July 9th

Today was the first day of real hard labor.  There are 4 teams working at different fields on the Tall  – and for my team of 8 in Field A our task was to deconstruct an Iron Age 2 (700-500 BC) wall so we could then excavate the structure below it, which the archeologists know is an Iron Age 1 house (1200 to 1000 BC).  The wall was about 4 feet thick and constructed of big limestone boulders, many of which were so heavy that not even 2 of the Bedouin workers could lift them.  How in the world did those Ammonites set them in place when they built the wall 2700 years ago?  As we proceeded to tear down that wall I felt genuine respect for the hardy individuals who had labored so hard to build it in the first place.   The boulders first had to be broken up into smaller pieces with a sledge hammer, and then we put all the pieces into large, soft pails made of rubber, called a guffah (pronounced goofer).  We carried those rocks along the tops of the tricky walls to the side of the Tall, and tipped them over the side.   

We treated the dirt differently.   All the dirt from everywhere was carried in guffahs to a set of sieves at some distance away where it was carefully sifted by experts who carefully looked for small pieces of pottery, bones or other artifacts that had been scooped up with the dirt.  These items were crucial in providing evidence to the experts about the date of the specific site we were working on, what people ate and what kind of agriculture was practiced by the inhabitants. 

The archeologists count, measure, identify and record details of every item that they see.  They are just absolutely compulsive about accuracy in recording the exact location, the level and the context of anything and everything.  I thought that the folks in the compliance department at the hospital were compulsive nitpickers about our medical record documentation, but these archeologists have much to teach them.  I only hope that they never get a chance. 

The best time of the day for us at the dig is the second breakfast at 9 or 9.30 am.  That watermelon is so welcome.  The next best time of the day is right after lunch when we can enjoy the siesta.   

The site director, Dr Doug Clark giving instruction to some of the team

Some of the crew enjoying the watermelon with pips going over the hill