gregoryjenks

Category: Archaeology

  • Bethsaida 2014 – Day Eleven

    140618 Bethsaida -Area-T view

    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:

     

    After lunch we visited the Edyth Geiger Memorial Library in Zefat:

    Finally we read the pottery from the last couple of days on the site, and entered the data into the computer:

     

  • Bethsaida 2014 – Day Ten

    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.

     

  • Bethsaida 2014 – Day Nine

    We were back on the dig today, and at least in Area T there was a significant amount of dirt being moved. Everyone is keen to uncover as much of the hidden history of this small part of the site as we can before the end of this week. As the soil is removed and the fallen stones taken away, we are beginning to see the walls with much greater clarity.

    We began by preparing our limestone kiln pit for its official photograph. First the rocks and bare dirt needed to be swept to provide a good surface, and then the official labels were added:

     

     

    It may be that the discovery of this pit will unlock several puzzles for us. It has not only given us a sense of how the ancient limestone was quarried to be burnt for the production of fertilizer, but the presence of significant numbers of Roman nails in the out and the adjacent areas dug in 2013/2013—as well as the presence of numerous Ottoman smoking pipes—suggests the pit was used in the Ottoman period, with timber materials from the Roman period being used as fuel for the destruction of the limestone vessels.

    Here is the latest of our Ottoman smoking pipes:

  • Bethsaida 2014 – Day Eight

    Today—our second Sunday in the Galilee—was planned as a less intense day.

    We began by making a short visit to Capernaum which we had not been able to visit the previous Sunday. The landscaping has continued apace since I was last here in June 2013, although I am not entirely sure that the end result has been a wonderful outcome. In any case, most people had eyes only for the ruins and—of course—the modern church that hovers just above the Venerated House, believed by many to be the home of St Peter. The ruins give us some idea of what to expect in Area T at Bethsaida, while the new church is a model of structures that sit above (rather than 0n) the ruins. May favourite location at Capernaum remains the monumental synagogue that towers above the humble stone houses of the ancient town.

     

    From Capernaum we headed to Haifa so that we could worship with the Anglican community at St Luke’s Church. We made good time, arriving just before 10.00am for a 10.30 service! I assisted with the service: reading the Gospel, offering the Great Thanksgiving Prayer (we used one from the Australian Prayer Book), and serving Holy Communion. Afterwards we were offered generous Arab hospitality in the church hall:

     

    After leaving the church we went to the top of the hill to enjoy the panoramic vista over the Haifa harbour, including the beautiful Bahai Gardens:

     

    From there we went to Dado beach, via a local schwarma shop and the train station at Nof HaKarmel (where we collected another Bethsaida volunteer). The day was hot, but the beach was a fabulous place for people to encounter the Mediterranean Sea:

    Finally, we went to Mt Tabor. After taking taxis to the top of the mountain we enjoyed both the monumental church and the spectacular views.

     

    Impressive as the buildings and views may be, I most enjoy the gardens and their abandoned structures:

  • Bethsaida 2014 – Day Seven

    We spent today in Nazareth. What a deep blessing to be back here with a bunch of new friends to show around my favourite place.

    We began with a brief visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation, before moving just a few metres north to the Sisters of Nazareth Convent where we spent an hour or so exploring the underground excavations: the Holy Cave, the first-century Cave House, and the intact tomb with rolling stone, preparation chamber, and three burial shafts. Here we are before going down below the Convent:

     

    After that we went through the Souk (the Old Markets) to visit the Synagogue Church which happens to be alongside the Melkite church in Nazareth. Our guide, Abu Ibrahim, is from the Melkite community here, so this is his church.

     

    From there we continued through the Souk until we came to El Babour Galilee Spice Mill, where we were welcomed and entertained by the generous Tony Kanaza.

     

    Our final stop before the lunch beak was the beautiful Geek orthodox Church of St Gabriel with its ancient well:

     

    After visiting this church we had around two hours free time for people to explore the city by themselves, buy lunch from local vendors, and shop for gifts. I think was a very special part of the day. We then went to Mt Precipice, which offers panoramic views of the Jezreel Valley:

     

    From there we went to Nazareth Village with its reconstructions of first-century village life in the Galilee. As always, “Joseph” the village carpenter was one of the highlights with his first-century skills and tools:

     

    We ended the day with a visit to the Nazareth office of Sabeel, where we met with several members of the committee and had an opportunity to learn firsthand of their work.

     

     

     

  • Bethsaida 2014 – Day Six

    Today the energy levels were high and the winds were less blustery, so we were set for a good day on the tools at Area T.

    Even before we were joined by the visitors from Sabeel Nazareth (see below), we had made some exciting new finds:

    Julien found that the spot he had been clearing was actually a pit used by Bedouin to burn limestone recovered from the ancient ruins at the top of the hill to create fertiliser. He is one happy camper, and would happily stay back after the bus leaves at 12.30 to continue working:

     

    Meanwhile, in the opposite corner we have found the top of last year’s Mamluk wall over which a later level of occupation has laid our new set of stone walls.  (Nicole is standing on a large stone that seems to be part of wall W1202 from 2013.) Happy campers all around today:

     

    While all this was happening our guests from Nazareth arrived to share the day with us:

    With their help we cleared more of Area T than would otherwise have been possible.

    It seems we have at least three phases of occupation at Area T: (1) an initial Mamluk settlement prior to the earthquake of 1202, which re-used some older materials including the 1C grinding stone included in W1202, (2) the occupation phase represented by W1204, and (3) the Bedouin who destroyed part of W1204 to create the pit in which they burned limestone (and maybe some timber materials from the Roman period, judging by the nails found in the pit).

    Meanwhile, exciting finds have been turning up in other parts of the site as well. Around 11.30am we began a series of “show and tell” visits to each other’s areas so that we could learn about the highlights of the week. It was fascinating to see the materials being exposed in Area A West and Area A South. I wonder what the next week of digging will reveal.

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