Gezer 2015 – Week Two: Back to Work

By Gary D. Myers

It’s hard to believe that it is already week two. We’ve had a significant turnover in our volunteer workforce. They are coming and going. We said goodbye to one Friday night, three Saturday night and two more tonight. We gained one Friday evening and yesterday we gained three veteran volunteers who returned for another season in the Gezer Water System.

Eli Yannai’s work in the possible dwelling area near the Canaanite gate and the mouth of the water system is still going strong. The area has gained an affectionate nickname, “Eli’s house.” Our group is really enjoying this time with Eli – he is a real pro with a subtle but great sense of humor. He is always teaching and passing along what he knows. One of my favorite parts of the dig is pottery reading. Listening to Eli identify sherds is like a very interesting lecture on ceramic chronology. 

We reached several major milestones inside the water system today. The first three bags of dirt and debris were pulled from the system. There will be many, many more bags to come, but it was satisfying to get a few bags to the sifting area today. Dr. Jim Parker and Stan Watts dealt with a nagging problem – the large chalk “boulders” blocking our next digging area. Tomorrow will be a “fun” day for the persons tasked with breaking up and bagging the massive pile of blocks they knocked down. I am anxious to see how many bags of rock and debris is waiting from their work – I believe it is close to 20 bags of material. Last but not least, we work on safety measures. We have a great deal of fun on these trips and it can be easy to forget that the work in the tunnel is very hard and dangerous. After pulling the first few bags and assessing the ramp for any weak spots, a small crew installed a few safety measures to help block most things that might slide down the ramp if one of our bags breaks and then shored up the loose spots on the ramp. We were especially pleased with the catch fence we install halfway down the tunnel (photos tomorrow).

Work will speed up tomorrow, so keep us in your prayers. Pray for safety and strength. We have exciting days ahead of us as we seek to understand this unique ancient feature. Why is it so big? How did it function? Was it used for more than a water system? We are still seeking answers.

Star Struck
I forgot to mention an interesting coincidence that happened yesterday. As we arrived at Lachish, Dr. Warner noticed a large group marching down the trail and noted that they must be “serious tourists” because the site is off the beaten path and not very developed. Those who know their Bible and know about the Lachish Letters discovered here love this site. The city plays a prominent role in Assyria’s war against King Hezekiah. The Assyrian siege ramp remains all these years later, reminding of Sennacherib’s power. But Hezekiah prayed to the LORD and Jerusalem was spared.

As the group made it down the tel as we started up, someone notice the leader. It was Dr. John Walton of Wheaton College, one of the biggest names in Old Testament studies. Some of us were a little star struck. Today, Walton brought his group to Gezer for a special tour.

Gezer 2015 – Week Two: Back to Work

By Gary D. Myers 

It’s hard to believe that it is already week two. We’ve had a significant turnover in our volunteer workforce. They are coming and going. We said goodbye to one Friday night, three Saturday night and two more tonight. We gained one Friday evening and yesterday we gained three veteran volunteers who returned for another season in the Gezer Water System.

Eli Yannai’s work in the possible dwelling area near the Canaanite gate and the mouth of the water system is still going strong. The area has gained an affectionate nickname, “Eli’s house.” Our group is really enjoying this time with Eli – he is a real pro with a subtle but great sense of humor. He is always teaching and passing along what he knows. One of my favorite parts of the dig is pottery reading. Listening to Eli identify sherds is like a very interesting lecture on ceramic chronology. 

We reached several major milestones inside the water system today. The first three bags of dirt and debris were pulled from the system. There will be many, many more bags to come, but it was satisfying to get a few bags to the sifting area today. Dr. Jim Parker and Stan Watts dealt with a nagging problem – the large chalk “boulders” blocking our next digging area. Tomorrow will be a “fun” day for the persons tasked with breaking up and bagging the massive pile of blocks they knocked down. I am anxious to see how many bags of rock and debris is waiting from their work – I believe it is close to 20 bags of material. Last but not least, we work on safety measures. We have a great deal of fun on these trips and it can be easy to forget that the work in the tunnel is very hard and dangerous. After pulling the first few bags and assessing the ramp for any weak spots, a small crew installed a few safety measures to help block most things that might slide down the ramp if one of our bags breaks and then shored up the loose spots on the ramp. We were especially pleased with the catch fence we install halfway down the tunnel (photos tomorrow).

Work will speed up tomorrow, so keep us in your prayers. Pray for safety and strength. We have exciting days ahead of us as we seek to understand this unique ancient feature. Why is it so big? How did it function? Was it used for more than a water system? We are still seeking answers.

