So the last few days have been really busy, in fact we didn’t start excavating until this morning. After last year’s excavation the site was filled in with dirt and sandbags to cover the material and keep it preserved and during this time weeds grew all over the main excavation site so we’ve spent most of this week cleaning up. While some of the cleaning can get pretty tedious there have been some plenty eventful moments.

We received a tour of the tell Monday morning and learned some of the history of the previous excavations which extend back a few decades. While also learned about the history of the site itself which has played a huge part in several different eras and empires such as serving as main port city for the Persian Empire (539-323 BCE) before Alexander the Great claimed the area in 332 BCE. Then we spent the rest of the day and Tuesday cleaning the site.

On Wednesday we continued our cleanup and removed the sand bags from the previous season. While doing this we encountered all sorts of wild life living in the holes scattered throughout the site. One group encountered about 7-10 scorpions, while our group only saw one (it was huge!), several large grasshoppers and a few frogs or toads. There was even a small hive in one of the units.

However the highlight of the day was a snake that was in the unit I’ll be working in for the next few weeks. A few people had spotted it earlier before it disappeared for about a half hour. It made an incredible return while me and another member of the team were removing the sand bags in the area. I saw the tail as soon as I lifted one of the bags and alerted everyone by yelling “snake!” As soon as I finished, it darted from underneath the sand bags and slithered through the site. It was a good four to six feet long and the first time I’ve ever encountered a live snake in the wild. I actually like snakes but it was still a big surprise and I wish I could have gotten a picture.

Yesterday, Thursday was more of the same. The site looked a lot better and the only wild life I remember seeing was a small baby scorpion that scattered into a hole. Some people actually started to excavate sometime after breakfast on the site but we continued to clean in my unit.

Then finally, today, July 4^th I got my first experience in excavation and it’s a little harder than imagined. We have to take the layers of dirt and stratigraphy away in a layer at a time, which usually means digging in even centimeters. My layers were pretty uneven and I went a little too deep into the dirt at times so I started to get frustrated. It’s going to take some practice to learn how to even out layers and dig the correct amount. I’m pretty determined though, especially when it comes to Anthropology and Archaeology so I’m a little anxious to get back to digging after the weekend. Also weird fact of the day, when digging if you encounter animal bone (which is usually what you find in the field, if human remains are found the excavation has to stop) if you place it lightly on your tongue it should stick, if not then it’s a rock.

Tomorrow we’re going on field trip to Galilee, we were supposed to go to Jerusalem but tensions are high in the city at the moment so it’s been postponed until our last trip of the season. Sunday we go on another to the Crusader Tunnels that run under the Old City here in Akko. I’ll be taking as many pictures as possible so stay posted!

Location: Acre, Israel