Guide to Sites

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Replace the deerstalker cap with a wide-brim hat; substitute a tee-shirt and shorts for the cloak; fill the air with dust and scorching sunlight instead of fog and damp darkness; and exchange the magnifying glass for a pick, a brush and a sieve.

The result is a picture of the Sherlock Holmes of archaeology: the typical volunteer, who plays a vital role in solving the mysteries of the past.

Although archaeological volunteers perform the routine work of a dig, they live in an exciting atmosphere of expectation. Every day holds the chance of a startling revelation. They might find an important inscription while washing potsherds or uncover the hidden shape of a building while wielding a 026pick. And they always uncover some ancient artifacts.

Unlike the storied detective, volunteers can be almost any age—college students to vigorous retirees are all welcome—and they need no special education or skill, only a willingness to work at a variety of jobs, tolerance for heat and flexibility when conditions don’t match those at home. Volunteers also get to pick their own “cases,” that is, to choose from a wide variety of sites, ranging from Chalcolithic to Crusader times, with remains from Israelites, Philistines, Nabateans and others.

Historical/Biblical summaries of the sites begin below, a section that all readers can enjoy as a mini-guide to current work in Biblical archaeology.

Ashkelon

The Bible frequently mentions the Philistine port city of Ashkelon. Samson went there in a rage and killed 30 men (Judges 14:19); David lamented, “Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon” when he learned of the death of Saul and Jonathan, slain by the Philistines at the Battle of Gilboa (2 Samuel 1:20); and the seventh-century B.C. prophet Zephaniah predicted that “Ashkelon shall become a desolation” (Zephaniah 2:4).

Previous work at this large seaside site located in a National Park uncovered a vast array of remains: Canaanite ramparts, city-gates and monumental buildings; Philistine fortifications; a Phoenician dog cemetery with more than 220 burials; a Roman and Byzantine bathhouse and bordello; oil lamps bearing erotic art; and a unique cult object from the second millennium B.C., a tiny calf fashioned from bronze and other metals, which garnered extensive publicity last summer.

During the 1991 season, excavations directed by Lawrence E. Stager (Harvard Univ.) will continue on the largest Hyksos port in Canaan, including its fortifications and public buildings, and on the fortified Philistine city from the time of King David. In addition, new excavations will begin on the port from Early Bronze II–III (2850–2359 B.C.) and on the Philistine city destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s army in 604 B.C.

The site is open to visitors only by appointment through the excavation office at the Shulamit Gardens Hotel. Guided tours are available by appointment.

Banias (Caesarea Philippi)

Lying at the foot of Mount Hermon, Banias overlooks the Jordan Valley’s fertile north end, an area of lush vegetation and abundant opportunities to walk and swim. A large, nearby spring gushes from the mouth of the famous Cave of Pan, mentioned by many ancient writers. As the Greek historian Polybius tells, Antiochus the Great defeated Egypt in an important battle at Banias in about 200 B.C. Jesus visited the area (Matthew 16:13; Mark 8:27), and many important Roman buildings were erected here. Josephus, the first-century A.D. Jewish historian, records that Herod the Great built a temple to Augustus at Banias and that Herod’s son Philip enlarged and beautified the city, which he renamed Caesarea Philippi.

Three seasons of excavation directed by Vassilios Tzaferis (Israel Antiquities Authority) have brought to light the remains of an Early Roman basilica and a large vaulted building containing 12 arches. The next season will focus on further excavation of these structures and will begin excavation on some private villas.

The site is open to visitors all year, and guided tours are available.

Beit Jann

A large site in the eastern lower Galilee, Beit Jann stands adjacent to the road that formerly served as the border between the tribes of Naphtali and Issachar. Occupation of the site spanned three millennia, from about 1200 B.C. to the 19th century A.D. The Iron Age (1200–586 B.C.) occupation of Beit Jann came as a total surprise to archaeologists, who discovered it during a preliminary examination of the site. Plans for the coming season, under the direction of Harold Liebowitz (Univ. of Texas at Austin), include continued excavation of the Israelite phase and of a large Islamic structure on the crest of the mound, and a new excavation that holds the potential to extend the site’s history into the Late Bronze Age (1550–1200 B.C.).

