For volunteers and pilgrims talk about the Ramat Rachel excavations:
http://www.itsgila.com/pilgrimstalkdig.htm

For an article and more pictures from last season excavation (Ramat Rachel, July-August 2005):
http://www.wort-und-wissen.de/index2.php?artikel=fachgruppen/arch/grabung/g14.html

For further publication and information (updated to July 2005):
http://archaeologydigs.blogspot.com/2005/03/archaeological-digs-ramat-rachel.html

Heidelberg University website
http://www.ramatrahel.uni-hd.de/en/homee.htm

Volunteers Talk about Ramat Rahel (www.It’sGila.com):
The Season of 2008 , The Season of 2006 , The Season of 2005

Interview with Professor Oded Lipschits (Damqatum, 2006) (Spanish)

On Ramat Rahel (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs):
English , Spanish

The program aims to integrate the excavation experience into archaeological theory and into contemporary archaeological, historical and theological knowledge of Jerusalem. The program consists of fieldwork, academic lectures, tours of Jerusalem and reading obligations. The lectures will be open to all participants in the excavation but are compulsory for students who wish to gain credit.

This educational program is particularly appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students of Archaeology, Biblical Studies, theology, classics and History. The academic program of season 2009 consists of three different courses:

A. Introduction to Archaeology Fieldwork—Theory and Methods: this course will be held during the all four weeks of the excavation project, and attending it will earn the participant six academic credits. The students who will take this course for credits will learn the basic skills for archaeological area supervising, archaeological registration and how to use archaeoilogical reports.

B. Innovations in the Archaeological and Historical Research of Judah and Jerusalem in the 1st and 2nd Temple Periods: this course will be held during the first two weeks of the excavation project, attending it will earn the participant three academic credits. The course will deal with current issues in the research of the history and archaeology of Jerusalem.

C. Biblical Theology of the City of God—Ideas and Concepts: this course will be held during the last two weeks of the excavation, attending it will earn the participant three academic credits.

Credit and Tuition

Attending the courses during the excavation may gain up to twelve credits.
The price for each academic credit is $100.
Responsibility for arranging credit with the home institution rests with the student.

Four Week Session (July 19th–August 14th)

Course A—July 19th–Aug. 14th: Introduction to Archaeological Fieldwork—Theory and Methods

Introduction course into archaeological field work: the theoretical guidelines and the practical methods. The meetings will follow the archaeological process from the initial stages of analyzing a site, through the excavation and registration method and up to the excavation report. The course includes eight meetings, four of them in the field and the rest in the classroom. Students participating in the course will be required to implement the studied material in the actual field work in the excavations. Final grades will be given for a detailed excavation report handed-in by the student.

Course B—July 19th–Aug. 1st: Innovations in the Archaeological and Historical Research of Judah and Jerusalem in the 1st and 2nd Temple Periods

This course will present the newest researches dealing with the history and the archaeology of Jerusalem in the second and first millennium BCE. The course will be given by world wide experts in the research of Jerusalem, and will consist of 4 academic lectures and a visit to the archaeological site at the city of David. Final grades will be based on student’s fulfillment of reading requirements and rating of a written essay.

Course C—Aug. 2nd–Aug. 14th: Biblical Theology of the city of God—Ideas and Concepts

Ideas and Concepts
Academic responsibility—Prof. Manfred Oeming (Heidelberg University, Germany).

This course is a theological seminary dealing with the Biblical theological ideas of Jerusalem throughout history. The course includes 4 academic lectures, weekend seminar, and an evening tour to Jerusalem. Final grades will be based on student’s fulfillment of reading and discussion requirements and rating of a written essay.

• Attendance at all lectures
• Participation in all tours
• Daily participation in excavations
• Writing an essay about one of the major topics studied during the course

Grades
Final grades will be based on student’s fulfillment of requirements, rating of written essay and area supervisor’s assessment of student’s fieldwork and understanding of the archaeological excavations.

