Tel Burna in the Spring

This photo was taken in 2011 and is what we expect to see in 2 1/2 weeks. That year we were witness to huge flocks of migrating storks. Maybe they’ll be passing through this year as well. (Photo by Amit Dagan)

2013 Season is About to Begin!

In just over two weeks we will be in the field for our Spring Season! With the warmer weather (although at the moment winds are blowing and it’s been raining on and off all day in Jerusalem) ‘Dig Fever’ is in the air and archaeologists everywhere are already dreaming of the discoveries just waiting to be revealed.
We will have over 40 volunteers for our Spring Season, April 21-25, and look forward to working with all the new volunteers and many of our a well seasoned returning volunteers as well.
There are a few more places are left for our Summer Season in June – the Deadline is for May 1st – so if you plan on joining us in the Field this Summer don’t miss this opportunity!
See you all soon.

Third Season Day 1 – Here We Go!

With frost on our windows we set out early this morning to start the first day of our third season in the field. As the sun came up on our way to the tel it promised a beautiful day.

At the tel we met old friends but mostly new ones who came to join our expedition.  Today we had eleven volunteers including a group  brought by Sheila as in the past, a couple of volunteers at the Bar Ilan one year program, and others from all over the country.

The day began with marking squares in Area A2 (Amit), and clearing stones, all of which went quickly enabling everyone a chance to get their hands dirty.

Tomorrow we are expecting the IBEX program to join us so we can broaden our work to Areas A1 and B.

And of course we looking forward to seeing anyone who’d love to join us in the upcoming week of beautiful weather and exciting discoveries.

Debi

Itzick and the Joint (more)

Itzick has asked me to add a few words about the event.
The title of the workshop: “A Get-Together to Introduce the Project “Family Volunteering” run by the Joint (see below).
Taking place on what is traditionally known here as “Family Day” the discussion focused on different organizations that provide venues for families to volunteer together. The concept is that families that volunteer together benefit from the activity just as much as the organization, thus the project introduced was an opportunity for the different organizations to present their programs.
Itzick, accompanied by Amit and myself, described the experiences we’ve had at Tel Burna with the families that have come to dig with us over the past two years. He emphasized that one of the main objectives of our excavation is to involve the community and to, basically, “turn people on” to archaeology.
Afterwards, we were divided into groups to discuss the different ways the venues can be in implemented by different organizations, for example schools or community centers can organize a family activity which can be picking fruits and vegetables for the needy, or a trip to Tel Burna to excavate the past.

There seemed be a lot of interest in our project and phone numbers were exchanged – we hope to see more new comers at the tell come next season!

Debi