Jezreel Expedition 2012 Blog: "Aces in the Hole"

Each of the eight students participating in the 2012 season of the Jezreel Expedition will post a blog entry detailing work at the site each day.

June 3, 2012 by Megan Anderson

We were up bright and early for our first day to meet the dawn as it rose over Jezreel.  Our fearless leaders Dr. Jennie Ebeling and Dr. Norma Franklin handed out jobs and clipboards and we began our survey of Area L, which is east of the tel.  We found amazing features, including several of the many cisterns that dot the landscape and several other rock cut features.  At 10:00 am, we took a long break for breakfast and enjoyed delicious Israeli fare compliments of Kibbutz Yizreel.  After our rest we took to the field again.  Nate Biondi and Sarah Carlton kept everything organized by taking detailed field notes and Emma Dunleavy and Mike Koletsos documented the finds with cameras (assisted by Emily Mella and Kelly Goodner).  When it came time to survey the lower portion of Area L later in the afternoon, we continued in true Indiana Jones fashion as we fearlessly rolled under a barbed wire fence to reach the pasture beyond.  There we were not disappointed, as we found many more features including a multi-chamber tomb located by Emma Dunleavy which we were able to enter.  Hilda Torres scaled its side to take measurements and Megan Anderson used a GPS to record its position.  All in all our first day in the field was both very exciting and productive, helping us to gain a better understanding of the site of Jezreel.

Stonehenge at Jezreel? No, it's modern art.