The site is open to visitors by appointment, from 10 a.m. to noon during the season, and guided tours are available.

Caves Near Qumran

Some 40 years ago, the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were found in caves near Qumran, the communal center of a religious sect on the northwestem shore of the Dead Sea. In recent years the caves in this vicinity have yielded exciting discoveries, including papyri, pottery, coins, basketry, and arrowheads and shafts, which enable archaeologists to reconstruct the settlement history of the caves.

In 1991, Joseph Patrich (Univ. of Haifa) and his team will excavate several caves that were occupied during the Second Temple period and were used as monastic cells during the Byzantine period (324–640 A.D.).

(See the following BAR articles: Joseph Patrich, “Hideouts in the Judean Wilderness—Jewish Revolutionaries and Christian Ascetics Sought Shelter and Protection in Cliffside Caves,” BAR 15:05 and Hanan Eshel, “How I Found a Fourth-Century B.C. Papyrus Scroll on My First Time Out,” BAR 15:05.)

Tell Beth-Shean

After Saul and his sons were slain on Mount Gilboa, the Philistines displayed Saul’s body on the city-wall of Beth-Shean (1 Samuel 31:8–10). The site of Beth-Shean marks one of the longest, essentially unbroken occupations in Palestine, stretching from the fifth millennium B.C. to the Byzantine period (324–640 A.D.). The city served as an Egyptian stronghold during Egypt’s domination of the region in the Late Bronze Age, and it resisted the Israelite attack during the Canaanite occupation. King David, however, eventually conquered the city when he expanded his kingdom northward (1 Kings 4:12).

The site is especially noted for its Canaanite temples and for the abundance of cult objects unearthed by previous expeditions. In its first two seasons, this new expedition led by Amihai Mazar (Hebrew Univ.) discovered a 15th-century B.C. Canaanite temple and an Egyptian residence from the 12th century B.C. During the coming season, archaeologists will excavate the Egyptian residence and the Canaanite levels and probe the Iron Age II city (1000–586 B.C.).

The site is open to visitors.

Bethsaida

The Gospels mention Bethsaida more often than any other town except Jerusalem and Capernaum. The birthplace of the Apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip, Bethsaida was where Jesus restored a blind man’s sight (Mark 8:22–26) and fed the multitude (Luke 9:10–17). In addition, Josephus led forces that clashed with the Romans here during the First Jewish Revolt (66–70 A.D.).

Located on the east side of the Jordan River, slightly north of the Sea of Galilee, Bethsaida has yielded an Iron Age II (1000–586 B.C.) room filled with vessels, a figurine head of a possible Geshurite king and possible Hellenistic pottery and coins. The coming season’s work, under the direction of Rami Arav (Univ. of Haifa), will focus on excavating more Iron Age remains and the area of a fisherman’s house.

The site is open to visitors all year.

Caesarea Maritima

A marvel of ancient engineering, Caesarea’s harbor could hold an entire Roman fleet. Herod the Great built the city and harbor between 22 and 10 B.C. on the site of an earlier Phoenician and Hellenistic trading station known as Strato’s Tower. A major port for over 1,000 years, Caesarea reached its zenith during the Byzantine period (324–640 B.C.), when it was the largest city in Palestine. Pontius Pilate resided in the city, and an inscription bearing his name has been found here. Peter’s conversion of Cornelius, a Roman centurion (Acts 10:1–48), and Paul’s brief imprisonment (Acts 23–25) also occurred in Caesarea.

The site has well-preserved ancient 027aqueducts, a Roman theater in use once again for summer music and dance performances, imposing fortifications from Crusader times and the remains of many other ancient buildings. One of the largest and richest sites in Israel, Caesarea has yielded a vast assortment of statuary, inscriptions, coins, mosaics, ceramics and other finds.

In 1991, land excavations will continue on an early Christian church located on an earlier Roman temple platform, on the newly uncovered city quarter and on some medieval houses; the underwater excavations will continue on the harbor breakwaters, according to co-directors Kenneth G. Holum (Univ. of Maryland) and Avner Raban (Univ. of Haifa).

