Eight Not-So-Obvious Questions to Ask Before Joining Your First Dig

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“Find a private place and watch out for scorpions.”

This sage advice from a 13-year-old dig veteran made my spirits sink to the tips of my toes. The rolling Judean hills stretched before me, sun-bleached and inspiring. My dream had come true. I was on a dig in Israel, but what had I gotten myself into?

I had asked so many questions, read so many glowing articles in BAR. I had even picked a dig that offered very comfortable hotel accommodations, since I am not the “outdoors” type. Why had I not thought to ask about “comfort facilities” at the dig site?

Despite this inauspicious beginning, I had a wonderful time during my week of digging at Tel Kerioth in Arad. A large Israelite and Byzantine community in the eastern Negev, the site features a church with mosaic floors, inscriptions, various artifacts and a tomb. Historically, Tel Kerioth is best known as the hometown of Judas Iscariot, Jesus’ betrayer, and as a Moabite city in the books of the prophets Jeremiah and Amos.

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My adventure began in March 1992 with the BAR 18:01 in one hand and a black pen in the other, poised to mark upcoming excavation opportunities. I wanted to fit a week on a dig into a trip to Israel. Although I asked a great many questions of dig director Steven Derfler (of Hamline University in St. Paul) and others, there were many times, once I was on the dig, that I thought, “If only I’d asked …”

So, for other first-timers, here is a list of not-so-obvious questions to ask when you are thinking of joining a dig.

1. How much physical discomfort am I willing to tolerate?

This applies to both the living accommodations and the dig site. Conditions on a dig, even “five-star” digs, are physically very demanding.

Our timetable was fairly typical. Up at 4 a.m., out to the van by 5, grabbing a quick cup of something hot and some bread and jam on the way. Work until about 8:30. A brief break for breakfast al fresco and then back to work until about 12:30. Most of the time I felt like I was working on a road gang.

Conditions at most digs are relatively primitive—open-air sanitary facilities with no running water. If you are an outdoors person who is used to a lot of physical activity, you may find the rough life on a dig pleasant. If you are more of a desk-bound city person, like me, be prepared for new and challenging physical and mental experiences.

2. What work will I do on the dig?

First-timers are usually given the jobs where they can do the least damage. Depending on the site, you may sift dirt, scrub dirt off mosaic floors, move mountains of rocks and dirt a bucket at a time, loosen dirt with a pickax or shovel dirt and sand. You will get a Ph.D. in dirt by the time you’re through!

There is satisfaction in doing these jobs, but the satisfaction can wear a little thin after a few days. If carrying buckets of excavated soil for seven hours a day, five days a week is not your idea of a good time, you should talk to the dig director about how jobs are assigned and rotated. With the best will in the world, I found that I could not carry rock and sand buckets for more than a few minutes at a time. However, I made the amazing discovery that I was reasonably competent with a pickax and shovel.

3. Who will be digging with me?

One joy of a dig is meeting people who are enthusiastic about archaeology. This is especially wonderful if your spouse does not understand your desire to dig in the sand and refuses to participate. My dig included a number of married folks who had, like me, left their spouses at home, and a nice bond of camaraderie arose among us.

However, the group consisted primarily of college-age students and folks over 65. Although there were a couple of other “40-something” types like me, sometimes I wished that there were more people closer to my own age. Especially if you are traveling alone, you may want to check on this aspect beforehand.

4. How are roommates assigned?

You can count on having a roommate if you are traveling alone. Let the dig organizer know if you are a smoker or a non-smoker. (If volunteers are housed in a hotel, you may be able to request and pay extra for a single room.)

5. What problems occurred on this dig in the past and how were they handled?

Don’t be afraid to ask the dig leader tough questions. How a dig director deals with the many situations that can crop up during a season tells a great deal about that person’s character and personality, as well as about the type of atmosphere you will find on the dig. Ask about emergencies, personality conflicts and providing for group needs other than digging.

Also, ask to speak to people who participated in the previous year’s dig. If you are told that problems never occurred, find a dig led by someone more candid.

6. Does my dig fee cover weekend room and board?

On many digs, room and board are not included for weekends, which means that you will need enough money to carry you through. While many digs have fairly low fees for the dig week, you may find the weekends, even at the same hotel, quite expensive. Find out which nights are covered and specifically which meals are covered. Ask about the cost of staying at the site and eating meals there over the weekend.

7. What special arrangements do I have to make on Shabbat?

Many digs are in Israel, parts of which shut down on Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, beginning right before sundown on Friday and ending about 8:30 (in the summer) Saturday night. This can complicate traveling and eating, because most public transportation stops during this time and many restaurants and businesses close.

How you deal with Shabbat depends a great deal on where your dig is located. In Jerusalem, for example, almost every business and restaurant is closed; buses stop running, but taxis are available. In Tel Aviv, on the other hand, the beaches will be jammed and many cafes will be open.

On most digs in Israel, you will have free time from about 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon through Sunday night. To get the most out of your weekend, plan ahead.

Egged Tours, which runs the majority of day trips in Israel, has weekend and day trips on Saturday that run out of both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Some museums are also open on Saturday. However, in most cases, you need to buy your tickets or arrange your tour before Shabbat begins.

In Jerusalem, you can find Saturday walking tours through the non-Jewish sections of the Old City. Most Christian tourist sites are open on Saturday.

Another option is to arrange for a getaway weekend to another part of Israel through your travel agent or through a local agency in Israel.

If you decide to stay at the dig site, you may want to lay in a supply of snacks or a light lunch and beverages. In most hotels you have to reserve your Saturday afternoon meals and be prepared for a late dinner.

8. What do I expect from a dig?

Yes, we all hope to uncover a long-buried cache of gold and jewels, but that, of course, is the exception rather than the rule. You are subjecting yourself to trying physical conditions and disrupting your normal routine. What will make the dig a positive experience for you?

For some volunteers, being sure of finding “something” is paramount. If this is your situation, question the dig leader about what has been discovered in past seasons and what can realistically be hoped for during your season.

The Byzantine church I worked on was not particularly rich in artifacts. However, it had wonderful mosaic floors, which we uncovered, and several large pillars, an unexpected find on the last day of the dig.

On my second day of excavating, I found a piece of chancel screen, the architectural divider between the altar and the congregation.^a This was rewarding, but it could not compare to the day when, after digging for hours, I finally uncovered a corner of a mosaic floor that had been buried for over 1,000 years. The mosaic was perfect, with colors so bright that the floor looked newly laid.

I will never forget the feeling of accomplishment and elation when I swept away that last thin layer of dirt and saw those tesserae. It made the heat, the early rising, the scorpion threat (I never saw one) and the aching muscles seem inconsequential. At that moment, a voice inside me said, “I’ll be back for more.”

“Find a private place and watch out for scorpions.”