ucb tel dor project

40 Pages·2007·0.63 MB·English

by  Darlis Wood

TEL DOR PROJECT
VOLUNTEER MANUAL

2007

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
A Letter from the Director 2
Expedition Checklist 3
Field Trips 5
Map to Nahsholim and Tel Dor 6
General Information 7
Bibliography for the Archaeology of Israel 15
Background Notes on the State of Israel 18
Maps and Plans of Tel Dor 19
The Excavation at Tel Dor: an Introduction 20
Excavation and Field Notes 23
Excavation Technique at Dor 25
The History of Dor: An Overview 31
Some Ancient Documents about Dor 36
A Select Tel Dor Bibliography 38
Appendix – Dor Field Scholl Syllabus 40
- The Maby Masters of Dor 43
- A Death at Dor 89

Welcome to the Tel Dor Expedition. We are delighted that you are joining our
team this summer, and want to express our sincere thanks, in advance, for your
support and participation in our project. All of us on the staff of the expedition
look forward to meeting you and working with you in the very near future. You are
making it possible for us to carry out our research this summer and, in return, we
hope to give you the best experience possible during your weeks with us. In par-
ticular, we are committed to teaching you as much as we possibly can about ar-
chaeological method and about the site and its cultures. We look forward to the
opportunity.

The Tel Dor staff

This document was originally edited by JEFFREY ZORN
Edited and updated for the 2006 season by YIFTAH SHALEV, ALLEN ESTES
and ANDREW STEWART
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EXPEDITION CHECKLIST

[ ] Balance of Contribution due

We cannot guarantee your position on the project until we have received your
balance.

[ ] Travel Arrangements:

Check out several airlines in order to get the cheapest, most convenient, and /or
most flexible itinerary, and make your reservations soon, since fights to Israel
tend to fill up very fast.

With regard to the return trip, make sure that your travel agent updates you on
schedule changes. Reconfirm your flights at least two days in advance. And
remember:

(a) if you arrive from the US, most flights take a full day - so you will normally ar-
rive the day after your departure from the USA and (b) that the Nahsholim Beach
Hotel is like any normal hotel: your rooms will be ready after 2 pm on the day you
are booked in, and you are expected to vacate them by 11 am on the day you
leave. For the 2006 season this means:

Full season volunteers: Tues. June 26 – Sat. July 28
First half: Tues. June 26 – Sat. July 13
Second half: Sun. July 26 – Sat. July 28
Two weeks: unless you have arranged particular dates, the "default" is that you
leave on a Saturday morning.

So check whether your outward flight gets you to Israel on the same day as you
depart or the day after, and book your flights accordingly.
[ ] Do you have a passport? Is it valid? Some airlines require that the passport
be valid for at least six months ahead

[ ] Check with your doctor or local health service on the advisability of obtaining
the following shots:
Gamma-Globulin_____
Tetanus_____

[ ] Obtain travel/health insurance covering geographic area and duration of time
away from home
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MAP OF ISRAEL

Dor

Emergency Phone during Season: [phone]

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FIELD TRIPS
Saturday field trips will be arranged to some or all
of the following sites:

Belvoir – a Crusader fortress built by the Knights
Hospitallers in AD 1168. It commands a magnificent view of the Jordan Valley.

Beth Alpha – A 6th century AD synagogue famous for its mosaics showing a zo-
diac, the Sacrifice of Isaac, and the Shrine of the Law.

Megiddo – One of the most fought-over cities of ancient Israel, it is the site of
Armageddon, the battle to end all battles. First fortified around 3000 BCE, it was
a major fortress for both Solomon and Ahab.

Beth Shearin – Best known for its catacombs and sarcophagi, this was a center
of Jewish learning from around AD 200, and was the residence of Judah ha-Nasi,
compiler of the Mishna. It was also the site of an important glass industry.

Swim in the Sea of Galilee - Bring bathing gear if you want a dip in the Sea of
Galilee. For entry to synagogues and churches, men be sure to bring long pants,
and women a skirt and something to cover your shoulders. We will leave at 7:30
a.m. to visit the following:

Beth Shean, the site of a major Canaanite citadel and shrine, and Roman/ early
Byzantine town, with a well-preserved theater, baths, and city center.

Capernaum – The 3rd century synagogue built of white limestone and the house
of St. Peter.

Tabgha – The Church of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes has been restored
to its 5th-century plan. It contains exceptionally fine mosaics, and recreates an
early Byzantine church in all its glory.

Hammal Tiberias – This 4th-century synagogue contains what many consider to
be the finest synagogue mosaic in all Israel.

