Claremont Graduate University.
PhD Professor.
I am a member of the Tel Akko faculty, lecturing on Christian history and the Crusades. This is my 7th year at Tel Akko. I’m a dedicated shovel bum, and killer at baulk-trimming.
Pennslyvania State University
BA Classics, BS Archaeobotanical Science
I am a senior at Penn State entering an Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate program there. I will be pursuing a Masters in Anthropology . My main interests lie in the Classical World, specifically the Roman. I find the Judeo-Chistian line and the Tetrarchs history and architecture very interesting.
I am interested in cult and religion, GIS and 3D Phototelegrammetry
Claremont Graduate University
Ph.D. Candidate
I’m a Ph.D Candidate at Claremont Graduate College in Southern California. I’ve worked at Tel Akko since 2010, and have been the square supervisor of QQ19 since 2014.
Baker University
Phd Religious Studies
I’m an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Baker University. At Tel Akko I’m an Area Supervisor, and I’ve been with the project since 2010. Outside of archaeology, I’m interested in the intersections of Mesopotamian religion and literature with the Bible, reception history of the Bible, Pop culture and Islamic Studies.
Pennsylvania State University
Archaeological Science
Ever since I was a child I knew I was destined for travel and adventure. I remember constantly being in trouble for wandering away from the group just to see something that caught my eye, or to go down a path that I thought would lead to something amazing. I am a very curious individual, and I love treading off the beaten path.
I am a friendly, free-spirited individual that loves to travel and see new places! and I’m always looking forward to the next adventure. I’m always up for meeting new people in new places and hearing stories of the travels and adventures that they have been on. I am also in love with the beauty of nature. It is absolutely amazing when I find a place in this world that appears to be untouched by human hands. I am into a wide range of music including hip-hop, pop, rock, classical, country, edm etc.
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
BA Anthropology, Spanish Minor
I’m a North American shovel bum who can’t stay away from Akko. I’ve been coming here since 2013! I’ve done archaeological field work in 6 states and 3 countries. I collect data from the air, on land and at sea. I can be found in the Blue Area, in the Flex room, at Argaman Beach or at Kurkushka.
On Friday a bullet casing was found on Tel Akko. This is not the first bullet to be found, and our expert, Dr Nick Pumphrey of Baker University says that he thinks it’s a British bullet; possibly a 303 from a Lee Enfield rifle. When the bullet has been cleaned this will become clearer. Jewish forces were trained by the British, and some had weapons that they had acquired in various ways, from the Mandate soldiers.
Faience is a glassy substance often manufactured expertly by the ancient Egyptians. The process was first developed in Mesopotamia, first at Ur and later at Babylon, but faience production reached its height of quality and quantity in Egypt.
Some of the greatest faience-makers of antiquity were the Phoenicians of cities such as Tyre and Sidon who were so expert in making glass that it is thought they invented the process. The Egyptians created works of art which still intrigue and fascinate people in the present day.
We will consult with the experts to discover who this bead was made by.
Among the most famous of faience statuary is the blue hippopotamus popularly known as “William”, currently on exhibit and treated as a mascot at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, NY, USA. William was one of a pair found in the shaft of the tomb of the steward Senbi II who served under either Senusret I (c. 1971-1926 BCE) or Senusret II (c. 1897-1878 BCE), both of the 12th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom.
Poor people in Egypt, could seldom afford faience, while wealthier people often owned Shabti dolls made of the expensive substance. The colors of the faience were thought to have special symbolism. Blue represented fertility, life, the Nile river on earth and in the after-life, green symbolized goodness and re-birth in the Field of Reeds, red was used for vitality and energy and also as protection from evil, black represented death and decay but also life and regeneration, and white symbolized purity. The colors one sees on the Shabti dolls, and in other faience, all have very specific meaning and combine to provide a protective energy for the object’s owner.
Our little bead is worn, and so it’s hard to tell what colour it might have been, but we do know that it must have been owned by someone of wealth and possibly power.
Nevan Carling, a student of Trinity College, USA found a small ceramic horse’s head on the Tel, and won Find of the Day.
There are so many horses in Akko. You see beautiful Arab horses pulling carts in the streets of Akko, there is a beach called The Beach of the Horses where horses are taken to swim, and the team has found other horse-related artefacts on the tel in the past. Akko has a rich equestrian heritage.
According to Professor Martha Risser of Trinity College, one of our ceramics experts, this horse head is a bit different. “It has been made out of two slabs of clay, pressed together and is hollow. This is a completely different construction to other finds, where we’ve seen a more solid form. This is the finest one so far, I think.”
How was it used? Who made it? What is its significance in the layer?
Each find raises as many questions as it answers. Watch this spot for further information as it is revealed.
Pottery washing has commenced at the Nautical College in the afternoons. Students and staff sit under the trees and wash the finds of the morning. It’s not the most exciting job, but it can be a lot of fun to enjoy the fresh air, chat and listen to music while you scrub.
Today our ‘Imma’, Rachel Merhav joined in the fun, eating popsicles and observing the goings on in the pottery washing yard.
Nevan Carling, a student of Trinity College, USA found a small ceramic horse’s head on the Tel, and won Find of the Day.
There are so many horses in Akko. You see beautiful Arab horses pulling carts in the streets of Akko, there is a beach called The Beach of the Horses where horses are taken to swim, and the team has found other horse-related artefacts on the tel in the past. Akko has a rich equestrian heritage.
According to Professor Martha Risser of Trinity College, one of our ceramics experts, this horse head is a bit different. “It has been made out of two slabs of clay, pressed together and is hollow. This is a completely different construction to other finds, where we’ve seen a more solid form. This is the finest one so far, I think.”
How was it used? Who made it? What is its significance in the layer?
Each find raises as many questions as it answers. Watch this spot for further information as it is revealed.
Pottery washing has commenced at the Nautical College in the afternoons. Students and staff sit under the trees and wash the finds of the morning. It’s not the most exciting job, but it can be a lot of fun to enjoy the fresh air, chat and listen to music while you scrub.
Today our ‘Imma’, Rachel Merhav joined in the fun, eating popsicles and observing the goings on in the pottery washing yard.