Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Celebration!

Today was a day of work, but it was also a day of celebration. At the beginning of this year's dig, we all thought this would be the last year at Tel Gezer. We would find the bottom, make it "beautiful", and move on somewhere else.

However, that is not exactly how it happened. Three times we heard that we had reached the bottom, and three times we found out we had not. This water system is much larger than anyone thought. Tonight's celebration was supposed to celebrate finding the end. Instead, we celebrated meeting our goal in terms of depth, with the caveat that we were coming back to finish.

I don't know how well this will show what I am going to tell you, but hopefully it will help you visualise how the system works. This diagram was drawn by Macalister, the man who discovered the system in 1903. The tunnel goes down, and he thought the bottom of the incline was the end. However, when he got down there (what he thought was the bottom), he discovered the cavern shown in black. He thought it was small and insignificant.

However, we have found out that the cavern is actually quite large and may contain the water source. Therefore, we are coming back to explore the cavern. which will take at least next year and maybe longer. AND, as I said before, we still haven't really hit the bottom. [Sigh]



These two pictures show what the diggers have been doing in the depths of the earth.They love it down there, and I am so glad that they do. We actually had too many people who wanted to dig this year!

The celebration was marvelous! The British ambassador to Israel was one of the speakers, and he really expressed the enthusiasm we have all felt in discovering a small part of the history of Israel. A famous Israeli singer performed, and there were two songs that made the audience come alive.  One was about the rebuilding of the temple - most were singing along with her enthusiastically. However, the most dynamic reaction from the audience came when she sang "Jerusalem, the Gold."

She first sang this song right before the Six Day War, after which Jerusalem was once again united. Gilla, a tour guide the seminary uses for the tours they sponsor, said that the singer is seen as a driving force, almost a prophet, in the fulfilment of the dream. Everybody (except us Americans) was singing and clapping enthusiastically along with her. Great joy for them! Gilla said that there are people who want to make it the national anthem of Israel.

All in all, it was a tremendous, but long, day. We will sleep very well tonight! Tomorrow is our tear-down day. It is unbelievable that the dig is almost over. We're going to go to Asi's home for a very tasty meal (his wife is an excellent cook!) and barbecue. Four of us will have to leave early to go to the airport. Our flight leaves at 12:10 am, and we have to be at the airport three hours early to go through the security gates - yes, more than one - to get to the plane.

I will probably write one more blog, either at the airport or after we get home. There is a lot to absorb, and that takes time. Lord willing, we'll be coming back next year.

Love you all.

M.

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