doesn't sound like much, it may not even look like much on paper (funny, it just looks like a bunch of rocks), but I can assure you that much time and effort is put into these drawings, and they are to scale and measured. I never knew I would be a skilled rock-artist, but I actually kind of enjoy it more than I thought I would. And, as crazy as it sounds, I have spent so much time looking at the rocks in these walls, that I can actually remember specific rocks - even ones that I drew my first time here 4 years ago - which is either kinda cool or crazy, but it's the truth!

Highlights

As advertised, some highlights from tonight's sunset over the Sea of Galilee. Unlike other nights where we generally sit right outside our temporary home; tonight we walked down to the edge of the water, let the waves hit our feet and enjoyed the beauty of God's Creation...

A History Lesson

Listen up class! Today we are going to learn a little bit more about Hippos-Sussita!

Last night Andrea and I attended a lecture given by one of the head archaeologists here and it reminded me that I haven't actually told you much about the city we are excavating. So, for all you know we could be excavating any old place...literally.

Hippos is a city of the Decapolis, a group of Ten cities located in Roman Palestine that were more culturally connected to Greece and Rome than to other Middle Eastern cultures. The city was inhabited from around the 3rd Century BC and was abandoned after a major earthquake in 749 AD.

The city is located just to the east of the Sea of Galilee near the Golan Heights. In fact, as we learned last night, the city's water source was a spring in the Golan. An aqueduct 24 kilometers long carried water to the city. It is located high atop a hill (as you have seen in our pictures) and was easily defended; on the north their is a steep cliff face meaning that the only way to reach the city was the main road to the south and east.

Christianity came to Hippos around the 4th Century AD, and eventually the city became the seat of a Bishop, according to historical records. As of the excavation there have been three churches and a cathedral unearthed (we are excavating the north east church - you can see an aerial shot of the church complex here)

I hope this brief history lesson has been informative and not too boring.

In other news - we had A LOT of help on our square today...but many, many more rocks to be moved. We hope to find the floor by the end of the week. I am confident that we can make it after this morning.

Another sunset post may be forthcoming as today was just as, if not more, clear than yesterday.

I Almost Stepped on a Hedgehog!

Here are five reasons why today was one of the best dig days:

A) Cloud cover - The clouds kept appearing and blocking out the sun until sometime after breakfast... big deal when you're working outside!

B) Breeze - A nice breeze all day long helped keep the work site just a little cooler, although it did get a little irritating towards the end when it was blowing so hard it was almost impossible to keep the dust out of your eyes.

C) Chocolate milk - They had chocolate milk (in a bag) at breakfast today. Yum!

D) Popsicles - Everyday we get fruit on the site and have our "fruit break" at 11 am. Today (like last Tuesday) popsicles were brought in addition to the fruit, and they have never tasted so good as they do under the hot sun, while working hard and sweating and being so close to quitting time.

and 5) "Arny's Army" expanded. After breakfast, our square gained some help. Our original Arny's Army included Arny (duh!), Cameron, Eric, Will, and me, and we gained Darryl, Drew, and Sam - which was AWESOME! The boys moved a LOT of gigantic rocks away and we were able to steadily haul away bucket after bucket of dirt like a well oiled machine. Thanks guys!

Good day of work today.

Also, this morning it was very dark and I heard a small sound as Cameron and I walked to the bus and he said, "Andrea! Look!" And to the left of my foot was a small dark blob, that started moving. It was a hedgehog. I almost stepped on it.

This Place

Three posts in one day (if you count the one I wrote last night and posted this morning before leaving for the site)! I hope I don't overwhelm you! I just wanted to quickly share tonight's sunset. At least the latter part of it. We did not get to enjoy the full sunset tonight as we were attending a lecture about the last ten years of work here. I am positive, had we been here, it would have been spectacular. It was so clear all day today.

It's a Tough Job...

...but somebodies got to do it.



Today was one of the clearest we've had on the dig. The sun came up, early, and the moon stayed visible late into the morning.

