In the Field and In the Classroom

Welcome back to my blog! It's been a few weeks, so there is a lot of material to catch up on. Hanukkah is over, and today is Christmas! For anyone that celebrates it, have a merry Christmas!

The Coastal Plain

I believe I left off last post before our first trip to the field. We had a tour of several archaeological sites near Tel Aviv, hosted by Dr. Yuval Gadot, one of our professors. We went to a couple small sites as well as Aphek and Jaffa, and saw the archaeological material that we had been discussing, especially for the Bronze Age. The tour focused on sites that controlled the road along the coast, at the foothills of the highlands. At the site of Migdal Tzedek we could see the flat lowlands on one side, and the foothills on the other. It really made the material come to life to see how this narrow strip of land was the only easy path from south to north. It was wonderful to finally get out in the field and see everything, as opposed to just reading about it in articles and books.

The school work is starting to pick up, and we have had several papers to write and several more on the way. We are starting to look at the bigger picture in many of our classes, and have discussed the implications of many different events. One of the most fascinating events that we have discussed is the destruction of the territory of Judah by Sennacherib, emperor of Assyria, in 701 BCE. While he didn't destroy Jerusalem, his actions had major ramifications for the next three thousand years. Sennacherib's campaign is probably one of the most influential events on the formation of Judeo-Christian theology. The fact that Jerusalem was not destroyed led to its sanctification as the place that God had chosen, and this has affected every generation till today.

Hanukkah came to an end, and with it the winter celebrations. I spent the last night in much the same way I spent the first night, with friends in the city. We watched the large chanukiyah be lit at Rabin Square and then partied at several bars. It was a great way to end the holiday.

View of the Judean Hills

We had a second tour the following week, looking at sites in the Judean Lowlands. Dr. Omer Sergi took us to the sites of Bet Shemesh, Azekah, and Gath, where he discussed the importance of the sites, their geopolitical background, and the excavations there. Tel Bet Shemesh is a small site, but because it is almost completely surrounded by hills it probably was afforded some measure of security. Azekah, situated at the tip of a ridge that splits the area east from west, was an important site for controlling the pass from the coast to the highlands. From Azekah you can see the highlands surrounding Jerusalem, the ridge bordering Hebron, and the lowlands that approach the coast. Gath was the largest city in the southern Levant during the early Iron Age, and has impressive fortifications both on the tel and surrounding the lower city. The Iron Age ruins are extremely easy to identify, in some places protruding from the surface. The site is enormous and very intimidating. It makes it easy to imagine how the rulers could command the populace surrounding the city.

A partial view of Gath

As the year 2015 approaches its end, I have a lot about which to think and reflect. I have really been enjoying my studies here in Tel Aviv. While I haven't always agreed with everything we do, and I often question the format and planning of the program, I am very grateful for this amazing opportunity to study archaeology and history here in Israel. To study under the guidance of the most influential scholars in the field, being taught by the men and women who have done the work in the field that we read about in the articles and books, is a great honor and one that I would never pass up.

I hope every one has had a wonderful Hannukah, Christmas, Festivus, or whichever winter celebration you choose to celebrate, and that everyone has a safe, enjoyable, and exciting New Year!

Attached here is the link to all of my photos, for those that don't look at or don't have Facebook. It includes all the photos I've taken while I've been here in Israel, including some of the less spectacular ones that I choose to omit from publishing on Facebook. The link will work no matter how many photos I add, so saving this link will always show you the most up to date files.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rzg8dgcag9yjjx7/AADeP0ft-J6r_xxApFqm7p1xa?dl=0