Today was spent exploring the ancient Nabatean city of Petra. We spent from 9.00am to 5.00pm enjoying the sights and sounds of Petra, and were there long enough to some of the famous changes in the colour of rock as the hours clicked by. These few photographs below cannot do justice to the experience, but they may provide some sense of our day.
We began by walking through the Siq, a natural channel through the rocks.
Finally we reached the end of the Siq and caught our first glimpse of the Khazneh, or (misnamed) Treasury.
Just so you know I really was there, here is a picture taken by Clare:
This panorama shows the ancient theatre that was carved out of the natural rock, with some of the less ornamental caves nearby.
After lunch I took a camel back to the Khazneh from our restaurant deep inside the rock-walled basin. The world looks different from up here and especially when the handler gives me the single rope that serves for a rein, and moves to the rear. (I had no spare hands for a camera after that!)
Finally we returned to our delightful accommodation at Beit Zaman.
Today (Saturday) we said goodbye to Hakuk Balev as we left Galilee to begin our few days of travelling in Jordan. The crossing from Israel to Jordan was uneventful, but we still seemed to spend an unnecessarily long time in front of this sign while waiting to board the shuttle bus that takes people across the Sheik Hussein Bridge.
We then headed south along the eastern side of the Jordan River, through a series of Jordanian villages.
After driving south for about two hours we met up with the other nine people joining us for this next stage, and then went to Madaba where we visited the church with its ancient map of the Holy Land, including the earliest map of Jerusalem.
From there we went to Mt Nebo to overlook the promised land, while our guide (Sam) provided a good introduction to the land and the history of this place.
After visiting a nearby sheltered workshop where beautiful handcrafts are made and sold, we headed south. The drive to Petra required another three and a half hours driving, and took us deep into the desert.
Finally we arrived at our hotel were we will spend two nights: Beit Zaman. This is an authentic local village that was turned into a very nice resort, while the population used the income to build a new village nearby with more modern amenities. In any case, this is a delightful place to stay.
Today was our final day on the dig at Bethsaida for the middle session this year.
There were no major finds, not even a few last minute coins. However, we did get to finish the square off nicely with clean baulks and a level floor. By the time time we stopped for breakfast at 9.00am the crew was in a celebratory mood.
The team in Area T has been comprised of more or less even numbers of students from Charles Sturt University in Australia and Truman State University in USA. It has been a delight to see the relationships blossom as we make new friends, and move beyond politeness to genuine encounter. By the end of the two weeks we were no longer Aussies and Americans, but Bethsaida alumni.
This map from today’s field diary gives some idea of how much we have achieved these past two weeks. The square in the bottom left (L4008) is essentially the result of our efforts in 2012, while the square in the top left (L4007) is the stage we reached by the end of the 4 week session in 2013. (We also did some further work in L4008 during 2013.) The large square to the right represents our efforts so far this year, with further work anticipated during the next two weeks. (I shall be back on Thursday, 3 July, to check on the progress made and update my field diary records.)
To summarise, we have found the continuation of wall W1202 into locus 4009, and most likely the continuation of W1200 from 2012 into L4009 as well. In addition, we have a new set of walls (W1203 and W1204) that date from a later period, running across the earlier walls and perhaps making some use of them. Further, we have an impressive doorway between L4007 and L4009. In the top right corner we found a pit used as a kiln to melt limestone objects ‘harvested’ from the more elite areas on top of the mound to create fertiliser. This most likely reflects the use of the site during part of the Ottoman period (1517–1918 CE). The pit/kiln helps to explain the three major sets of finds so far in Area T: (1) Roman nails, (2) Mamluk pottery and coins (1250–1517 CE), and (3) large numbers of Ottoman smoking pipes.
As we left the site today, I was struck by a pair of gloves left behind by one of the volunteers. The gloves seem to form a pair of praying hands. Are they praying for release from servitude, or for peace in the Holy Land?
Today was our hottest day so far, and very humid—with more of the same and then some predicted for tomorrow. We were dripping with perspiration and the dust was turned to trickles of mud.
We began the day with the official photographic session for Area T, as project photographer worked his magic (and his aerobatic skills) to capture some great pictures for the dig records.
We took a break from the digging to go visit the wet sifting work station. With some pretty basic equipment we are able to capture evidence of plant life in earlier times, as well as fauna such as fish and small rodents.
Late afternoon we gathered for the final pottery reading of this middle session of the 2014 season. The finds are washed at the dig and then we sort and count them, before they are identified, recorded, and photographed.
After dinner we had our final evening lecture. This lecture was presented by Dr Mark Appold from Truman State University. He spoke about the disciples who came from Bethsaida and their contributions to earliest Christianity.
Today—Wednesday in our second week at Bethsaida—there was a tangible sense of sadness that so much will remain incomplete when our brief time on the dig ends this Friday. We have achieved so much, but realise just how far we are from finding all this site has to reveal.
As the morning began, the site was looking good after yesterday’s work:
The main task was to keep removing the soil and dirt to reveal the underlying floor level. By day’s end we had made very good progress, and the dirt pile near the sifters was getting larger and larger.
The highlight of the square continues to be the Mamluk era doorway:
However we were delighted to celebrate the discovery of two large Ottoman smoking pipes, in very good condition. This is the larger of the two found today.
We also enjoyed finding our first coin in Area T this year:
In Area T today we made amazing progress, and found something we had not dared to anticipate.
As we cleared up the northern half of our square, we exposed more of the wall running N/S along the western edge of our square. This is part of a structure, presumably Mamluk, that cuts across the top of the earlier structure whose walls were found during the excavations in 2012 and 2013.
The gem today was the discovery of an impressive stone doorway, complete with an interesting carving on a rock and a stone door socket.
Early in the process of finding this entrance to our locus from 2023 and 2013, Renee found nails and an iron spike (chisel):
It was easy work today as the spirits were so high. Indeed, I had trouble pulling them up for a break at breakfast time, when popsicles were delivered, and again when it was time to get on there bus. We are all eager to get back onto our little square of paradise first thing in the morning.