As we continued to excavate our square (translated: we found more...and more...and more...and more rocks) the day became warm, and then hot. But their is beauty in that heat. From the top of the mountain where Hippos is located you get a fantastic view of the Galilee. Perhaps this is the "city on a hill" which "cannot be hidden." To imagine the forum square in all of it's glory, the churches we are uncovering...people walking down the Decumanus Maximus (main East/West Road), it's absolutely amazing. People lived here...and we are uncovering their lives. We can only imagine what the city would have looked like when they walked the streets, and if it's anything like I imagine it would have been amazing.


Main Cistern in the Forum with Tiberias in the background.


The South side of the Sea of Galilee.


Galilee with Mount Tabor (I believe) in the background. Mount Tabor is the traditional site of the Transfiguration.

Dig Day Six

Cameron's Log: Day Six...

Found more big rocks today. At one point counted 21 awaiting removal.



Uncovered some large stones, looked like the makings of a wall. Unfortunately there was little evidence to support this and Dr. Schuler suspected it was a "floating" wall, meaning it was built later by squatters or had fallen rather suspiciously...

Upon removing some stones discovered there were, indeed, more underneath! A wall...put back the stones...



Found an interesting piece of marble tile toward the end of the day. Seems to have some kind of paint on it. During pottery washing we discovered another piece that fits like a puzzle and has the same red on it...

It has been fun to work in the same square as Andrea. Too bad she gets called away to draw, and will do this even more in the coming two weeks I am sure.

For those who claim she "doesn't get dirty," here she is working hard.









It should be mentioned, this post was written on Sunday July 12th after the dig day ended. However, since we had just posted commentary on our trip to Jerusalem I did not want to overwhelm you, the reader, with so many posts in such a short time...

Jerusalem: Part One

Cameron and I have divided up the Jerusalem trip into two sections... so you should be reading mine first (if you desire chronological order). And here is how it all went down:

We left the kibbutz Thursday at 2:30 in the afternoon, allowing time for lunch and showering and getting things together. An approximately 2 hour drive south and through the Judean wilderness and we made it to Jerusalem, walked through the Jaffa Gate into the old city,

and a couple turns later buzzed the door at the Lutheran Guest House in the Armenian Quarter.

Dr. Schuler took the time to orient us a little as to our whereabouts and our first step was the church which some believe to be the place of the "upper room," where Jesus had the last supper with his disciples before going to trial. There is also a depiction on the wall which revisits the story from Acts chapter 12 when Peter escapes from prison, comes and knocks on the door, and the servant girl Rhoda is so excited she doesn't open the door for him but goes back and tells the other disciples he is there without even letting him inside. So... because of the upper room being in Mark's home, and the connection of the servant girl Rhoda... the Drs. Schuler call this place, the 'Mark and Rhoda' church!

We walked up and down some more narrow Jerusalem streets, past many shops, ignoring many "come look!" invitations (they get very creative in how they try to get your attention), until we made our way to the outside of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place where Christians remember the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. A group of us returned later Thursday evening to watch the locking of the door at 9 pm. There are six different Christian groups that have rights to the church, and because they can not agree who has the "power" to lock the door, the key is under the care of a Muslim family who comes every night to lock the door. Several people gathered outside, the door was banged loudly to get people out from inside, something was thrown at a bird to chase it away, the door was closed, a man climbed a ladder, latched the lock, and it was done. The best part was being there at that time of night when it was quiet and still.

This brings us to Friday. The day started with the archaeologists' "Via Delarosa," the walk of Christ from trial to cross. While not the same route as the many steps acknowledged in the Catholic tradition, it is a route believed by some to be more likely the path taken by Jesus. Of course both end in the same place - the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,

and ultimately it doesn't really matter because whichever street he took, Jesus made that amazing and painful journey, but it is powerful to be in a real place and know that Jesus existed here so long ago. The Holy Sepulchre is beautiful; full of so many different sights and smells and sounds, so many people from everywhere crowding (sometimes not very, er, "Chrisitan-like") to touch the rock where the cross was and get inside the eticule which hosts (perhaps) the real burial place of Jesus. It is overwhelming at times, but a strange kind of wonderful.

