S9 (Fall), Week 4, Day 1 — Area D Continues to Produce...

Today the clocks fell back and we rose one hour earlier. It doesn't sound like much, but 4:30AM comes early. The three areas of the excavation continued today with remarkable results. Area D continues to produce an abundance of Roman and Hellenistic finds. A new Hellenistic (Hasmonean) wall was uncoved deep in the square. Dozens of coins were found both Hasmonean and Roman. A complete Hellenistic lamp, and the base for a chalk stone vessel, which is a marker for Jewish settlement. Over the years we have found over a thousand fishing weights for nets. But today we found our first fishing hook. Motti Aviam commented, "We knew they were fishing with nets, but who knew they were also fly fishing?!" The Russian team continued to uncover the Byzantine walls to reach the Roman period. One of their remarkable finds was an inscribed cross on a pottery vessel. A number of years ago we found a cross enscribed on a pottery vessel but these are rare. This reminds us of the faith of those who lived here in the Byzantine period. In Area G the American team moved a lot of dirt and boulders as we continue to clear off the upper layers to reach the Roman period stratum below. Our square also produced a number of coins, mostly from the Roman period. In the afternoon we took our final field trip to a recently discovered Byzantine synagogue in Nahal Yehudia National Park. We were led by Michael Osband from Kinneret College, who is leading the excavation. It was great to see another active excavation. We have 4 days left in this season and we are working hard to make the most of it.