archaeology
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Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
The Light at the End of the Tunnel (taken at Beit Shean amphitheater)
I wanted to update you all about the exam process. For starters, I am proud and excited to announce that I passed the written exam! I got the news on the morning of January 1st, so what a great way to start the New Year! In fact, the test was very straightforward, with no real curve balls (
as I wrote previously), and there was a fairly high passing rate.
Additionally, earlier this week I received the appointment for my meeting at the Ministry of Tourism for my oral exam. I will actually be the first in my class (I believe) to present — 9 AM on Thursday January 26, in just over 2 weeks. I feel relatively well-prepared, but I definitely have more work to do in preparation. Both in terms of preparing my guiding, and my itinerary for the day, as well as general prep for the open question section of the oral.
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Posted in Tour Guide Course | 6 Responses »
Tags: archaeology, art, blog, Dig for a Day, exam, geography, gravesite, license, Maresha, Ministry of Tourism, Sidonian
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
A band playing at one of Jerusalem's Friday afternoon summer street parties.
Continuing the list:
4. Get Some Culture
Jerusalem has a thriving cultural scene, full of great music, art and crafts. And especially through the summer season (which really lasts about half the year here), there are tons of festivals that can satisfy myriad interests.
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Posted in Israeli Tourism, Primers | 2 Responses »
Tags: archaeology, architecture, art, British Mandate, Davidson Center, history, Ir David, Jerusalem, Market, music, urban planning, wine
Monday, September 5th, 2011
Have you seen this before?
Sorry it has been a few weeks since I’ve posted. I was on break from school this past month and had lots of other work, play and schoolwork to catch up on! On that note, we are in the homestretch with the course now, and are really getting down to brass tacks regarding studying and preparing for the licensing exams. So I will certainly be posting more on this topic in the upcoming weeks. I already have a few posts on this topic lined up in the hopper.
Also, I’ve received feedback from lots of people that these Mystery Photos are simply too hard. So I’ve decided that I will just not even think about how many of my classmates get these right — I expect that they all should get almost all of them right! I will instead be trying to present somewhat easier ones that more of you “regular” readers may know.
I’m not saying they are all going to be super-easy, because part of the enjoyment is in the challenge too. But I will definitely be aiming to make them easier overall. Hope that makes it more fun!
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Posted in Mystery Photo | 6 Responses »
Tags: archaeology, Cardo, Decomanus, gate, Roman Era, Tiberias, urban planning
Sunday, July 31st, 2011
Look familiar? Many of you have seen this before! Guess where it is!
That time again… Another Israel Mystery Photo. This one is one that I think many of you have probably seen but perhaps didn’t look that closely at. So I look forward to seeing how many of you can recognize it, and also to telling you about it in the next Israel Mystery Photo post!
But what about last week’s mystery photo? Well, many fewer guesses, possibly due to how late I posted it. Benny, however, was correct — it was indeed the covering of Abraham’s tomb in Ma’arat HaMachpelah / The Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. I bet Aaron is kicking himself for not recognizing that one; you were so close, dude, and yet didn’t quite get it!
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Posted in Mystery Photo | 8 Responses »
Tags: archaeology, Cave of the Patriarchs, gravesite, Hebron, Herod, history, Ma'arat HaMachpelah, Mamluks, religion
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
Let's hear your guesses on this mystery photo!
Been a busy week for me, so I apologize for the delay on this Mystery Photo, but I hope that won’t ruin the momentum I’ve been building with these: more comments/guesses each week. Keep ‘em coming gang! I love seeing your guesses on these!
I liked the responses to last week’s photo. A nice mix of correct answers, and almost correct answers. The picture was in fact from the baptistry of the Northern Church (more on that later) from the ancient Nabatean city of Avdat. Ilana was the first with the correct answer, and Aaron and Steven both got it right as well, with Steven giving the most complete and detailed answer. (By the way, for those who read Steven’s comment, stay tuned for a review post soon on the excellent materials from Biblical Backgrounds, his company.)
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Posted in Mystery Photo | 4 Responses »
Tags: archaeology, architecture, Byzantine Era, Christianity, church, Muslim Period, Nabateans, Negev
Friday, July 8th, 2011
Yet another mystery: where in Israel was THIS photo taken?
My previous Israel Mystery Photo seems to have struck a good balance. 2 correct answers, and one incorrect, but the incorrect was a decent guess from a first time commenter, Sharone. And Shmilty finally got a right answer! Happy for you buddy. Of course, Aaron once again got it right. That man is like a machine, I tell you.
