Thursday, January 1, 2015

A Typical Day Digging at an Archaeological Site in the West Bank, Israel - Dr. Klein

A typical dig day: 

The Kleins are at an archaeological site in the West Bank digging at an approved Ministry of Antiquities site.

-The alarm sounds at 4:20 am
-We quickly dress and eat breakfast. Sister Klein is a fantastic cook!
-We read our Bibles and pray.
-Our apartment is on the top floor. We walk the stairs.
-We walk about a block to get our car from a pay parking garage.
-We next drive to the hotel to join the rest of the team. 6:00 am
-Some ride with us to the archaeological site.
-We drive past an Israeli guarded check point.
-After driving in the West Bank, we arrive at the dig site. I drop-off my riders. Then drive to a parking-lot at an illegal Jewish Community.
-I walk to the dig site.
-I get my leather gloves, trowel, and head lamp heading for the cave.
-I am directed to where I should dig with an explanation about the layer - could be full of artifacts, simply fill, etc.
-I dig using my 4" trowel, a flat bottom shovel without a handle - it is used like a dust pan. The unwanted debris goes into a goufa - a big bucket made of car tires.
-The artifacts go into a bucket. There is a small bag in the bucket for human bones. (six full skeletons have been found in the cave - women and children. The men are thought to have died above while defending the community in 69 A.D.).
-A half hour is taken for lunch. Sister Klein always packs a great lunch!
-Back to digging.
-At quitting time, we return to their hotel.
-We will clean all artifacts
-Then the lead archaeologist will explain the prior day's finds.
-We are back at the apartment around 8 pm.
-We are ready to sleep, but first Facebook!

Dr. Klein

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1482391628714438/