Star Struck
I forgot to mention an interesting coincidence that happened yesterday. As we arrived at Lachish, Dr. Warner noticed a large group marching down the trail and noted that they must be “serious tourists” because the site is off the beaten path and not very developed. Those who know their Bible and know about the Lachish Letters discovered here love this site. The city plays a prominent role in Assyria’s war against King Hezekiah. The Assyrian siege ramp remains all these years later, reminding of Sennacherib’s power. But Hezekiah prayed to the LORD and Jerusalem was spared.

As the group made it down the tel as we started up, someone notice the leader. It was Dr. John Walton of Wheaton College, one of the biggest names in Old Testament studies. Some of us were a little star struck. Today, Walton brought his group to Gezer for a special tour.

Gezer 2015 - Week One Update

By Gary D. Myers

Week One of the 2015 Gezer Water System Expedition is officially in the books. And though we had our struggles and frustrations, we also had times of great fellowship, opportunities to learn about archaeology, and the chance to experience this wonderful land of the Bible.

Our work week got off to a slow start due to a holiday. All of Israel celebrated Shavuot (Festival of Weeks in the Bible) on Sunday. Instead of working that day, we enjoyed a long day of touring Jerusalem (in my estimation, the people-watching capital of the universe). Monday and Tuesday we celebrated the Festival of the Endless Sandbags (setup days) at the site. Wednesday we were ready to begin pulling bags … or so we thought. The dig directors came to Gezer with several ideas of pulling the bags without damaging the ancient steps which are no longer covered by dirt. The ideas ranged from those that are easy to implement and those that take much time to employ. They decided to try the easiest first. We tried pulling a bags over the ancient steps using a plastic container. Unfortunately, it looked as if the container would damage the steps over time. The directors decided to attempt the most elaborate idea – a ramp.

That afternoon the dig directors devised a plan to build 150-foot ramp out of plywood and two-by-fours. The ramp would stretch the entire length of the water system, protecting the ancient steps. The plan sounded … ambitious … even a little extreme. The directors order the wood that same evening.

With the work in the tunnel as a standstill, most of our team worked with Eli Yannai on Thursday. Yannai is investigating how the structures near the Canaanite gate complex and wall relate to the water system. What a treat to work with Eli. He is so knowledgeable and he takes the time needed to explain the whats, whys and hows of traditional, stratigraphic, archaeology. We took turns digging, sifting and washing pottery. We learned much about “control” of the artifacts – pottery buckets must have a numbered tag. Archaeologists use pottery to date the different layers of occupation at a site, so it is very important to know where a sherd was found. It was an exciting day after three days or prep work and the major setback in the water system. That afternoon a small group begin working on the water system ramp after the wood was delivered.

Generally, Friday and Saturday are tour days. While most of the team enjoyed the Galilee region, eight men (who had all been to Galilee before) stayed back to work on the ramp. It took at least 15 sheets of plywood and eight hours to build the ramp. It was hard satisfying work with great fellowship. The ramp is a monster – something like Sennacherib, the siege ramp building king of ancient Assyria, would construct.

The Galilee travelers also had a long and satisfying day visiting sites associated with Jesus. After a little more work on the ramp Saturday morning, the crew is ready to start removing bags. We have a big week ahead of us. I believe the blog posts will tell of great progress in the coming days.

The Treasure of New Friends
As with the previous years, I am always surprise by the people who participate in the dig. What a wonderful group of people. They come from all walks of life and some have little or no connection to the seminary. This year we are blessed to have Dr. Chet Roden from Liberty University School of Divinity with us, along with his student, Terry.

This unique group of people – strangers a few days ago -- came together quickly around their love for the Bible and interest in understanding the people who inhabit its pages. We came together around the task of digging into history and learning how to do archaeology. There are return volunteers, our regulars who come every year and new people who will only be able to come one time. Some are a bit zany, others are more reserved. Each year, God blesses us with gift of getting to know new people. Deep friendships are formed as we work together during the day, play games like “Spoons” and “High Cotton” in the evening, and travel across the Holy Land on the weekends. It is a great treasure to gain new understanding about the land of the Bible, but it isn’t the only treasure we obtain. We gain priceless new friendships. I really enjoy the work , but the Christian fellowship and the laughter we share makes it a much richer experience.

Gezer 2015 Day Four - Intermediate Update

Great day of work on the site today. Unfortunately, a computer glitch has prevented me from writing a full update tonight. I will post more tomorrow if possible.

Gezer 2015 Day Three – Working Out the Kinks

By Gary D. Myers

Every year of the Gezer Water System Expedition has required a bit of innovation. As the conditions have changed and the digging has gone deeper in the system we have been forced to tweak our system.