Zippori/Sepphoris – The capital of the Galilee in the later Roman period, Zippori
contains the most beautiful secular mosaics in Israel. Our choice between Ham-
mat and Zippori will be determined by the time available and whether the best
mosaics are currently open to visitors (some were covered or in conservation in
2003).

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MAP TO NAHSHOLIM AND TEL DOR

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GENERAL INFORMATION

The Work

Participants will take part in all aspects of field work, so that they may gain an
understanding of everything that is involved in the archaeological research proc-
ess. The main work will be that connected with excavations on the mound from
early morning to the middle of the day. This will involve any or all of the following:
clearing of brush and weeds to prepare the area for excavation; large scale earth
moving with picks, large “hoes” and buckets; finer work with small picks, trowels,
and brushes to delineate features and artifacts (chiefly pottery); washing pottery;
taking levels; and various record-keeping activities. Afternoon work will include
washing and sorting pottery, classifying and recording artifacts, data entry, and
the preparation of daily reports. Instruction in methods for all of the above proce-
dures will be given prior to and during the work as needed. Participants will work
closely with the expedition staff to assure ample opportunity for questions and in-
struction.

Daily Schedule

4:15 a.m. Wake up, get coffee and a snack
4:40 a.m. Muster for walk up to the tell
4:45 a.m. Take out the tools from the container
5:00 a.m. Excavation begins
7:00 a.m. Coffee break (15 minutes)
9:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel dining room
10:00 a.m. Excavation continues
11:30 a.m. 15-minute break for fruit
12:45 p.m. Start returning tools
1:00 p.m. Excavation ends; lunch at
the museum
4:30 p.m. Evening activities begin: pottery washing, pottery reading, strati-
graphy sessions, and lectures
7:00 p.m. Dinner at the hotel dining room

Late evenings and weekends are free; optional tours to historical sites may be
arranged.
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Staff (Israeli team)

The Tel Dor Expedition's directors are Ilan Sharon (Hebrew University) and
Ayelet Gilboa (Haifa University).

Ilan Sharon, the managing partner of the new consortium was the senior field
archaeologist of the first Dor expedition. He was educated at the Hebrew Univer-
sity of Jerusalem (Ph.D. 1995) where he currently holds the post of Senior Lec-
turer at the Institute of Archaeology. Recent awards include the Berger prize for
outstanding doctoral dissertations in the humanities (1996), the Golda Meir fel-
lowship (1997) and the Alon scholarship (1997). He excavated in several sites in
Israel, and has been on the staff of the Tel Dor excavations since its inception in
1980. His published articles are about archaeological methodology, the Iron Age
in Israel, and Dor.

Ayelet Gilboa received a Ph.D from the Institute of Archaeology at Hebrew
University of Jerusalem in 2001. She excavated at Dor since 1980, and is cur-
rently one of the directors of the excavation and head of the Haifa University
group. She is in charge of investigating the 'early' periods at the site (Iron Age
and earlier). Dr. Gilboa was the assistant editor of the New Encyclopedia of Ar-
chaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, and is now editor of Atiqot and IAA
Reports, the Israel Antiquities Authority's monograph and excavation-report se-
ries. She has written several papers on Iron Age ceramics and chronology, Sea
Peoples and Phoenicians, and Mediterranean interactions in the Iron Age. She
won the Berman prize for her M.A. and several grants for research topics related
to these issues.

The expedition's architect is Sveta Matskevich. She grew up in the Ukraine and
came to Israel in 1992. She joined the Tel Dor project in 1995 and worked her
way up from recorder to area supervisor, assistant architect and data-base ad-
ministrator. She finished her B.A. in archaeology and history of art at the Hebrew
University in 1997, and her M.A. on the stratigraphy and pottery analysis of the
early Iron Age layers in area B1 of Tel Dor. She has excavated and published
material from Tel Dan in Israel and Tiryns in Greece. Her interests also include
the uses of computers in archaeology: database systems, computer-aided draft-
ing, visual presentations, and digital and Web publishing

Area supervisors are Talia goldman and Yiftah Shalev.
Talia Goldman received her B.A. at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in Ar-
chaeology and Egyptology and is currently studying for an M.A. degree in Prehis-
tory. She has excavated at Tel Dor in 1996, 2000, and has been Prof. Ephraim
Stern’s research assistant since 1999. She also participated in various prehistoric
excavations in Israel and Europe. In 2001 she supervised archaeological excava-
tions in AL894 in the Lower Pleistocene site of Hadar in Ethiopia.

