I’ve just been dusting off the grime from an archaeological dig in the Holy Land.
Having led tours for some time, traversing the country at whirlwind speed, it has been a change of pace to remain in one location and become incredibly familiar with a hole in the ground measuring about ten feet square. With 40-degree heat, various bugs and dust always in the air, it’s been worth every discomfort!
On the northern shore of Galilee is et-Tell, a hill about a third of a mile from the lake. Hiding beneath this hill’s rocks and earth are levels of occupation going back to the time of Abraham. For 25 years the excavation has been unfolding its history and still there is so much more to be found! A ‘tell’ is simply the name for an artificial hill that has risen on the landscape as successive peoples have built upon the ruins of earlier cities. As they do so, the hill rises and the remains of previous inhabitants are preserved lower down. Various tells have been excavated across Israel, including important biblical towns like Jericho, Megiddo, Hazor and Dan.
