July 6th

The excavation site has been left vacant since the last dig one year ago, but in even one year there has been a significant surface accumulation of dirt, debris, goat droppings, weeds and thistles which obscure many of the surface features.  During my clean up this morning I even found a spent bullet, presumably having fallen from the sky after an excited Jordanian fired into the air for a celebration – perhaps a birthday or wedding.  This custom of celebrating by shooting skyward has recently been banned in Jordan because so many people have been inadvertently killed or injured by bullets falling randomly from the sky.   The task for the first day on the site therefore was to clean up so that a detailed photographic record could be taken of the whole site before we start to deconstruct anything. 

We first staked out our 5 meter square work areas, and I was impressed at how precise this process  was.  The supervisors used GPS devices that were acurate to 2cm to mark the perimeters of each square.  I was assigned the task of cleaning out all the dirt and weeks that covered the floor of the Iron Age 2 house, which, with the adjacent walls will be taken down to expose the Iron Age 1 house below.  It took me all morning, starting at 5.30 and finishing just in time to get on our bus at 12.30 to return us to our home base.

Here is our daily schedule

4.15    Wake-up bell

4.30    Breakfast

5.00    Bus to the dig

5.15    Working on the dig

9.00    Second Breakfast – sandwich and watermelon

12.30  Bus to base camp

1.00    Lunch

2.00   Quiet time and siesta

4.00   Washing, drying and categorizing the “finds” – pottery and other artifacts

6.00   Supper

7.00   Lecture/presentation/town hall meeting

9.00   Lights out

Dehydration at the dig site is a real potential problem, and everyone is urged to take and drink a lot of water during the morning.  I took one liter with me today but even with that I was still dehydrated by the heat and very dry climate.  Next time I will take an extra half a liter with me.  

The floor of the Iron Age 2 house after I had cleaned it.  Before I started the floor paving stones were barely visible - they were covered with dirt and weeds.  We will begin taking down the far wall and floor on Monday.  

Some of the crew in the Bedouin tent that was erected on site and where we take a brief rest and enjoy a second breakfast.  That watermelon is to die for.

Our work week is Monday through Friday so we have the weekends off for relaxing and touring around Jordan.  There is always one archeological conference in Madaba on a Sunday during the season, when all of the archeologists working in the area gather to report and compare notes.