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Yiftah Shalev received his B.A in Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jeru-
salem and is currently studying for an M.A. degree in Classics. He has excavated
at Achziv, Zippori (Sepphoris) and Tel Dor. He is working as research assistant
of Dr. Eilat Mazar at the Hebrew University and participates in the publication of
the reports of Achziv and Jerusalem archaeological excavations

The Glass House supervisors are Barak Monnickendam-Givon and Hagar Ben-
Basat. Barak Monnickendam-Givon received his B.A in Archaeology and Jewish
History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is currently studying for an
M.A. degree in Archaeology (on The Persian and early Hellenistic pottery of Dor).
He is an alumnus of 'Yeshivat Har Etzion' (1999-2003). He has excavated at Ha-
zor (2003) and was a recorder at Dor (2005-6). He is working at Tel Dor of-
fice since 2004.

Hagar Ben-Basat received her B.A in History and Conservation of Archaeological
Heritage from Florence University, Italy, and she is currently studying for an M.A.
degree in Archaeology (on Beads and Pendants at Tel Dor During the early Iron
Age) in Haifa University.

Living Conditions

Nahsholim Seaside Resort Hotel
([email protected]) is located in the former Kibbutz Nahsholim, immedi-
ately to the south of Tel Dor. The teams will live in the "Country Living" section of
the hotel, a 5 minute walk from the site and beach. Accommodation will be in
multi-room cabins, 3-4 to a room. Doubles or singles may be arranged if space is
available: for information please contact the Israeli recruitment coordinator, Talia
Goldman (see below). Each room has a private bath/shower, unequipped kitch-
enette, air conditioning, and TV; most cabins have an outside patio with picnic
table, chairs, and sunshade. Our fees include room and board (hotel food) for
seven days per week. Hotel amenities are available.

The Resort has a fine kosher buffet restaurant that seats 220 people and is a
popular stop-over for tourists in transit. The Porch Cafe serves a selection of light
dairy meals, tea and coffee, soft and alcoholic beverages.
Bar Dag restaurant on the beachfront offers a menu of seafood and Middle East-
ern dishes together with a view of exquisite Mediterranean sunsets.

There is a small supermarket/ convenience store close to our cabins, run by a
family from Nahsholim. Its stock is roughly equivalent to that of an American 7-
11, plus beer, wine, spirits, and cigarettes and some frozen goods and beach
items. Its informal café/bar is a popular excavation hangout.

As of August 2006 there were no internet connections or portals in the hotel.
There are internet cafes in Zikhron Ya’akov, a few miles inland.
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Daytime temperatures in Israel will usually fall between 80 and 90 degrees Fahr-
enheit during July and August. For this reason, work will be concentrated in the
first half of the day. Initial overexposure to the sun is the main thing to look out for
and a hat with a brim (not a baseball cap) is a must! A shirt (not tank-tops) is ad-
visable. Poisonous snakes have never been sighted on our excavation, but scor-
pions are fairly common. For this reason – added to the usual hazards of sharply-
pointed equipment and falling stones - sturdy work-boots are compulsory and
gardener’s gloves are desirable. Also, mosquitoes are not above making their
presence known, particularly at dawn, when the wearing of repellent is advisable.

The physical demands of the project include the ability to wield a pick, carry
buckets of earth, and the like, but sea breezes offset the midday heat and out-
door work ends before 1:00 p.m.

Security

The security situation in Israel is always a factor. Tel Dor is located in a very se-
cure part of the country but, throughout Israel, a certain level of risk is always
present. When traveling to, from, and within Israel, security procedures should be
taken seriously and followed without exception. We forbid you to go to the occu-
pied territories. Also, please note that, in Israeli society, the abuse of drugs and
alcohol is taken very seriously.
As mentioned above the Nahsholim Seaside Resort Hotel is located next to the
beach. Swimming is only allowed at the authorized beach and when the life-
guard is present.

Entry Requirements

Please be sure to send your passport number and a photocopy of the first
page of your passport to Yiftah Shalev before 20.6.
Please indicate TOURISM as your reason for travel when completing any forms.

When you enter Israel, passport control will issue you an entry permit, good for
three months, which can be renewed. If you intend to visit an Arab country (ex-
cept Egypt and Jordan) either before or after the expedition (or during the life of
your passport) Be sure to INSIST that passport control STAMP YOUR ENTRY
CARD AND NOT YOUR PASSPORT.

Health Requirements

No inoculations are required but you should check with your doctor or local
health service about the following:

TETANUS
GAMMA GLOBULIN

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