But yes, the correct answer to last week’s photo was indeed the Tower of David in Jerusalem’s Old City.
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Posted in Mystery Photo | 4 Responses »
Tags: archaeology, architecture, Byzantines, Crusaders, David, Herod, Ir David, Jerusalem, Mamluks
Thursday, July 7th, 2011
The moat and walls of Caesarea's Crusader-era city.
When most people visit Caesarea, the beautiful Israeli coastal city between Netanya and Haifa, they focus on its history and archaeology in the Herodian (early Roman) and Byzantine periods. While most visitors walk right through the heart of the Crusader era city, they barely pay any attention to it. But the truth is that Caesarea has some of the best remains in Israel through which to gain an understanding of the architecture of the late Crusades, and of the impact that this slice of history had on the land of Israel.
I remember the first time I visited Caesarea (a few years ago), I started as most people do at the southern end of the National Park, near the Roman-era Theater. We toured through most of the Roman and Byzantine areas, and then approached a large, walled-in area. As we passed through the wall, I saw a large open space with lots of green grass. Inside of these walls I also found a number of stores and restaurants, which probably contributes to the area being overlooked within the archaeology at Caesarea. True, the walls are virtually impossible to miss. But when the inside has a lot of modern stores and eateries, it is easy to overlook the history, despite the benefits of this mix.
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Posted in Tour Diary | No Responses »
Tags: archaeology, architecture, Baibars, Caesarea, church, Crusaders, fortifications, gate, Louis IX, Mamluks, moat, walls
Wednesday, December 15th, 2010
Malha Mall archaeological site -- a village from about 1800 BCE
Construction in Israel is always a difficult endeavor. In a country with as long a history as ours is, every time a spade or backhoe touches earth, there is the chance (or even the likelihood) that you will come across finds of archaeological significance. And when you do, construction grinds to a halt until the archaeologists can come in and examine the finds, determining whether they are significant, and whether construction can even continue there at all.
In recent years, building expansions have uncovered an ancient church at the site of a modern prison and an ancient cemetery near a hospital. In both cases, the building plans were halted until solutions could be found. Sometimes the archaeological site will be preserved at the location so people can see the finds in situ — where they were found, and construction will be abandoned. Other times, they will be covered and preserved underground, with the construction proceeding above the site. And sometimes the material will simply be removed and catalogued for later research.
I’ve recently visited a few of these types of sites, all within the boundaries of modern Jerusalem. It is yet another reason why I love living here. I am constantly surprised by the history and archaeology that you practically trip over every time you walk around this magnificent city.
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Posted in Israeli Tourism, Miscellaneous, Tour Guide Course | 3 Responses »
Tags: archaeology, Arnona, Bronze Age, Byzantine Era, church, Derech Hevron, history, Jerusalem, Malha, Stone Age
Monday, November 1st, 2010
The Catholicon (Greek Orthodox sanctuary) of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
One of the fun things that I do as I prepare to become a tour guide in Israel is practice! It helps me learn to plan a tour, make it flow seamlessly and learn such things as timing, reading the audience, use of visual aids and organization of material. So it is really a very necessary aspect that, while not an official part of my tour guide studies, I still take quite seriously.
A few weeks ago, I took two women around for a day-long walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem (mostly). They were two friends, one of whom was Jewish and one of whom was Christian, though neither was particularly religious. The Christian was here on her first trip to Israel, while the Jewish woman lives here, though not in Jerusalem. My goal for the day was to expose them to the sheer wealth of history that fills Jerusalem, as well as show them the diverse cultures and religions that are found here. Ultimately, I wanted them to see what a beautiful, complex and historic city I live in. I thought it might be interesting and useful to describe the itinerary we had for the day.
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Posted in Israeli Tourism, Tour Diary | 2 Responses »
Tags: archaeology, architecture, Hezekiah's Tunnel, history, Holy Sepulchre, Ir David, itineraries, Jerusalem, Kotel, Mamluks, Stations of the Cross, Tayelet, Temple Mount
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Not just a hole in the ground. A cistern opening on Givat Oz, in Gush Etzion.
With this post today, I am inaugurating a new feature on the blog. I decided to begin writing a series of short posts that define terms and ideas that come up frequently while touring Israel. Some are unique to this country, others are universal. But I figured it would be a good reference. To see all of the entries in this “lexicon” in the future, you will be able to simply click on the category. I am going to be adding the category to a previous post that I think fits in nicely as well.
That being said, on to this post’s topic: cisterns!
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Posted in What Is...? | 2 Responses »
Tags: archaeology, cistern, Maresha, water