The site is open to visitors from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

(See the following BAR articles: Lindley Vann, “Herod’s Harbor Construction Recovered Underwater,” BAR 09:03; Robert L. Hohlfelder, “Caesarea Beneath the Sea,” BAR 08:03; Robert J. Bull, “Caesarea Maritima—The Search for Herod’s City,” BAR 08:03.)

Tel Dan

Before the tribe of Dan conquered and settled it (Judges 18), the city of Dan was called Laish. The first king of the northern kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam (928–907 B.C.), built a sanctuary at Dan to compete with the Temple in Jerusalem and erected a golden calf there (1 Kings 12:26–29). Although no trace of the calf has been found, many other interesting discoveries have been made at Dan, including massive Canaanite ramparts; a Canaanite gate with three arches; a tomb with imported Mycenaean objects; and a sacred precinct comprising a high place, chambers and an altar room.

After 23 years of excavation directed by Avraham Biran (Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion), what more can Israel’s longest-running dig hope to discover? Almost anything! In its 21st year, for example, an extraordinary scepter head was found. The 1991 season will continue work on the ramparts, on the remains in the sacred precinct and on dwellings in the center of the city.

The site is open to visitors all year.

(See the following BAR articles: Avraham Biran, “Tel Dan Scepter Head,” BAR 15:01; Hershel Shanks, “Avraham Biran—Twenty Years of Digging at Tel Dan,” BAR 13:04.)

Tel Dor

A major Mediterranean port from the Bronze Age through the Roman period, Tel Dor is now the site of one of Israel’s largest excavations. One of the Canaanite cities defeated by Joshua (Joshua 12:23), Dor became the capital of one of Solomon’s administrative districts and played an important role in ancient Israel’s economy. After its conquest by Tiglathpileser III in 732 B.C., it served as an Assyrian administrative center. The Phoenicians and the Sea Peoples also occupied it at various times. Dor became a major fortress in the Hellenistic Age. In 137 B.C., the Syrian king Trypho took refuge there and withstood a siege by Antiochus VII before managing to escape (1 Maccabees 15:10–14, 25, 37–39). The excavations have uncovered slingstones from that siege. Dor continued to thrive in the Roman period, and a Crusader fortress in the 13th century was the last occupation of the site.

Excavations led by Ephraim Stern (Hebrew Univ.) at this beautiful site have revealed the main street, forum, sanctuaries, stoa, basilica and aqueduct of the Roman city and gates and fortifications from the Hellenistic, Persian and Iron Age cities. Archaeologists have also found a destruction level with Philistine pottery and early Phoenician artifacs. In the next season, archaeologists plan to expand the excavations of the Roman city and of the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age and Hellenistic occupations; they hope to find an Assyrian or Israelite administrative building.

The site is open to visitors all year through the local archaeological center at Kibbutz Nasholim. Guided tours are available.

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(See Ephraim Stern, “What Happened to the Cult Figurines? Israelite Religion Is Purified After the Exile,” BAR 15:04)

Tel Gerisa

A major Canaanite harbor city at the mouth of the Yarkon River, a few miles from Tel Aviv, Tel Gerisa was founded in the Early Bronze Age (3150–2200 B.C.) and occupied until the ninth century B.C. In the Late Bronze Age to Iron I period (1550–1000 B.C.), it was a Philistine village.

Discoveries in past seasons include a large palace from the Late Bronze Age (1550–1200 B.C.); Middle Bronze (2200–1550 B.C.) fortifications; a water system hewn in rock; Philistine dwellings; and Canaanite and Philistine figurines, seals and tools. In the coming season, director Ze’ev Herzog (Tel Aviv Univ.) will enlarge the excavation area of the Late Bronze palace and continue to uncover more of the water system in an effort to learn its date.

The site is open to visitors all year.

Gilat

Gilat is the only site in the northern Negev where a Chalcolithic (c. 4500–3500 B.C.) sanctuary has been found. The number and variety of imported objects discovered here indicates the importance of Gilat as one of the earliest socio-economic/religious centers in the Levant, say co-directors Thomas E. Levy (Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion) and David Alon (Israel Antiquities Authority).

