End of Week 1: Tell es-Safi/Gath

On Thursday night, we wrapped up a great week with a felafel party.


Despite the fun, we still had enough energy left to prepare for photos and trench tours. Our rubbish pile was cleaned for photographs and Emily is cleaning the Philistine pavement with chisel marks in preparation for further study.

The week ended with trench tours accompanied by our Aussie mascot.

Excavation: Day 4

Today, my students, Belle and Michelle, found lots of phytoliths under this basalt pestle. We also cleaned the jar smash for photos, and uncovered a chunk of hydraulic plaster from last year's fill.

Tell es Safi: Day 3, a Juglet

On day 3 Derry uncovered a complete Philistine juglet. We also have part of another hearth, and some cool animal bones like a piglet jaw and the cervical vertebra of a cow. It must be day 3, because we also found a whole vessel on day 3 last year!

Day 2 at Tell es-Safi/Gath 2010

I think everyone is doing a great job, despite a few beers last night to break the ice. So far, we have a cobbled surface that may be an extension of the foundation that supported last year's find of hydraulic plaster. Dani is excavating a pottery smash and Dean is instructing his team. You can see more photos on my Facebook page.

Day 1 at Tell es-Safi/Gath 2010

I have 21 great students that managed to get 8 grid squares clean on Day 1 of the 2010 season of the University of Melbourne team at Tell es-Safi/Gath. There was also time for the kibbutz pool. Tonight a beer, Tomorrow, digging starts!

Inauguration Day!

A group of the IAS fellows gathered at Marie-Henriette Gates apartment to celebrate the Inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama.

I May Be All Wet, But My Martini's Still Dry...

About once a week, usually on Shabbat, I migrate to the American Colony for drinks. This time I was joined by Ann Killebrew, Albright Fellow Penelope Mountjoy, and IAS fellows: Jeremy Rutter, Marie-Henriette Gates, and Robert Schiestel.

Ashkelon in November & My Close Encounter with a Qassam

In November Dan Master showed our Institute research group around Ashkelon. Here, we're standing in front of the Canaanite Gate. Over the last few weeks, it hasn't been safe to go there.
Last week, we went to a conference at Beersheba U on the Philistines.

On the way south to Beersheba, we could see the smoke rising over Gaza, which may be from the destruction of the UNRWA facility there.
One of the most interesting things about the talks was hearing about Philistine regionalism.

Afterward, some of your group wanted to look at some pottery stored in a nearby area called Omur. There was an air raid there and we had to spend some time in a bomb shelter and heard 3 loud booms.

These bomb shelters are a fact of life for Israeli's, especially in the south and the north, and for Palestinians.

Study in Jerusalem: Visiting Safi & Megiddo

I've been doing research at the Institute of Advanced Study at Hebrew University in Givat Ram since Nov 1. Our theme is Regional Narratives and our time is divided between weekly field trips and seminars, and doing our own research. There is a broad range of regional specialization among the different participants including Turkey, Greece, Egypt, the Canaanites, the Israelites, and the Philistines. In addition to interacting with each other, there has been interaction with fellows at the Albright and with members of the other IAS research group on urbanism. This has included joint seminars and fieltrips. We also had a mini conference in early December. I would say my teaching will have benefitted as much from being here as colleagues have been very generous with sharing information and circulating offprints, especially of items not readily available on JSTOR.

In November it was nice and green at Tell es-Safi and the bedouin tent was pitched below Area A.

Aren Maeir took us around Tell es-Safi, which is now a national park. The tell was very green - looking very different than it does in the summer.

There was also time to discuss the Goliath inscription.

A couple of days ago, Israel Finkelstein gave us a 4 hour tour of Megiddo, which included some interesting historical anecdotes about research there. Here we're near the entrance to the site at the Late Bronze Age gate.

Costco comes to Melbourne!

Costco is finally due to open in Melbourne in 2009 at Docklands. Yippeeee!

Happy New Year from the Judean Desert!

Today I had a a great time. I went to the the Judean desert with my friends Norma Franklin and Shimon Gibson to help Shimon measure an Iron Age building in the area of Buqeah. We found some unrecorded features and measured lots of walls. The best part was being warm! I'm going to try and bring my earlier activities up to date since arriving in Israel on Nov.1 very soon. It has been a very busy year for me that has involved publishing 2 books, writing some articles, organizing the 12th International Aegean Conference: DAIS, The Aegean Feast that brought 48 speakers from 14 countries to Melbourne, seeing my husband join me in getting dual Aussie/US citizenship, going to a conference in Cyprus, digging in Israel in July, then returning for 4 months in November, breaking my toe last February, and of course, teaching my students. I plan to gradually update my activities chronologically.

Merry Xmas, Happy Hanukah, Kwaanza, & Solstice!

Christmas week involved attending my first Hanukah candle lighting, and in fact, I made it to 4 of them, plus going to midnight mass in Bethlehem, which was sung in Latin, with passages presented in many languages. I had lots of time to mill around, meet Santa, and visit the grotto of the Nativity before the 2 hour High Mass. I think I like Hanukah: what's not to like about 8 days of donuts, latkes, and prezzies!

Au Revoir Jerusalem

I'm about to board the plane home to cold Melbourne. Yesterday we took the final aerial photos of the site and last night, my friend Linda and I celebrated the end of a successful season, where else, but at the American Colony Hotel in J'lem. Then we had a serious discussion the merits of mojitos v. martinis. Stay tuned - I hope to put some photos of the last 2 weeks up soon!

Dean Leaves For Cyprus

Here, Dean is demonstrating his technique in excavating an ox scapula - sorry, no notches.

Dean receives his completion certificate from project director, Aren Maeir.

Dean ended his 3rd week at Tell es-Safi/Gath on a high note. He clearly has what it takes to be an excavation director!

Our week 3 team

Gilad and Linda joined our team in week 3 after part of the Melbourne contingent left for home.

Team Melbourne At Tell es-Safi/Gath

Our Melbourne team just finished excavating this building at Tell es-Safi/Gath.
We had a great time and our students did a fantastic job. Dean, Brent and I continue on for a bit longer and hope to have more fun photos from Tell es-Safi/Gath!

A look at the 10th century at Safi

Elisabetta from the Weizmann Institute of Science demonstrates her talents at excavating our 10th c. "Aegean-sytle" hearth.

We found the hearth while trying to uncover the westward extension of the wall you see in the foreground. Instead we found a plaster floor in close association with the hearth, which in turn is under a large 9th c. wall.

Here is the sealing in the style of Siamoun, a 10th c. pharaoh, which was found on top of the hearth along with a pile of grape seeds - which will help with dating.

Linda Models Her Big Find

On her first day back at Safi, staff member Linda Meiberg found this electrum pendant while cleaning a wall and demonstrates an alternative way of wearing it.

Completion Certificates

Our team celebrates at the Thursday night bar b q after collecting their well-earned completion certificates.

Our Area is Spotless!

Team Melbourne did themselves proud in preparing this early Iron Age Philistine Area for Friday's trench tour!