Category: Archaeology

Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Three

Today the focus was very much on the infancy traditions, as the course seeks—so far as possible—to follow the natural chronology of Jesus’ life.

After a briefing in the College lecture room, we began at Ein Kerem. This is the traditional site of the visitation of Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth. It also honours the birth of John the Baptist, who becomes a cousin of Jesus in the way that Luke tells the story. This lovely modern piece of outdoor art in the gardens of the Franciscan church at Ein Kerem celebrates this very human story of two pregnant cousins greeting one another after Mary’s arrival.

After leaving Ein Kerem we cut across the SW corner of Jerusalem to go to Bethlehem. First stop was the Bedouin-themed restaurant for lunch.

We then went to one of the three Shepherds Field sites. In this case, we went to the Franciscan site as the YMCA site was not open. We sat in one of the large limestones caves undoubtedly used to shelter flocks of an evening (even if not that ‘silent night’ of Christian legend), while the College chaplain led us in a reflection on the significance of the angels’ message to the shepherds.

We then had a couple of hours to explore the Church of the Nativity and the nearby holy places, including the Cave of St Jerome and the Milk Grotto Church. The church itself is under extensive renovation and repair, so the interior was filled with scaffolding and a false roof protects the interior from damage.

28 June 2014
Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Two

Today the course at St George’s College in Jerusalem really swung into gear. We have about 33 people on the program, plus about 4 staff. I am listed as a ‘Guest Scholar’ this year and will be responsible for a couple of the days during the program. It is good to see such a strong number of enrolments despite all the political uncertainty in the region.

After sitting for our group photograph at 8.30am, we went into a series of meetings with College staff, including an introduction to the Library. This was presented by Simone Qumri, who I met on my very first Palestine of Jesus course back in June 1990 and who first taught me to write my name in Arabic. Friendships that endure for many years are such a blessing. After all these years, I still think of Simone as I initial documents with the Arabic letter jiim as she taught me to write it.

After morning tea break we had a lecture on pilgrimage in the Holy Land, concluding with an overview of the historical development of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was in preparation for a visit to the church later this afternoon, and I think the new course director has made a wise move in placing this visit so early in the program. This is, after all, the most significant church for Christianity and the reason for so much of the conflict around this holy city. No doubt many of us will make repeat visits individually or with friends before the course returns here as we walk the Via Dolorosa on the morning of the last day.

Following lunch we went to Mt Olives for an overview of the Old City and an explanation of the topography.

The pickpockets are especially bad this year, and I fell victim to one of them myself. As it happened I sensed what had happened and challenged the thief, before chasing him and demanding he return the stolen cash so deftly removed from the wallet in my hand. I suspect he was not used to being grabbed by an angry Westerner yelling at him in Arabic, so he threw the money on the ground—all the while protesting that he had not taken it. Hmmm … (Note to self: Learn some good Arabic swear words for future use in such circumstances!)

Meanwhile, the view of the Old City was excellent!

After leaving Mt Olives we went by bus to the Jaffa Gate and from there we walked to the Holy Sepulchre. As we moved about the complex structure, Rodney Aist gave a masterful introduction to the church, while leaving time for people to reflect on their first encounter with this holiest of holy places.

27 June 2014
Jordan 2014 – Day Two

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.

23 June 2014
Jordan 2014 – Day One

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.

23 June 2014
Bethsaida 2014 – Day Thirteen

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?

21 June 2014
Bethsaida 2014 – Day Twelve

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.

20 June 2014