Temple Mount Sifting ProjectIsrael • Continuous |
  Dig Scholarship Winner EssaysEvery summer, people of all ages and from all walks of life volunteer to participate on archaeological digs throughout Israel, Jordan and other parts of the Mediterranean world. Read the dig experiences of three such volunteers, all of whom were selected as 2008 BAS Dig Scholarship winners. Read Dig Scholarship Winner Essays Find a Dig Poster
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 Sifting the Dirt of the Holiest Site on EarthSince construction of an underground mosque on the Temple Mount (also known as the Haram es-Sharif) began in 1999, hundreds of tons of dirt and debris have been dumped in the Kidron Valley. Beginning in November 2004, veteran archaeologist Gabriel Barkay and his student Zachi Zweig have been sifting through this debris to recover whatever archaeological information they can.
Biblical Archaeology: From the Ground Down How does a dig team work? What do archaeologists look for at a dig? In this documentary DVD, learn how excavators work and what we can learn from archaeology. More information. So far Barkay and Zweig have found hundreds of ancient coins, jewelry, tesserae, arrowheads, a 2-foot long marble column, Egyptian scarabs, fragmented architectural remnants from Second Temple period monumental structures, Iron Age seals, fragments of figurines, weights and thousands of other finds.
The project is always looking for volunteers to come and help them sort through the thousands of years of history hidden in the dirt. They ask that individuals devote at least three days, and groups at least one day, to help them out.
Gabriel Barkay Gabriel Barkay is a professor at Bar-Ilan University and Hebrew University. His academic interests include burial customs, art, and epigraphy. The 1996 winner of the Jerusalem Prize for Archaeological Research, he has participated in numerous digs over the past 35 years, including the tomb in Jerusalem where he found two silver amulets dating to 600 B.C. and inscribed with the name of the Israelite God YHWH, the oldest Biblical inscription ever found.Zachi Zweig Zachi Zweig is an archaeology student at Bar Ilan University. He was the first to recognize the archaeological importance of the debris from construction on the Temple Mount. |
Dig DirectorsGeographic LocationJerusalem Dates of OccupationIron Age, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad Dates of the DigContinuous Minimum Staythree days Application DueOne week prior to participation CostFree Academic Credit/Cost per Credit/InstitutionNo AccommodationsNone ContactAsaf Avraham Open for toursYes, by appointment |
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