100,000 visitors!

Today, the 100,000 websurfer visited the blog. Although I would like to offer the lucky person a life-time free entry to the Tel Zafit national park (which is free anyway …), I don’t know who it is, so anyone who surfed to the site today can think it was him/her…

And by the way, do you realize what this says about what SO MANY people have to do with their free time on a regular basis?
:-)

Here’s the staff (end of 2002 season) looking towards to future…

Tenure for Indiana Jones!

In the latest issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (34/5, Sept/Oct 2008) there is a humorous short piece that I wrote on why I strongly believe that Dr. Jones should recieve tenure at Marshall College.

Basically, I argue that although archaeology is represented in the Indiana Jones movies has little to do with actual archaeological practice, these movies have served a very important role of igniting the public’s interest in archaeology. Something, that unfortunately, many of my colleagues do not take seriously enough.

Great new book – not connected to Tell es-Safi (and for that matter, to archaeology, history, etc.)

I’m reading what has to be one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time. It is:

T. Cathcart and D. Klein. 2008. “Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar …: Understanding Philosophy through Jokes” (New York: Penguin).

This has got to be the funniest and zanniest collection of jokes, placed in the context of explaining various central themes in Philosophy.

If you are sick of archaeology and need a good laugh – this is highly recommended!

One of my favorite all time quotes appears in the book, needless to say by Groucho Marx:
” These are my principles. If you don’t like them, I have others.”

Enjoy!
Aren

New website: Tel Eton excavations

I have been asked to announce the existence of a relatively new website on the Tel Eton Excavations, directed by my colleague from the Institute of Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, Avi Faust.

Here is the link: http://www.biu.ac.il/js/archaeo/teleton/homepage.mht

Enjoy!

Aren

And then of course there are the “less serious moments”

So that you don’t think we are always serious, at the same time they were doing cutting-edge science in Area A, here’s what was going on in Area F …

Jeff Chadwick and Yonatan Adler (doctoral candidate, BIU; assistant supervisor in Area F) re-enacting the battle between David and Goliath. Note the realistic props

Some of the “goings on” in Area A

As mentioned in previous posts, Louise Hitchcock and her team in Area A2, came up with some very interesting finds. Among others, and probably most importantly, they excavated a small portion of an early Iron IIA level, most probably dating to the 10th or early 9th century BCE, which had on it typical early Iron Age IIA pottery (decorated with red slipped, handburnished surfaces), a fragment of a clay seal impression dating to ca. the reign of Siamun (in the 10th century BCE [NOT a seal with the name of Siamun as has been spread in some rumours...]) and a round, pebbled hearth.

nice aerial photo

Here is a nice aerial view of the tell, looking west, with Area E in foreground, followed by Area A, Area P slightly further to the right (beyond A), and then the rest of the upper tell, with the summit (and the Blanche Garde) in the left background.

Just a nice picture

Hi! I just came back from vacavation and found a mess load of photos of the work in Area D that had been taken by Lotte Vandorpe, one of the volunteers in the excavation (sent through Amit Dagan). So that you know what I meant by A LOT OF FINDS IN AREA D, here is a photograph of a regular “day at the office” this season in Area D.

Please – try not to salivate on your keyboard … :-)

Wrapping up the 2008 season

Hi all! Now that the 2008 season is over and I have had a day or so to regain my sanity and rest up a little (and before I go on a short vacation in the Galilee), I wanted to make a short wrap up on the season.

First of all, I wanted to thank all the team – staff, volunteers, students – you were all simply fantastic! We could not have had a better team. Each and every one of the team simply made the season. Such motivation, interest, hard work and good humor – is what made this season what it was – a huge success! With out all of you hard work – we would not have had such great results.