The 2007 season started on 28 May with a good sized group of volunteers; 8 brought by Prof. Rami Arav & Steve Reynolds of UNO. Prof. Elizabeth McNamer from Rocky Mountain U arrived with a group of 15 and Prof. Aaron Gale of W. Virginia U. brought a group of 12. The addition of a few from other places including Israel brought the total up to about ~40 volunteers. Great work everyone!
Exciting news from the end of last year !!!!
Archeological digs often start or end with a surprise, and Bethsaida is no exception. With its 2007 season about to begin, a pre-season surprise came: a bronze bowl found the very last day of the previous digging season turned out to be not one but two beautiful bronze bowls that had been nestled inside of one another. They were lovingly separated and restored by master restorer Orna Cohen of Israel and are an example of what may lie ahead for the volunteers who have come to dig with Rami Arav this season.
The bronze bowls are about 5-6 inches in diameter and 4 in height, and were used by the Romans in religious rituals. When sacred objects were no longer useful, the Romans buried them just outside their temple walls rather than throw them away. There they waited for close to 2000 years until the Bethsaida dig uncovered them. See the pics below.
What lies in store during the 2007 season? We’re sure this year’s excavation will hold its own wonderful surprises. We’ll be happy to let you in on them as they unfold.Objectives
Prof. Arav's objectives are to find more evidence of the 10th century (stratum 6) structures by excavating along the existing walls & ascertaining where the wall base is. The main city road leading from the north (Damascus) will be uncovered further in both the northern direction & possibly a portion to the east in order to find the eastern perimeter of the road. The road should be about 4 meters (~13 feet) wide & as of today only the western & center portions have been excavated.
Work will continue on the Hellenistic - Roman (2nd century BCE to 1st century CE) area on upper level ("A" west) of the city to uncover more of the residential area. In addition we will explore the outer face of the city wall opposite (to the east of) the city gate to see if it reaches down to the 10th century level.
The work on the main city road is in preparation for changing how visitors & pilgrims will visit the site. It is planned that in the future the entrance will be from the north along this road, with visitors entering the city by way of the city gate. Visitors will then continue past the gate chambers & cross a ramp to the upper areas in order to see the Hellenistic & Roman structures.
Pictures can be enlarged by going to the photo gallery & double clicking the desired picture.
Webmaster - Shai Schwartz, Kibbutz Ginosar, Israel, contact - shai_14980@yahoo.com
Chat group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bethsaida/