Ilene Perlman

ON THE COVER: Excavators works atop the world’s oldest monumental arched portal, the lower story of a 20-foot-high gateway discovered last summer at Ashkelon. Our annual survey of digs, including Ashkelon and 26 others, puts you on top of volunteer opportunities for the coming year. For more details on the arch from Ashkelon, see the sidebar “Ashkelon’s Mudbrick Arch” in “Casting Call for the World’s Longest-Running Drama.”