This year’s dig presented the biggest challenge to date: With the ancient steps exposed, how would we drag the bags to the top without destroying the steps? The dig directors came to the site with several ideas to address this problem. Some were complicated, others require less prep time. They settled on an idea to place the filled bags in half of a plastic tank (think sled). The sled, it was hoped, would slide across steps leaving only minimal damage, if any. The first run today left the directors looking at the other the solutions. Unfortunately, the idea they have chosen will take some time to implement. So, it will probably be two additional days before diggers are back in the water system. Look for photos of the solution to the problem in later blog posts.

We started the morning with what we thought would be the last of the set-up work. The team finished lining the steps of the water system with a row of sand bags from top to bottom. That’s nearly 200 small sand bags folks. The sand bags make a safer surface for us to walk on and they protect the ancient stone steps. Our crane operator, Asi, lowered large bags filled with the small sand bags into the mouth of the water system. Then our team moved the bags down the system bucket brigade style. Because the water system is so deep, we had to stage the bags two different times to work our way down the steps. The bags look great and are functioning well. We were thrilled to have our set-up tasks complete, then we discovered that the sled would not work and more set-up would be required.

As the directors planned a solution to the problem, work focused around the other excavation spot where Eli Yannai is investigating how the Bronze Age gate and wall related to the water system. While a few people dug and cleaned the area, others sifted the dirt they collected. Set-up is an essential part of the dig, but excavating and sifting just felt more purposeful. Tomorrow, this aspect of the dig should be in full swing. The whole dig team is excited about the possibilities this unexcavated area could hold. Most of all, we are hoping for clues to explain the water system.

Better Tools than a Trowel
Archaeologists are known for carrying trowels and small picks to carefully expose evidence of ancient cultures. No, they do not carry pistols and whips like Indiana Jones. But the most common tools, the trowel and pick, may not be the most important tools of the trade. Analytical skill and creative thinking are at least in this discussion of most important tools. Problems like we are face with bag removal this year require both. Analytical skill and creative thinking spur archaeologists to consider new possibilities. Yannai sees many possibilities in area he is excavating. You can see and hear his excitement. This type of thinking has the Gezer Water System leaders considering a shocking possibility: what if it isn’t a water system? It has been generally accepted as a water system since R.A.S. Macalister first dug there in the early 1900s. No conclusions yet, in fact, water system is still the leading theory and for now, this blog will continue to refer to the big hole in the ground as a water system. However, it is interesting to hear these creative and analytical thinks wrestle with and interpret many layers of data.

Strange Weather

Today was extremely hot. In order to beat the afternoon heat, the team left Neve Shalom at 5 a.m.  We only worked until 10:45 a.m. At that point, the heat had simply become unbearable well over 104. In fact, at 9 p.m. as I am putting the finishing touches on this blog post, it is still 100 degrees. A strong, hot wind is blowing strong. We are all hoping for a cooler day tomorrow.

Lagniappe

For more personal blog post about our visit to Jerusalem earlier in the week, visit www.garydmyers.com.

Gezer 2015 – Day Two

Another day of prep work at Gezer.  We begin the real work tomorrow and we are excited to make progress clearing the tunnel.

This morning, the group put up additional shade clothes at the sifting trailer and in an area between the Canaanite gate and the supposed water system opening. Israeli archaeologist Eli Yannai, who serves as the pottery expert for the dig, will lead an investigation to see how the two areas relate to one another.  Later we lowered sandbags into the tunnel and used them to build steps leading to the bottom.

Just before lunch, we began filling a few bags of dirt from the bottom. We’ll pull these to various spots along the tunnel to serve as barriers to catch rocks and debris which could roll down the tunnel. Dr. Parker and Asi (the crane operator) spent a considerable amount of time today developing an new innovation to allow us to drag the bags over the freshly cleaned steps. More on the innovation in later posts.

After lunch, most of the team cleaned weeds and debris where Eli will be digging. It was hot work, but it was also a great time to learn about archaeology and ceramic analysis from an expert.

I’ll keep this post short because we have an early day tomorrow. The dig directors have called for a 5 a.m. start due to the high temperatures forecasted for tomorrow afternoon. We are expecting a high of 105.

Gezer 2015 - Day 1

Day One of the Gezer Water System Expedition was a long, hot day. The temperature reached 99 degrees and we all felt the strain. Not much to report today. In fact these three photos tell much about the day. We made a lot of sand bags. We cut a lot of weeds. We also set up our camp including a large shade cloth for our meetings and meals. More set up tomorrow. Hopefully we will start digging tomorrow as well. Looking forward to an exciting season.