The final day of a dig session is about preparation for the photographs of your squares. So, less digging and more brushing. Although this session was only two weeks, important progress was made on several fronts. The Russian team in Area F penetrated through the Byzantine floors to demonstrate that below them there is a Roman stratum. It was definitively confirmed by an abundance of Roman coins and pottery. More of the Roman layer will be uncovered in the next season. The te

We are quickly arriving to the end of our excavation season. Our bodies and sleep time have adjusted to the routine. We dig from 6:00-1:00, returning to Migdal for lunch. After a short siesta, we wash pottery, which is left for a day to dry and to be read by Motti Aviam. The process of reading pottery is an opportunity to identify overlooked small treasures. This evening Motti identified a Herodian knife-pared lamp nozzle from Area G. These were only made in Jerusalem before

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

Another great day unearthing the past. Area G is making great progress moving large stones as we make our way down into the earlier periods. Coins and fishing weights greet us as we pass through the strata of history. In Area F the Russian team keeps finding relics from the Byzantine period, while they are dismantling the walls to penetrate to the Roman level. Today they found 8 Roman coins. There is also a small excavation just outside the basilica on its northeast corner th