Among the extraordinary artifacts found in the sanctuary at Gilat are anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuettes of protohistoric deities, hundreds of incense burners made of stone and pottery and the largest assemblage of violin-shape figurines from any site in the Levant (last season yielded 16 of the 32 found so far). The coming season’s work will focus on exploring the numerous storage facilities found in the sanctuary complex and on excavating the many artifact-rich rooms uncovered last year.

The site is open to visitors all year.

Tel Hadar

The Bible refers to the area east of the Sea of Galilee as Geshur, an Aramean kingdom (2 Samuel 15:8) that fell under the military control of King David (2 Samuel 8:3–8). Absalom, David’s son by a Geshurite princess, fled to Geshur and spent three years there after having his brother Amnon killed for the rape of their sister (2 Samuel 13:1–39).

A part of the Land of Geshur Regional Project, which is conducting the first excavations of the Biblical period in the Golan, Tel Hadar was a Geshurite stronghold in the late 12th to late 11th centuries B.C. The site features an 11th-century B.C. palace that may have belonged to Talmai, King David’s father-in-law (2 Samuel 3:3). Other finds at Tell Hadar include an intact granary with one room still filled with wheat, massive basalt fortifications and a building with a pillared hall. During the next season, co-directors Ira Spar (Ramapo College) and Timothy Renner (Montclair State College) will continue work on the 11th-century palace, complete 029excavation of the storage complex and begin digging in adjacent areas.

The site is open to visitors by appointment from June 17 through July 12. Guided tours are available by appointment.

Tel Haror

The largest Canaanite city in southern Israel, Tel Haror has been identified as Biblical Gerar, where Abraham and Isaac both tried the same ruse: pretending to the Philistine king Abimelech that their wives were really their sisters (Genesis 20 and 26). Excavations at this site in the western Negev desert have unearthed impressive remains from the Middle Bronze Age to the Persian period (17th to fifth centuries B.C.). Among the remains are a Hyksos temple with a large collection of votive objects, a rich Philistine settlement with painted pottery, Hebrew and Aramaic inscriptions and well-preserved Assyrian fortifications from the late Iron Age. In 1991, director Eliezer Oren (Ben-Gurion Univ.) plans to extend the excavations of the Hyksos temple and to explore the Philistine strata.

The site is open by appointment during the season.

Hazor

Located in northern Galilee, Hazor was the site of an important dig and the subject of a popular book by the late Yigael Yadin, one of Israel’s most famous archaeologists. For its “enormous size and peculiar features,” Yadin said, Hazor is “unparalleled by any other site in the country.” Yadin also noted that the wide geographical and temporal range of the numerous references to the city in extra-Biblical sources make Hazor “almost unique among Palestinian cities.”

Hazor played an important role in Joshua’s conquests. Its king, Jabin, gathered together a league of kings to oppose Joshua. Consequently, when Joshua defeated them, he singled out Hazor and burned it (Joshua 11:1-13). Jabin also appears in the prose story of the battle between Deborah and Sisera (Judges 4). Solomon apparently rebuilt the city (1 Kings 9:15), which finally disappears from the Biblical record after its conquest by the Assyrian ruler Tiglath-pileser III in 732 B.C. (2 Kings 15:29). Extra-Biblical references to Hazor include the Egyptian Execration Texts (c. 19th–18th centuries B.C.), which curse Hazor as an enemy of Egypt; and tablets from the royal archive at the Mesopotamian city of Mari, one of which notes that Hammurabi, the king of Babylon (1792–1750 B.C.), had ambassadors residing in Hazor.

The site contains a wide variety of Canaanite and Israelite structures, including temples, fortifications and a water system. In the coming season, director Amnon Ben-Tor (Hebrew Univ.) plans to expand the excavated area in the center of the upper city in order to expose a large area of remains from the Israelite period (tenth–eighth centuries B.C.).

The site is open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

(See the following BAR articles: Hershel Shanks, “Ben-Tor, Long Married, Will Return to Hazor,” BAR 16:01; “BAR 032Interviews Yigael Yadin,” BAR 09:01); Dan P. Cole, “How Water Tunnels Worked,” BAR 06:02; Yigael Yadin, “Hazor and the Battle of Joshua—Is Joshua 11 Wrong?” BAR 02:01; Yohanan Aharoni, “Hazor and the Battle of Deborah—Is Judges 4 Wrong?” BAR 01:04.)

