BAR Jr.: Not All That Glitters Is Gold—But Sometimes It Is - The BAS Library
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Home > Magazines > BAR > November/December 1981

BAR Jr.: Not All That Glitters Is Gold—But Sometimes It Is

By Oded Borowski

Some people think of archaeology—incorrectly—as a treasure hunt. Not many archaeologists are as lucky as Howard Carter, who discovered the tomb of King Tut with all its glorious treasures. More often than not, archaeologists find neither gold nor silver. And if they do find a precious metal, it is usually a matter of luck, rather than design. Let me tell you, though, that I am one of the few lucky ones: I had the good fortune to discover a gold hoard! In the summer of 1972 I was an Area Supervisor for the excavations at Tell Gezer, in Israel. […]

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Footnotes

1.

When digging a large site, archaeologists number in sequence each new area they start digging. Each one of these is called a “Field.” Each Field is divided into “Areas,” usually 5×5 meters square.

2.

A balk is an unexcavated section between the two areas, usually one meter wide. After the balk is drawn to scale it can be removed.

3.

A scarab is an Egyptian seal, often attached to a ring.