East Meets West: The Uncanny Parallels in the Lives of Buddha and Jesus
Ecclesiastes
Elba Update
Elgin Marbles Debate
Excavation Opportunities 1985
Excavation Opportunities 1986
Excavation Opportunities 1989
Excavation Opportunities 1995
Forgotten Kingdom
Frank Moore Cross—An Interview
Has Richard Friedman Really Discovered a Long-Hidden Book in the Bible?
In Private Hands
Israel Comes to Canaan
Israel Underground
Issue 200
James
Jerusalem 3
Jerusalem Explores and Preserves Its Past
Jerusalem Update
Jerusalem’s Underground Water Systems
Jonah and the Whale
Megiddo Stables or Storehouses?
Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling
New Directions In Dead Sea Scroll Research
One if by Sea…Two if by Land: How Did the Philistines Get to Canaan?
Ossuary Update
Pilate in the Dock
Point/Counterpoint: Pros and Cons of the Contemporary English Version
Portraits In Heroism
Questioning Masada
Qumran
Redating the Exodus—The Debate Goes On
Remembering Ugarit
Rewriting Jerusalem History
Riches at Ein Yael
Roman Jerusalem
Scholars Disagree: Can You Name the Panel with the Israelites?
Sea Peoples Saga
Should the Bible Be Taught in Public Schools?
Special Bible Section
Spotlight on Sepphoris
Sumer
Supporting Roles
Temple Mount
Temple Scroll Revisited
The Age of BAR
The Amman Citadel: An Archaeological Biography
The Babylonian Gap Revisited
The Bible Code: Cracked and Crumbling
the Brother of Jesus
The Dead Sea Scrolls
The God-Fearers: Did They Exist?
The Jacob Cycle in Genesis
The Minoans of Crete: Europe’s Oldest Civilization
The Most Original Bible Text: How to Get There
The Pools of Sepphoris: Ritual Baths or Bathtubs?
The Search for History in the Bible
What Was Qumran?
Where Was Jesus Born?
Where Was the Temple?
Who Invented the Alphabet
Introduction
016
NASA does not ask the public to help them design rockets, particle physicists do not seek the aid of John or Jane Doe to operate their cyclotrons, and geneticists do not recruit enthusiastic lay people to assist in splicing genes. But every year Biblical archaeologists put out the call for volunteers to help them dig. Of all the sciences, archaeology gives interested amateurs the most opportunity to work beside the pros and even to make discoveries. Volunteers may uncover a new structure while wielding a pick, find an important artifact while sifting earth, or discover an inscription while washing potsherds. Whatever task they undertake, however, archaeological volunteers make an indispensable contribution to the success of an excavation.
This year, those who decide to answer the call have more opportunities than ever to choose from—a diversity of sites and accommodations. They may live in tents in the Negev desert while excavating a Byzantine cemetery at Rehovot ba-Negev, or enjoy the comfort of a hotel as they dig more deeply into the secrets of Biblical Timnah. Some may choose to dig for academic credit; others purely for the personal satisfaction, camaraderie and learning that come from working with people of all ages—college students to vigorous retirees—from all over the world.
Historical/Biblical summaries of each site appear in Digging in ’89, a section that even housebound readers can enjoy as a mini-guide to what’s happening in Biblical archaeology.
NASA does not ask the public to help them design rockets, particle physicists do not seek the aid of John or Jane Doe to operate their cyclotrons, and geneticists do not recruit enthusiastic lay people to assist in splicing genes. But every year Biblical archaeologists put out the call for volunteers to help them dig. Of all the sciences, archaeology gives interested amateurs the most opportunity to work beside the pros and even to make discoveries. Volunteers may uncover a new structure while wielding a pick, find an important artifact while sifting earth, or discover an inscription while washing […]
You have already read your free article for this month. Please join the BAS Library or become an All Access member of BAS to gain full access to this article and so much more.