For further information about the program contact Omer Sergi, Project Administrator: omertelaviv@gmail.com

CNS (English):
www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=33855

NFC (Hebrew):
www.news1.co.il/Archive/001-D-169437-00.html?tag=21-05-22

Ynet (Hebrew):
www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3575392,00.html

Haaretz (Hebrew):
www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=1008504

TV article (English):
www.infolive.tv/en/infolive.tv-27086-israelnews-exclusive-second-temple-treasure-discovered-hills-jerusalem

What to do when landing in Israel: How to get to Ramat Rachel Hotel

You will land in the Ben Gurion International Airport of Israel near Tel-Aviv, and you will enter the state from the new Terminal 3. After collecting your luggage you should look for transportation to Jerusalem.

1. How to get from the International Airport to the holy city of Jerusalem
Jerusalem is about 45 minutes from the airport and there are a few ways to get there:
The easiest way, in my opinion, is to use the “Service Taxi Line” to Jerusalem.
This is a mini-bus taxi line that operates for a reasonable price 24 hours a day from the airport.
You will find it on the “G” floor of Terminal 3 (where you will land) near gates 01-03.
A journey to Jerusalem Central Bus Station will cost 29.10 NIS approximately (1$ = 4.5 NIS; 1 Euro = 5.5 NIS). A journey directly to a specific address like the Ramat Rahel Hotel will cost 45 NIS (approximately).
Another option is to use the bus. You should take line no. 5 from Terminal 3 to the “Airport City”, and from the central “Egged” bus station in the “Airport City” take line no. 947, which leaves every 30 minutes to Jerusalem Central Station.
The third way to get from the airport to Jerusalem is to go through Tel Aviv: For that way (which is the most complicated one…), you should take the local Railway Train from Terminal 3 to Tel Aviv. You should get off the train at Tel Aviv “Hagannah” station or at the central station and go from there to to the Central Bus Station of Tel Aviv. From Tel Aviv Central there is bus no. 405 leaving every 20 minutes to Jerusalem from the platforms on floor no. 6.
Notice: During the Jewish Sabbath (from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening) there is no public transportation like buses or trains. During the Sabbath you can use only the Service Taxi Line, or private Taxi service.
You may find a lot of useful information about the Ben Gurion International Airport and the transportation possibilities to Jerusalem on the Airport web site:
www.iaa.gov.il – After opening this web site, choose the English option (on the left upper corner) and than choose “Ben Gurion Airport”.

2. How to get from the Jerusalem Central Bus Station to Ramat Rachel Hotel
The easiest way will be bus no. 7  from the Central Station, which leaves every 20 minutes to Ramat Rachel. The last stop is near the hotel. Don’t get down in the entrance to the Kibbutz. It is about 20 minutes drive, inside the modern neighborhoods of western Jerusalem.
Another option is to order a Taxi from Jerusalem to the Ramat Rachel Hotel. You will find plenty of taxis willing to help tourist just outside the station. A special taxi drive to the Ramat Rachel Hotel will cost you money by the local rates. I think it will be something between 30-50 NIS. Ask the Taxi driver for the price BEFORE entering, and don’t hesitate NOT to go with a taxi driver who will ask for more money. Many of them will try…

Address for letters (Usually take about a week from out side Israel):
Your name,
Ramat Rachel Hotel
Kibbutz Ramat Rachel
D.N Tzfon Yehuda 90900
Tel: 972-2-6702555
Fax: 972-2-6733155

Internet:
You will have 3 internet computers available for free use 24 hours a day, in the Excavation’s coffee room (with free coffee and biscuits!).  If you want to use Skype – bring your private headphone.
There will be also 3 stations where you can connect your laptops (if you have) and use the internet. For electricity – you can use the usual European system. Americans should bring adapters!!
There will be another 3 computers in the office, but they will be ONLY for the staff and ONLY for work.

What should you bring – a suggested list
We are going to spend a four weeks of archaeological excavations, which mean a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Besides digging, we will have cultural activities, tours around the holy city of Jerusalem and in the beautiful northern parts of Israel, and social activities. You should be well equipped for all of that. First of all, rest assured that you can buy almost everything you are used to in Israel. You will be able to find every thing you need and from almost any kind or firm, so don’t worry if you forget something.
Secondly, remember that your main purpose for being in Israel is working – digging the ground, so you must have appropriate clothing for that, including working shoes (You may use sneakers. Sandals are not allowed – you might drop stones on your foot!).
Thirdly, take into account the Israeli climate which is HOT and very SUNNY during that time of the year, though Jerusalem might be colder in the nights. So, you must have light short clothes, you must always wear a hat during day work and it is strongly recommended to use sun screen. (Although it may seem a great opportunity to get a tan, prolonged exposure to the sun is not particularly pleasant, nor good for your health!). For the evening you may also need some warmer clothing.
Towels, sheets, pillows and blankets are provided by the hotel.
Think that you are going to an interesting trip to the past, think of working, think of tourism – equip yourself for that. Come open minded, ready for a summer adventure, and we will supply your interest and good mode.

