If you love discovering what lies beneath the surface and feeling history with your finger tips, Israel is the perfect place to indulge your archeological passions. Shatour Israel can show you the latest finds and exciting places where digs are taking place.
To say that Israel is steeped in history is an understatement. Teams of archeologists are working at the frontier of that history and discovering fascinating artefacts that show us how people used to live in the Holy Land. Recent finds around Israel include seals from jars and documents with legible names from the Bible, food remnants that show us what people used to eat, flint tools, and even mosaic floors from the Byzantine era.
Starting with the history that is already on the surface, we recommend visiting the Old City of Jerusalem, the Herodian palaces at Masada and Herodion, the caves at Qumran, and the Roman amphitheater at Caesarea.
The best place to get your hands dirty and share your enthusiasm for archeology with your children is at the Emek Tzurim Sifting Project in Jerusalem. This is a huge project to sort through masses of debris that was excavated from under the Old City. Items discovered on this site include the seal of King Hezekiah, an Egyptian amulet from the days of the Pharaohs, and thousands of arrowheads, jewels, mosaic stones and coins, reflecting the complex history of the city.
Another great option for families is to participate in an actual excavation in underground caves from the time of the Maccabees, and then tour through the ancient subterranean city of Maresha. In these caves you can see an olive press, water cisterns and columbaria dove cotes. There is also a pottery shed where you can see examples of the most important and rare finds from this site, which dates back to the Hellenistic era of the Second Temple and connects with the Chanukah story that we all know and love. This Dig-4-Day activity is near Modiin.
There are ongoing excavations taking place all over the country, exploring the remnants of the many different peoples who have lived in this area. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeps a list of current archeological excavations all over Israel, with the dates and locations where volunteers can join the team. Depending on the weather and the location of the active digs taking place, we can arrange to include a day’s digging as part of your Israel experience.
Talk to Shatour Israel about including an archeological dig in your next visit to Israel and visiting recently excavated historical sites around the country.