Excavations start on June 15th

The Israel Field School at Tell Bet Shemesh, directed by Prof Arthur Bankoff of
Brooklyn College CUNY, runs from mid June to late July and allows students the
amazing opportunity for eight weeks to study and enjoy.

In 2008, in four weeks, the student crew excavated fifteen 5 x 5 meter trenches at
Tell Bet Shemesh, uncovering architecture and material mostly from the Late Bronze
Age (ca. 1400-1200 BCE). More than just drudgery, the digging left the students
excited and exhilarated about the finds and gave them a real appreciation of the
wealth of history in every inch of Israeli soil.

The finds from the 2008 season were especially thrilling and important for
understanding the history of occupation and cultural change on the site, comprising as
they did a large exposure of a massive Late Bronze Age (ca. 14th – 12th century BCE)
destruction layer. Finding complete ceramic vessels, an Egyptian scarab, and other
artifacts from these contexts increased the students’ enthusiasm.

For 2009, we expect to return to Tell Bet Shemesh, to do further work on the Late
Bronze Age remains uncovered this past season. The experienced directors and staff
have proven to be excellent, both archaeologically and pedagogically, providing an
unforgettable learning experience for our students. The site is of intrinsic historic
and theoretical interest. Its location in the center of the country minimizes worries
about security. It is far enough from large cities to make casual travel inconvenient,
but close enough for students to experience them and other parts of the country on
weekends.

Last year we were able to work out a closer collaboration with the Hebrew University
in Jerusalem. As in 2008, our Brooklyn College program will be associated with the
Rothberg School’s Summer Institute in Middle Eastern Studies, which runs through
July. Thus, our students will also be able to take courses in Middle Eastern history
and culture through the Summer Institute, while Hebrew University students will be
able to enroll in the Brooklyn College courses which comprise the “Israel: Then and
Now” program in June and July. This synergy benefits both programs.