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Jessie Pincus • Season Update
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At Bar Ilan University with Prof. Aren Maeir Excavation Director at Tell es-Safi/Gath and Mike Pincus CRASL Director
Summer excavation season is an exciting time when everyone gets to participate in adding their personal contribution to the archaeological record of ancient sites in Israel. At Bar Ilan University where I'm based in Israel, and at the other Universities where my colleagues are based, we continue throughout the year to fit the summer research into context, and see how we can illuminate and expand our understanding of the past.
We like to do a combination of 2 weeks participation at the Tell es-Safi/Gath summer dig and touring to special heritage sites before, during, and after. Mark your calendars. We can take our group out from Houston and return 3 weeks later. What a great way to spend your 4th of July! We celebrate in the Galilee before heading south to Tell es-Safi/Gath to intersect with Week 2 and Week 3 of the dig. We can arrange college credits through Bar Ilan University if you want a really meaningful and fun field study to round out your humanities credits.
The summer season at the Ackerman Family Bar-Ilan University Expedition to Gath is always a time of laughs, hard work, and a lot of learning.
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Dr. Jessie Pincus at Bar Ilan University
For years I have worked with the expedition as the IT Registrar, making sure
that all artifacts that are unearthed are recorded correctly in our digital
database. Then with the team that runs our great lab, we put everything
where it needs to be so we can analyze and understand the results over the
coming year. One season also included a pre-excavation GPR survey in
Area P trying to determine the extent of the major buildings being unearthed
there. The results were discussed and we intend on excavating in the next
seasons.
I've spent the last year compiling all the GIS data going back to the late 1990's at Tel es-Safi/Gath, and now we have a really incredible study of this fascinating historical site up through he present. I'll continue to create the full GIS (geographic information
system) for the site. CRASL and Safi/Gath have a long relationship of
collaboration and we look forward to bringing CRASL tour participants to the
site this summer. Over the last year the Safi research team has produced
upwards of 25 separate research articles. It seems that everything gets
better with age and we're excited for what will come next.
GPR Study at Area P Tell es-Safi/Gath recent summer
Jessie and CRASL crew execute
Ground Penetrating Radar Survey at Area P |
End of summer under Area P
Have we found the wall yet? |
On the dig at Area P
Safi crew works out looking for the wall |
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 Jessie follows up Ground Penetrating Radar survey with post-processed imaging to direct follow-up excavation at Area P |
A Day in the Life During Excavation Season at Safi
Sunrise at Revadim |
View from the Tell |
Safi crew works on big find |
Watermelon break at the dig! |
Pottery Washing |
Pottery Drying |
Pottery Reconstruction |
Evening lecture from Aren Maeir |
Remote Sensing and Mapping |
Site Cleanup |
Quick Replay of Summer at Safi
Photos furnished courtesy of CRASL Library taken by Pincus Family
During a recent summer I began an exciting sub-surface exploration at the Ioppa Maritima Project. It was a pleasure to work with Dr. Aaron Burke and Dr. Shelley Wachsmann, who both directed main initiatives of the investigation. With Dr. Wachsmann's nautical expertise and project planning we focused on land and on sea to find remains of a potential bay presently located in the modern city of Yaffo at Groningen Park, and just off-shore. Working with Dr. Rick Dunn and Simona Avnaim, an archaeogeophysical and geo-archaeological investigation was begun. We are still working on the geophysical and borehole data and analysis. We expect to publish a paper with these results within the upcoming year. All told, 6000 square meters were surveyed in the efforts of locating a bay that may contain an ancient boat from the Bronze period.
Krister pulls antenna in Ground Penetrating
Radar survey at Groningen park, Yaffo.
(Photo taken by Jessie Pincus) |
Rick & Simona checking out the
soil cores straight from the field.
(Photo taken by Jessie Pincus) |
Shelley overseeing
the borehole acquisition.
(Photo taken by Jessie Pincus) |
Jessie directs Ground Penetrating
Radar survey at Groningen park, Yaffo.
(Photo taken by Krister Kowalski) |
