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I Volunteered for This?! Life on an Archaeological Dig
a cornice, a pediment and a roof belonging to a Roman period temple. Excavations nearby revealed an associated
complex with a colonnaded way leading up to the temple. A possible Byzantine domestic and industrial production
center was also uncovered, as indicated by the presence of an industrial-size olive press and an associated Byzantine
structure.
As we undertook the 2000 dig, we assumed that the previous season would be difficult to top. But all doubt was
cast aside during the second week of excavations, when a second, earlier temple podium was found about 5 feet inside
the podium we had discovered in 1999. Thus, a site with a single Roman period temple quickly became a site with a
multiphase temple complex.
I was asked to supervise a square on the southern slope of the temple hill. Here each day seemed to bring some
unexpected discovery. By the end of the season, we had uncovered three floors, one of which was probably associated
with the second-phase temple, and a circular wall, which probably served as a limestone kiln. I found it both challenging and exceedingly satisfying to contribute to the development of this significant site, even as I was adding to my own
understanding of archaeology and the Roman period in Israel.
Although I now have two seasons of digging under my belt, I don’t think my days in the dirt are over. On the contrary, I look forward to the next season at Omrit, and even to the possibility of a career in archaeology.

© 2006 Biblical Archaeology Society

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