The 2006 season started on Monday, May 22 with the group setting up the various areas on the site, arranging the tools, putting up the shade netting over the loci to be dug & the breakfast area. The next day the group left Ginosar by bus at 5:30 am & by 6 o'clock were hard at work in the spots that Professors Arav (Rami) & McNamer (Elizabeth) assigned them to.
Prof. Gale (Aaron) & group were put to work cleaning the northern end of the iron age cobblestone street leading to the gate. Interestingly the northwest corner had no cobblestones. Was there a buttress there or what? Other groups opened new areas continuing to the north and west of the road, towards the ~ 25 ft thick main city wall. Lots of dirt & stones were taken out & Rami was given a good image of the destruction when the city walls tumbled down as a result of the 4th century CE earthquake. A possible bottom half of a stelae (bottom left pic) was found by the main city wall. An interesting bone pen tip (see below) was also uncovered: quite coarse - certainly not for fine penmanship.
Rami also put a crew to work excavating chamber 1 (in thru the city gate at the back left). Lots of dirt was taken out & quite a number of pieces of charcoal were found which remain from when the city was razed in 732 BCE & the upper floors fell burning into the chamber.
Elizabeth was in charge of a group digging the Hellenistic-Roman area on the upper north end of the site close to the "clinic". After moving & sifting dirt & rocks all week a number of interesting finds appeared on Friday. In an area next to the clinic a beautiful stone spindle whorl
(below to the right of center) was found. Just across the way the bottom half of a cooking pot
(see below in situ) & part of a knife blade & a large nail were unearthed (bottom right). Find of the week ! Right on volunteer diggers !!!!
Pictures can be enlarged by going to the photo gallery & double clicking the desired picture.
Note : Interesting archaeology blog - http://archaeologydigs.blogspot.com/