Suggested list of clothing and supplies:

Clothes:
Hat (preferably washable)
Working clothes (which you find comfortable enough)
Short and long sleeved shirts
Short and long pants
Underwear and socks
Sandals (just recommended, though you can’t work with it, it is comfortable during the rest of the day time in Israeli summer)
Lightweight jacket
Pajamas
Bathing suit (very important!)

Toiletries:
Toiletries bag.
Soap (other than that supply by the hotel).
Shampoo (other than that supply by the hotel).
Sun screen (high level protection)
Toothpaste & toothbrush
Deodorant
Athlete’s foot powder
Anti bug spray/cream
Medication (if necessary, such as aspirin, antihistamines etc.)
Nail clipper
Personal supply

General Equipment:
Canteen/water bottle for personal use
Work gloves (other than that supply by us).
Bag or suitcase
Small bag/hand bag
Money belt (or wallet)
Knee pads to protect knee while working
Camera
Writing supplies (notebooks, pencils, etc.).
The Bible!!! (always handy when doing “biblical archaeology”)
Don’t forget your passport, flight tickets and the signed health and insurance forms of the Ramat Rachel Archaeological Project, which are attached at the site.

See you soon at Ramat Rachel!!!

Seated high above the modern city of Jerusalem is the ancient site of Ramat Rahel. Over the last fifty years many have realized that this seemingly natural hill holds within it many secrets that only the archaeological spade can reveal. Excavation carried out at this hill had uncovered the story of a palatial center surrounded by a garden and built at the time of the kings of Judah and during the time the return from exile. Another story embedded within its soil relates to a Jewish community that lived here during the days of the Second Temple until its destruction in the great rebellion (ca. 70 CE). Last but not least, the site reveals the story of a Christian monastery and a church built half way between the two holy cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. All of these stories were however forgotten. If it were not for the work of hundreds of people from all over the world who voluntarily gave of their time and money to unearth these stories, we would never have known them. The more material evidence we recover, the more we realize that there are still many secrets awaiting us: Who built the palace and why? What did the garden look like? From where did they collect water to water the garden and did they have a secret reservoir? These questions and many others like them can only be answered by uncovering more evidence from the site. Read more about Ramat Rahel and join us in our quest to explain these ancient secrets.

What is Ramat Rahel?
The site of Ramat Rahel is located within the international 1947–48 border of Israel, in the western part of Kibbutz Ramat Rahel, on a hilltop (818 m above sea level), about midway between the Old City of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. This site was inhabited since the last century of the kingdom of Judah (7th century BCE) until the early Muslim reign in Palestine (10th century CE).

Previous excavations at the site unearthed a large scale citadel with a royal palace from the time of the last kings of Judah. It was probably first built by King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18–20). The citadel is surrounded with a large, impressive casemate wall, which is typical of the ancient Israelite monarchies. Inside this wall, a magnificent palace was unearthed. This is the only royal palace ever found from the kingdom of Judah. Proto-Aeolic capitals, window balustrades, and other finds reveal the luxury of this royal residence. Not only does this site boast the only known Judaean palace, it also has a special water system that was used to fructify beautiful royal gardens. This palace with its lush greenery is sensational! Rain water collected from roof tops were stored in reservoirs and then used to water gardens planted around the royal edifice at the site. If our reconstruction has merit, this would mark the first time royal gardens dating to the Iron Age and Persian period have been found in Israel. We have also exposed the remains of a large fortified structure, probably belonging to the royal palace and its gardens. These areas require further excavations in the years ahead.

This evidence raises several questions. While we can explain the strategic reason for having a citadel in Ramat Rahel—located above Jerusalem and guarding the main southern and western entrances to the ancient capital—we face challenges explaining the location of a royal palace at this site. Who needed such a magnificent palace just outside the official capital and ancient sacred center of Jerusalem? Did it really belong to the last Judean kings of the house of David? Or perhaps it was the local seat of the successive empires ruling the ancient Near East—Assyria, Babylonia and Persia?

