At Banias with Associate Director Dr. David Finsy

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First Letter from Nazareth 2023

Sunday June 18, 2023 Dear Family and Friends, I’m late with this first letter, so I’ll do my best to catch you up on our progress. I landed on May 30 with a small early crew. Most headed to Nazareth to start preparing our storeroom in the hotel and the site for the dig, while Tom and Mary Lynn McCollough and I drove to Jerusalem for a couple of meetings with folks at Hebrew U. The next day we joined everyone at the site to supervise the delivery of our tool container and toilets, and to get shade over our squares. Tom McCollough, Motti Aviam, and I walked the site, discussing where to re-open old squares and where to sink new ones. The weather has been kind to us. That has been the general pattern this year, with the exception of one day that hit 40 C/104 F, and yesterday, which got close to 38/100 during our tour of Megiddo, Beit She‘arim, and Caesarea. Most days have been somewhere in the 80s Fahrenheit, and today the high is predicted at 81. Two Fridays ago, we left the fiel...
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First Week, continued

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More Photos

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Another Roman oil lamp from a later period Early Roman ("Herodian") oil lamp Early Roman owl with convoluted lip The Roman theater at Sepphoris (our Field II) Sketch of the basilica at Sepphoris (our Field V) Mosaics of the basilica at Sepphoris Jack finds himself in Israel Square V.91 Mediterranean Sea at the Caesarea aqueduct The beach at Dor In the Dead Sea (Jack floats!); the hills of Jordan are just visible in the background In front of the Dead Sea "...and it's a big thumbs up from Jack Wilgus as he rises from the dead!" Ruthie is very happy to have been buried at Beit Shearim. In front of the tomb of Judah "the Prince" at Beit Shearim (he died at Sepphoris) Sea of Galilee Locked out: Dr. Strange fashions a pick to pick the lock. Maybe Jack will tell him how he got in. Roman theater at Beit Shean; the bronze age tell rises in the background Jack and Anna posing with the Jesus Christ Superstar tree Jack on top of Tell Beit Shean Anna on Tell Beit...
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