Category Archives: Gezer

Slide Show: July 26th, August 2nd and August 9th

Over the next three Thursday nights I will be reporting on Archaeolgy, Jesus and the Bible. The work at Gezer will be woven into all three, but the focus is on integrating history and the biblical text for the sake of interpretation.

Gezer and Jesus

Can the archaeology of Gezer improve our knowledge of Jesus and the New Testament?

Field Work, Lab Work, Publication Work… And How Jason Pondered a Wookalar Hole

We are nearing the end of the field excavation for this season. We are not wrapping up our work, but ramping up for the analysis phase and for next year’s expedition. I won’t summarize the season here, but I want to give you a feeling for what was happening at the southern-most part of Field

Restoring Solomon’s Casemate Wall

Conservation work is a part of archaeology. Excavation removes layers to uncover the past, while conservation preserves what is uncovered. Today I want to show the major conservation work being conducted on the Solomonic casemate wall we excavated last year; I will also comment on the different destruction levels associated with it.

Supervisors at Gezer. A Broken Jar on Day 20 of our Dig

The first time a person goes on an archaeological dig, it’s all mysterious, magical and enchanting. No discomfort — small or great — can diminish the thrill of the daily excavation. The constant rhythm of trowels, the serpentine routs traced out by ever-moving wheel barrels, the dust in the air, the possibility of finding an

Actually digging… More of the Iron Age

From my last post on Actually Digging… I introduced the topic of the Iron Age. Today I will show you the context of some of our Iron Age work, which is a wall and a gate.

Actually digging… Walls, Coins and a sneak peak at the Iron Age

Most of the posts in my Gezer web log have focused on the results of or the basis of archaeology, but today I want to report on the actual field activity.

Kids and Guns in Israel and the West Bank

For the first time, I made it to the West Bank to visit Bethlehem and Herodium. Herodium is archaeologically significant for the research I am currently doing. But that’s not why I am writing today. Instead, I want you to see a short story in pictures — a story about the contrasts between Israel and

Actually Digging…

Where I am digging, and what it looks like.

Is the Bible a Reliable Source of History

The Archaeology Debate: “Is the bible a reliable source of history?”

The Bible and Water Systems

Conflict is for control, and to control a population’s water is to control their life. What I want to explore today is the relationship of water to life and water to war. Portions of scripture are dedicated to the use and misuse of water, either for woe or for life. Water is for creation, for

Digging Gezer, 2007, Preparing for the Field — Part 3

The Possibility of a Scandal:        The Relationship between  Religion and Israeli Archaeology

Digging Gezer, 2007; Preparing for the Field — Part 2

The Power of Archaeology Before I explain why I dig at Gezer, first I have to set the dilemma. Given a feel for life on a dig, then the question is ready to be asked: Why Dig Gezer.

Digging Gezer, 2007; Preparing for the Field — Part 1

The Tel Gezer Expedition is returning to Israel this summer to continue our quest for the Historical Solomon. That’s a rather simplified statement of our mission, but every journey starts somewhere, and as you try to imagine why we are going back to Israel, Solomon is a good reference point.