Excavations In Summiely

What a busy two weeks it's been already! Before I get into my few days of digging let me give you a brief summary that I've gathered about Summiely. During the 10th Century BC or The Iron Age, this grassy land was on the border of the land of Judah. At first, this site was thought to be a home of some sorts but after excavating, it is now looking more like an administrative complex, like a post office. Discovering more on this site will help  support that a government system existed in this area during the 10th Century.

On Monday, we began our first day. We were in the field by 7:30am and divided up into different areas. I was assigned to Lydia's square, which had not been uncovered since 2014. Who knew that  once a digging season was over they had to cover it with plastic and then with lots of dirt? That completely blew my mind! And in case you're wondering why they do this, it's to help protect the site and give them a point of reference on where they stopped during the next dig.

   Our job for the day was cleaning up and getting rid of all that extra dirt on top of the plastic. Easier said than done. We went hard those first few hours just working our way through the dirt. It was a great way to get our frustration! Around 11am our square was really looking good. We had made so much progress in just a few short hours. I wish I had taken a before picture just to show the difference. After just one day I felt more confident and knowledgeable on excavating. I now know what a trowel, patische, tarea, and pick axe are and what they are used for. When lunchtime hit, our group was completely exhausted, sweaty, and covered in dirt.
 

Day two started even earlier. We were out digging by 5:30am. This was perfect digging weather. The majority of the morning was overcast and also had a pleasant breeze. This made work more enjoyable. Our job for Tuesday was continuing to clean up our site and start digging in two different areas until we reached the floor. As we dug, we found different pieces of pottery, bones, and some 

shells. Each of these items went to their own bucket to be looked at further. Before dinner, we cleaned our own pottery that we found that day. These tiny pieces of pottery meant a lot more to me as I was washing them because of the hard work it took to get to them.

On Day three we were met at the digging site by three sweet puppies! They were a perfect welcome. I spent the majority of day three sifting through the dirt that was dug in our square. Again, sounds easy but it's challenging on the hands and back. While sifting, you have to get rid of the dirt and rocks and look out for any pieces of pottery, bone, or shells. Before having breakfast, it actually sprinkled,  which apparently never happens! It was another great day of excavating.

Our last day of  digging was my favorite. I dug in the pit all morning and found some really great  pieces. I felt so proud to pull them out of the dirt. This week was exhausting but very rewarding. 

I'm so thankful for a week of learning what it's like to excavate. It's neat to  have experience with using all the different tools, sifting, and washing pottery.