Tel Jezreel

Jezreel was built, either by King Omri (882–871 B.C.) or by King Ahab (871–852 B.C.) and his wife Jezebel, as a second capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. Standing on a spur of Mount Gilboa, at the edge of the Jezreel Valley, it served primarily as a winter residence for the royal family. This is the place where Naboth was framed by Jezebel and executed so that Ahab could take possession of Naboth’s vineyard; as a result, Elijah cursed Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 21). Later, during his coup d’etat in 842 B.C., Jehu took over Jezreel and there killed Jezebel and King Jehoram, Ahab’s son.

The first season of work, directed by David Ussishkin (Tel Aviv Univ.) and John Woodhead (British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem) last year, concentrated on defining the perimeter of what may be the remains of the royal enclosure. This involved excavation of two monumental corners previously discovered by the bulldozer of a development project, and excavation along the southern length of the enclosure, which began to reveal the city’s fortifications. In addition, a Crusader church was largely uncovered.

In 1991, work will continue on the monumental corners, on the southern section and on the church. Also, a new area will be opened farther to the west along the southern section of the enclosure.

The site is open to visitors all year, but an appointment is required during the excavation season. Tours may be given on request if a guide is available.

Tel Kabri

A huge Bronze Age-Iron Age city in the westem Galilee, Tel Kabri may be identified with Rehob, one of the cities given to the tribe of Asher (Joshua 19:30). Excavation has revealed a Canaanite palace from the 17th century B.C. containing a Minoan-style decorated floor, an Early Bronze I (3150–2850 B.C.) oval building, a Phoenician fort from the Iron Age (1200–586 B.C.) and an Asherite village.

In 1991, excavations directed by Aharon Kempinski (Tel Aviv Univ.) and W. D. Niemeier (Freiburg Univ.) will continue in the palace area and in the deep trench in the Early Bronze area and more of the fortification system will be uncovered.

The site is open to visitors only during the excavation season.

Tel Mareshah

One of the cities allotted to Judah (Joshua 15:44), Mareshah was fortified to defend the southwest approaches of Judah during the reign of Rehoboam (928–911 B.C.; see 2 Chronicles 11:5–8). According to the Bible, King Asa (908–867 B.C.) defeated Zerah the Ethiopian in a battle at Mareshah by calling on the Lord for help (2 Chronicles 14:9–15). After the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C., Mareshah became Edomite territory. It was the principal city of Idumea by Hellenistic times (332–37 B.C.) and served as a base for Maccabean attacks on Judah. Josephus mentions that the Roman general Pompey (106–48 B.C.) conquered Mareshah. The city was rebuilt and passed into Herod the Great’s possession, but was finally destroyed by the Parthians.

Mareshah features man-made caves with columbaria (recesses in the walls, sometimes used as sepulchral vaults) dating from Hellenistic times, a Roman amphitheater and baths and stables with many artifacts. In the coming season, co-directors Bernard Alpert and Amos Kloner (Israel Antiquities Authority) hope to detemmine how the columbaria were used and to excavate the bath system, stables and parts of the amphitheater.

The site is closed to visitors.

Tel Miqne-Ekron

One of the largest Iron Age sites in Israel, Tel Miqne is identified with Biblical Ekron, one of the five capital cities of the Philistines. When the Philistines captured the ark, they carried it to a number of their cities, including Ekron (1 Samuel 5:10). A powerful, independent city-state, Ekron threatened the existence of the indigenous Canaanites and the newly settled Israelites in the early 12th century B.C. For most of the ensuing 600 years, Ekron was a major Philistine political and commercial center. It came under the shadow of the Kingdom of Judah in the tenth century B.C., however, and had become a vassal city-state of the Neo-Assyrian empire by the seventh century B.C. In 603 B.C., the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Ekron and with it the last vestiges of Philistine culture.