After this visit, we were off to the Western Wall and the Archaeological Park, but first stopped for lunch, where we had the shwerma (shaved lamb inside pita with various mix-ins) we've been craving for so long. Cameron was a happy guy...

(This picture of Cam was taken in Bethlehem the next day, but you get the point - he ate shwerma as much as he could!)

And now I'll leave you with him and the rest of our trip.

Jerusalem: Part Two

Andrea and I made the decision to each post about a different portion of our trip to Jerusalem. Andrea got the first half, so I will be handling part two. As I am writing this before she has even begun, I hope to pick up almost at the exact point where she will have left off...

Having indulged our craving for shwarma we made our way into the Jewish Quarter of the City and headed for the area surrounding the Western (Wailing) Wall. When we arrived at the wailing wall we entered a large archaeological park where one can see the ruins of the many structures that once surrounded the temple area in Jerusalem. The most foreboding structure is, of course, the temple platform itself which has gone through many facelifts over the years. As you can see, the stones from the period when Herod extended the platform are quite daunting...


Considering that Andrea is 5'2" you can see that the stones are nearly a meter tall.


And, according to the person at the end of this line, she wasn't even touching the end of the stone! Rest assured, if we found any of these on Hippos they would stay where they were...

As you walk to the Eastern part of the park you enter an area where one can be assured Jesus walked. The stairs leading up to the Temple. Unfortunately, we were not able to visit this area because it borders Al Aqsa Mosque, and it was closed so that the Muslim Holy Day was not disturbed.



We left the archaeological park, and the Old City for a time and walked up the Mount of Olives. This walk is incredible, for many reasons. First and foremost, the Mount of Olives is a remarkably, and surprisingly, steep hill (video will soon be posted on You Tube). There is, however, a reward for the labor of walking up the hill - the view.



Once on top of the Mount of Olives we stopped at the Church of the Ascension where Jesus' Ascension into Heaven is commemorated. The church is now a mosque, however, the Muslims who control it allow Christians to come in and see the place. After leaving from there we made our way back down the Mount of Olives and walked the traditional path of the Via Delarosa, the path which commemorates Jesus on His way to the Cross and, ultimately, to His death. Along the way there are many markers denoting the traditional stations of the Cross - the ending point is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

After this we had the rest of the evening free to shop or go back to the guest house. The next day would bring even more sights.

We got up early on Saturday, met our bus, and headed for Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity.


This Church is one of three built by Saint Helena (Constantine's Mother) and commemorates the Birthplace of Christ. Over the years it has changed hands many times. As you can see from this picture the door has gotten smaller and smaller over the years. This change came because the church was being stripped of all its marble for use in other areas.


The inside is spotted with incredibly ornate decorations. In the front of the church there is an area called the grotto where one can go down and, supposedly, touch the spot where Jesus was born and where he was laid in the manger.

After finishing up at the Church of the Nativity we had time for shopping at the various Olive Wood stores and for lunch...we had more shwarma...



Having thoroughly stuffed ourselves (literally - I had two shwarma), we met the bus and headed for the Herodion (or Herodium...or Herodyon...depending on which sign you read). This was honestly one of my favorite sites...the sheer magnitude of the fortress is remarkable and the magnitude of what Herod accomplished can be seen on a grand scale. The site is one of Herod's many wilderness fortresses which he built to help protect his kingdom. It is also in the Judean Wilderness...where the shepherds would have been "keeping watch over their flocks," as Dr. Schuler pointed out...


The wilderness surrounding Bethlehem and Jerusalem.


The main tower of the Herodion.


Top plan of the Herodion.


Herod's Tomb?


The Palace at the Herodion, complete with swimming pool.

As Andrea always points out we were "running where Jesus walked," and what a great run it was. Now we are back at the Kibbutz. As I write this we have already finished a full day of work and are getting ready for another...