S9 (Fall): Week 4, Day 3 — A Steady Stream of Visiting Groups

Today included a steady stream of visiting groups to the site. Very glad to have them reach us, but it sometimes disrupts the digging. The Russian team in Area F is finally unearthing finds from the Roman period. There was a clearly visible complete pottery vessel that emerged from the bulk. They are also finding an abundance of coins. Area D produced a couple of remarkable finds. Hellenistic black slip ware, very fine pottery that likely originated from the Tyre region. Even more remarkable was a piece of Nabotean pottery, which is very rare in the north. It would have come from the southern Transjordan and the only other example in which it has been found in the north was one piece reported to have been found at Hippos ten years ago. Its presence at Bethsaida-Julias says something about the city's participation in regional trade. Other finds from Area D included a small Hellenistic yellow bead and a piece from a stone architrave, which is the lintel that rests on the capitals of columns. The nearest example one can find is from the synagogue at Chorazin. The team in Area G continues to move massive amounts of dirt and large boulders, still digging in the Byzantine layers but finding more Roman coins. Two more days of digging..