Excavations under the direction of Trude Dothan (Hebrew Univ.) and Seymour Gitin (Albright Institute) have shed new light on four dramatic chapters in Ekron’s history. The first was the Canaanite settlement of the second millennium B.C.; the second, a large fortified city founded by the Sea Peoples/Philistines in the 12th and 11th centuries B.C., which contained metal and other industries, a large palace and a hearth sanctuary with Aegean affinities. The third occurred in the tenth through eighth centuries B.C., when the City was reduced in size and conquered by the Neo-Assyrian king Sargon II in 712 B.C. The fourth took place when the city expanded and became one of the most important olive-oil production centers in the ancient Near East. Excavations have also yielded more than 1,000 restorable vessels, a unique assemblage of four-horned altars and inscriptions to the goddess Asherah.

The 1991 season will focus on investigating the urbanization process in the Iron Age and the factors that determined Ekron’s growth and decline as a major border city in the Iron Age.

(See Trude Dothan and Seymour Gitin, “Ekron of the Philistines,” in two parts: “Ekron of the Philistines, Part I: Where They Came From, How They Settled Down and the Place They Worshiped In,” BAR 16:01, and “Ekron of the Philistines, Part II: Olive-Oil Suppliers to the World,” BAR 16:02.)

Nahal Yattir

Nahal Yattir was one of the small satellite villages of the administrative center of Beer-Sheva during the period of the United Monarchy (11th to early tenth centuries B.C.). It has been tentatively identified with Biblical Moladah, one of the towns allotted to the tribe of Simeon (Joshua 19:2). In addition to Iron Age remains, the site also features a fortress from the fifth century B.C.

Finds at the site include an Egyptian scarab, from the end of the sixth century B.C., bearing the inscription, “Under the sun god Ra, lord of the two lands”; a jug with two bronze daggers inside; incense altars from the Israelite period, and three, Israelite-type, four-room houses. Excavation of the Iron Age village will continue during the coming season under the direction of Steven Derfler (Hamline Univ.) and Yehuda Govrin (Israel Antiquities Authority).

The site is open to visitors all year.

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Tel Nami

Standing on a peninsula in the Mediterranean, about 10 miles south of Haifa, Tel Nami was inhabited by seafarers in the second millennium B.C. The richness of the finds at Tel Nami suggests that the site served as an international anchorage in the first part of the second millennium B.C. and in the 14th–13th centuries B.C., after which time the site was abandoned. These finds include bronze hoards and gold, silver and ivory artifacts of exquisite workmanship from Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt and Syria. Some of these artifacts were featured as BAR’s “Prize Find” last year. In the coming season, Tel Nami and adjacent sites, including some underwater sites, will be excavated under the direction of Michal Artzy (Univ. of Haifa) in order to study the patterns of an ancient international anchorage from the days before harbor construction.

The site is open to visitors during the excavation season.

(See Michal Artzy, “Pomegranate Scepters and Incense Stand with Pomegranates Found in Priest’s Grave,” BAR 16:01)

Petra

First identified by J. L. Burckhardt in 1812 and recently used as a locale for the latest Indiana Jones movie, Petra, in Jordan, is the most famous Nabatean site. It features spectacular temples and tombs sculpted from red sandstone cliffs between about 50 B.C. and the end of the first century A.D. Less well known are the remains of the Iron Age Edomite stronghold and of the later Roman and Crusader occupations. Artifacts found at the site include a door-lock, a glass vessel, tools and evidence of trade with the Far East.

In 1991, excavations directed by Philip C. Hammond (Univ. of Utah) will continue on the Temple of the Winged Lion complex. The application deadline is March 1.

The site is open to visitors all year, and guided tours are available.

(See the following BAR articles: Avraham Negev, “Understanding the Nabateans,” BAR 14:06; Philip C. Hammond, “New Light on the Nabataeans,” BAR 07:02.)

Tell Safut

Located about eight miles southwest of Amman, Jordan, Tell Safut has been proposed as the site of Nobah, a city passed by Gideon as he pursued the Midianite army (Judges 8:11). The city served as a defensive-administrative center, overseeing a large valley below it, on the perimeter of the Ammonite kingdom. Major buildings from the Late Bronze Age and from the Late Iron-Persian period have been found. Among the artifacts discovered are a unique assemblage of Ammonite painted ware, a Baal-type seated figurine and a Babylonian seal impression.

