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Courtesy Ian Stern/Archaeological Seminars Institute

NO STRATIGRAPHY, NO PROBLEM. For reasons that archaeologists still can’t explain, Maresha’s caves were found filled to the brim with earth, stone and debris tossed down from the houses and streets above. Without any complex stratigraphy to record, the excavation of the cave complexes is handled primarily by volunteers in the Dig-for-a-Day program of the Archaeological Seminars Institute in Israel. With professional instruction and supervision, volunteers of all ages are able to spend a few hours unearthing the caves’ many treasures, including pottery, jewelry, bones, figurines and even inscribed ostraca, all detailing the everyday lives of Maresha’s inhabitants.