Category Archives: 2012

So pleasant was the after-dinner lull two Fridays ago, my insides warmed by fragrant tea, that the beginning of the Muslim call to prayer over Jerusalem almost startled me. The same hauntingly beautiful cries had accompanied the team’s exit from … Continue reading →

When Jason announced to my square two weeks ago that we had hit bedrock, I know my face fell. This is all? I thought. We had reached no conclusions about our square, except that it was some kind of space … Continue reading →

It’s really difficult to believe that we touched down at Tel Aviv airport three and a half weeks ago, and that yesterday was already our last day in the field. Our experience was fully immersive; we have spent every day … Continue reading →

Two weeks ago, when our digging began in earnest, I and four other team members were assigned to an area northeast of the temple complex, an area sure to disclose something about Omrit’s broader pattern of occupation. Though Omrit was … Continue reading →

My classmates have done an excellent job describing our initial reactions upon arriving in Israel and some of our experiences working at Omrit and visiting other sites. I would like to go into some detail on another topic that I … Continue reading →

My first full week of work, though certainly intense and tiring, has only increased my fascination with archaeology and ancient history. We began excavating our squares on Monday after the directors divided us into small groups; they placed me with … Continue reading →

Connor did a wonderful job detailing our daily routines below. From Monday to Saturday, we break down dirt, haul it, sift through it, become encased in it, and in general work very hard physically and intellectually. On Saturday afternoons and … Continue reading →

Since my fellow students have already written on some of the emotional and intellectual aspects of this trip, I thought I would focus on the daily life at the dig. While our schedule was a bit irregular for the first … Continue reading →

As majestically as the ruins at Omrit are positioned, I’m no less struck by the colors of the place: the pristine blue above, the pale gold and burnt green of the hills, the purple of the round, thistly wildflowers scattered … Continue reading →

When I first heard about this trip, I realized that the image I had of Israel was fragments of political and religious histories. I could hardly construct an overall impression of Israel – if that is at all possible for … Continue reading →