The next season, directed by Donald H. Wimmer (Seton Hall Univ.), will focus on further excavation of structures from the Late Bronze-Early Iron transition period (c. 1200 B.C.) and from the Late Iron period (1000–586 B.C.).

The site is open to visitors all year. Guided tours are available only by appointment during the excavation season.

Sepphoris

The traditional birthplace of Mary, mother of Jesus, Sepphoris has been continuously occupied from the Iron Age to the present. During the Roman period, Sepphoris was rebuilt in grand style by Herod Antipas. In the first century A.D., Josephus testified to its beauty, calling it “the ornament of all Galilee.” After the Second Jewish Revolt against Rome (132–135 A.D.), Sepphoris became, for a time, the seat of the Sanhedrin, the central legal and spiritual council of the Jewish people. In about 200 A.D., Rabbi Judah Hanasi (Judah the Prince) compiled in Sepphoris the collection of rabbinical legal rules called the Mishnah.

Finds at Sepphoris include a Roman villa with underground chambers, a bath, a building with colored mosaics and a street with Roman vaults. An extraordinary mosaic female portrait from Sepphoris was featured on the BAR 14:01 cover.

In the coming season, excavation under the direction of James F. Strange (Univ. of South Florida) will continue on the building with the mosaics, on the bath and on the street.

The site is open to visitors from 5 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Guided tours are possible if staff is available.

(See “Mosaic Masterpiece Dazzles Sepphoris Volunteers,” BAR 14:01)

Sha’ar ha-Amakim

A monumentally built, late Hellenistic fortress at this site has been identified as Gaba-Hippeon, an administrative center where Herod the Great (37–4 B.C.) settled his retired cavalry men. The site also features an extensive, subterranean, water supply system. This year, director Arthur Segal (Univ. of Haifa) hopes to complete excavation of the water supply system and to explore additional buildings in the vicinity.

The site is open to visitors only by appointment. Guided tours are available.

Shuni

Located about four miles northeast of Caesarea, Shuni served as a hospital and spa for the people of Caesarea during the Roman period. Water festivals were held here at the Roman theater of Maiumus. The site also features an Asclepion—a building dedicated to Asclepius, the Roman god of medicine—a second-century A.D. mosaic floor and an aqueduct. Work will continue on the Asclepion in the coming season, under the direction of Eli Shenhav.

The site is open to visitors every day except Fridays. Guided tours are available.

Tiberias

Located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, Tiberias was founded about 20 A.D. by Herod Antipas and named for the Roman emperor Tiberius. The city served as a major center of Jewish life for nearly 700 years. Tiberias became the seat of Jewish political and religious leadership in the third century A.D. and flourished until the 11th century.

A six-year excavation program directed by Yizhar Hirschfeld (Israel Antiquities Authority), the first full-scale effort ever at this site, aims to transform Tiberias into a major archaeological park. The work commenced last October. In 1991, archaeologists will focus on uncovering the remains on top of Mount Berenice, the so-called acropolis of Tiberias. The excavation will expose a broad area of what is probably a monastery and fortress dating to the reign of Justinian (527–565 A.D.).

Tell el-‘Umeiri

When Jephthah subdued the Ammonites, “he smote them…as far as Abel-keramim” (Judges 11:33), whose ruins today constitute Tell el-Umeiri, a site in Jordan, about 37 miles east of Jerusalem. Occupied from about 3000 B.C. to nearly 500 B.C., the site has been linked with the Ammonite king Baalis (Jeremiah 40:14) and with Pharaoh Thutmose III (1479–1425 B.C.).

In past seasons, excavators have found a seal impression bearing Baalis’ name, dating from the end of the seventh century B.C.; a jar handle stamped with the cartouche of Thutmose III; and numerous storage vessels from Early Bronze III (2650–2350 B.C.). Next season, excavations will be continued in the Iron and Bronze Age fields and will be extended to include nearby Tell Jawa and Tell Jalul. The deadline for security forms is March 15.

The site is open to visitors on weekdays during the season, but an appointment is preferred. Guided tours are available.

Replace the deerstalker cap with a wide-brim hat; substitute a tee-shirt and shorts for the cloak; fill the air with dust and scorching sunlight instead of fog and damp darkness; and exchange the magnifying glass for a pick, a brush and a sieve.