S9 — Week 2, Day 2: Today Was a Very, Very Full Day

Today was a very, very full day. However, we will begin with pictures from yesterday evening. Several days during our two weeks we set aside time for washing and reading of the pottery that we have collected. Volunteers wash and scrub the pottery, while Motti Aviam reads it (identifies its dating and use). We had our first reading yesterday evening. This morning we returned to the excavations at el Araj and our respective squares to continue our work. Those on the east side of the church are unearthing interesting facets of the history of the site. They uncovered a water channel likely related to the Byzantine bathhouse, and also a column drum. More work will be needed to identify its origins. In our square within the church the day was rich with finds of a threshhold and a stone floor. We also found a marble tile and mudbrick, both of which are common with Roman bathhouses. A coin found on the stone floor may date the level to the middle/late Roman. This seems to accord with the Roman style pottery that we found today. The Russian volunteers continue their three squares unearthing a number of coins and walls. It is hoped by the end of the week that they also reach the Roman level. In the evening we did something which we have not done in 9 seasons. As a result of the fire a week ago, the underbrush in the surrounding area has been burnt away. The result is that there are a number of architechtural features lying on the surface that are now visible. The team returned to the site this evening to walk and survey several acres identifying column drums, cut ashlar blocks, walls, and generally identifying the outline of the settlement in the ancient period. This will prove very useful in the future as we determine the size of the settlement in the Roman period.