Sharing My Story

Israel Dig Part 3

One of the things I learned while there is that while
these archeologists are careful scientists using techniques
of investigation perfected over the past century or more
—archeology is an inexact science. Much speculation,
guesswork and conjecture goes into the conclusions that
these individuals that these individuals come up with.
Often the archeologists disagree among themselves
concerning the meaning of the data. At our particular
site the younger scientists often disagreed with the
conclusions of the older archeologists. They also
disagreed on how the organization and operation of
the dig should be ran. Certainly there were egos in
conflict and the stuff of real human drama present
this summer at Tel Beth Shemesh. We often thing of
scientists as being completely objective and
dispassionate about their work. Such is not the case."

During the time at the dig I met many interesting people.
The dig volunteers were made up of many group. There were
independent diggers such as myself as well as undergraduate
and graduate students from Indiana University (Bloomington),
Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia) and Princeton Theological
Seminary (Princeton, New Jersey). I was able to get acquainted
with a number of them which enriched my time there. We did
take a weekend tour of the Negev desert I southern Israel
and visited the Ramon crater, the excavations at Avdat and
some very interest canyons similar to those in Utah or Arizona.
We visited the mud baths at Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea and the
fortress at Masada. After I left the dig I spent several days
in the old city of Jerusalem and walked around the city walls,
visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, walked down the
Via Dela Rosa, went to the Wailing Wall, the Stepping Stone
structure in the City of David, the Israel Museum and a Sunday
church service at the Garden Tomb.

Soon it was time to leave Israel and I fly back to Amsterdam
and then back to Los Angeles. Oddly I had picked out some sort
of flu bug that dogged me during my time in Israel and after
I got home. However, I wasn't going to allow this to slow me
down to much and I persisted (God gave me the strength) during
my time in Israel.


This was a wonderful one of a lifetime experience
that I'll never forget.