As my boys get older it is getting harder and harder to find activities which keep everyone in the family happy. Some things are deemed "too babyish", whilst others are "boring." Not long ago we did a Dig for a Day at Beit Guvrin and we all had a terrific time!
Beit Guvrin - Maresha National Park is a vast archaeological site in central Israel encompassing the ruins of Maresha, one of the important towns of Judah during the time of the First Temple, and Beit Guvrin, an important town in the Roman era, when it was known as Eleutheropolis. The park is full of impressive caves and complex underground mazes. Some of the caves are natural, the result of water eroding the soft limestone surface, whilst others are thought to be the result of quarrying. The chalk quarried out of the caves was cut into building materials, whilst the hollow space left behind was used for water cisterns, warehouses and as burial caves. Archaeological artifacts unearthed at Beit Guvrin include a large Jewish cemetery, a Roman-Byzantine amphitheatre, a Byzantine church, public baths, mosaics and burial caves.
We climbed down a wooden staircase into our allocated cave and, after a short explanation about the area and the caves, we were given tools. It was time to get to work! Soon we started finding animal bones, bits of pottery and charcoal. The youngest son was excited to find a large tooth. These caves were the homes of residents of the area over 2000 years ago and we were discovering the remains of their meals, their kitchenware and parts of their home.
Afterwards, the stronger among us carried the rubble we had unearthed back up the stairs for sifting. We found a few more small pieces of pottery.
The next part of our archaeological experience was an exciting crawl through an unexcavated cave system. This isn't for the claustrophobic or physically challenged, but the kids had a blast climbing through the low openings and into the candlelit caves, and yes, I found it pretty exciting too!
Our Dig for a Day experience ended with stories about the artifacts and other incredible items found at the National Park. All the pieces we had discovered during our dig were of course handed over to be analysed by the Israel Antiquities Authority but as a cute touch the kids (and Mum!) were allowed to take pieces of pottery from a huge pile that had already been looked over.
Our Dig for a Day experience ended with stories about the artifacts and other incredible items found at the National Park. All the pieces we had discovered during our dig were of course handed over to be analysed by the Israel Antiquities Authority but as a cute touch the kids (and Mum!) were allowed to take pieces of pottery from a huge pile that had already been looked over.
Our dig had been a rewarding and fun experience for the whole family and one that I am sure we will talk about for some time to come. The youngest son in particular was fascinated and wants to go back to dig some more!
2 comments:
I was thinking how much my family would enjoy that right up until the point where you talked about climbing through narrow tunnels! The excavation would be right up our street though. We enjoyed visiting Grimes Graves last year, where we descended into darkness down a 30 ft ladder into man made caverns - very exciting when you realised how far down you were, and to think the caves had been dug by people wielding deer antlers!
What an awesome thing to be able to do! The boys look like they were really into it. Being able to take home a little piece of ancient treasure is the perfect way to top off the adventure. The crawling cave makes me uncomfortable just looking at it since I am one of those claustrophobic people!
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