One thing is quite sure: Ramat Rahel was one of the most important administrative centers in ancient Judah. A large number of seal impressions dated to the Iron Age, Persian and Hellenistic periods reveal administrative activity of tax collection. We have found about 200 lmlk (means: “belonging to the king”) seal impressions, dated to the time of king Hezekiah; dozens of rosette seal impressions dated to the time of King Josiah (2 Kings 22–23); and 250 yehud seal impressions dated to the Persian period (after the Second Temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem and Judah became the province of “Yehud” within the Persian Empire). We have also found yrslm (”Jerusalem”) seal impressions with the five pointed star. They date to the Hellenistic period, when the Ptolemaic and the Seleucid kings ruled Palestine.

All this proves beyond adoubt that Ramat Rahel served not only as an impressive royal citadel, but that it was also an important administrative center, probably of the foreign empires that ruled over Judah from the 7th century to the 2nd century BCE. Maybe this was a contributing factor in the decision of the Jewish dynasty of the Maccabees to destroy the beautiful gardens, when they seized the throne of Jerusalem in the middle of the 2nd century BCE. When the the Hasmonean-Maccabean dynasty rebelled against the Seleucid (Greek) regime in Judah and won several major battles, the character of Ramat Rahel changed from being a royal or administrative center. During the Hasmonean period, the royal gardens were destroyed and the water was used to nourish about 20 Jewish ritual baths (Mikvaot)! Furthermore, many columbaria were built to breed sacrificial doves that Jewish pilgrims could purchase on their way to Jerusalem. Ramat Rahel turned into a Jewish religious place—a way station on the route to Jerusalem where Jews could take ritual baths and prepare for their entry into the holy city of Jerusalem. Today, this site, with a beautiful hotel occupying some of its grounds, still functions as a respite for a variety of religious travelers visiting Jerusalem.

During the Byzantine period (4th–7th centuries C.E.), the Jerusalem vicinity became heavily populated by Christians and by their churches. One of the most important churches was the Kathisma. It was built where the Virgin Mary, according to tradition, rested on her way to give birth in Bethlehem. The Kathisma, located just down slope from Ramat Rahel, is octagonal in shape with a rock at its center. Some scholars believe that this church inspired the construction of the golden Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount, one of the most sacred Muslim centers. On the Ramat Rahel hill itself, archaeological excavations exposed a Byzantine village dated to the 5th–7th centuries C.E. This village was probably a monastic village inhabited with early Christian monks. Here we have found rooms and halls, a cemetery, and significantly another Byzantine church located at the northeast corner of the upper hill at Ramat Rahel, at the same place where the citadel of the Judean monarch once stood! The church has beautiful mosaics and a special apse facing ancient Jerusalem. In this church we have found stone crosses and even a bronze chain. Thus, Ramat Rahel turned not only from an administrative political center into a Jewish religious way-station, but also from a Jewish religious site into a Christian center.

In addition to all of this, we have found at Ramat Rahel a roman villa and a bathhouse, which probably belonged to the Roman 10th legion that occupied Jerusalem at the year 70 C.E. after the great Jewish Rebellion. Closely related to this structure is a large wine production center, with wine presses and agricultural installations dating from the Roman to early Muslim periods.

]]> http://www.ramatrachel.co.il/archaeology/?feed=rss2&p=26 0 http://www.ramatrachel.co.il/archaeology/?p=3 http://www.ramatrachel.co.il/archaeology/?p=3#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:10:27 +0000 admin http://www.ramatrachel.co.il/archaeology/?p=3

The site was first excavated in 1954 and again in four seasons between 1959 and 1962 by
Y. Aharoni on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel Exploration Society, the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Rome.

Byzantine Church and the monastery

Byzantine pottery, stratum IIA

Byzantine store-jar

Plaster of courtyard (760) of roman villa

2 Pillars made of tilles impressed with the stamp of the
tenth Roman Legion in hypocaust of bath-house

Romman terracota bowls impressed faces

Colombarium cave with proto-Aeolic capital, reuesd as altar

Burial cave

Enterence to Byzantine cistern

Ossuaries in locus

Decorated Ossuaries of locus