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.