TEL BURNA DIG 2022

-In the Summer of 2022, my college (Touro College) partnered with Ariel University on their archeological excavation at Tel Burna.

-Tel Burna, is the name given to the historical Libnah. Libnah was one of the 13 Kohanic cities and is mentioned a few times in Tenach. It became an important city because it was on the border between the Jews and the Plishtim. Libnah is exactly in between the largest Jewish and Plishti cities, Gath (Plishti) and Lachish (Jewish). Where I excavated, there is a layer of destruction, likely from Sanchereib.

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YouTube

(my videos from this travel)

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SUNRISE

We typically started working at 5:45 AM, in order to avoid the heat later in the day. As such, we had incredible views of sunrise!

My favorite sunrise picture!!!

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ARCHEOLOGY

When we first got there, we had to clear all the brush that grew there since the previous year.

Now the digging could begin.

In order to see what is underneath, the above structure had to be removed/destroyed.

As such, everything was meticulously photographed in order to preserve it, and to build a 3D model from which the archeologists could use to analyze what's there.

For example, here we found a plastered floor. Before removing part of it, I cleaned it (and probably consumed some prehistoric plaster), and then photographed it.

That black and white stick is to measure the elevation of the floor.

We used this device to measure the elevation.

Me using it.

At the end of the working day, we would cover up where we were working.

While a bit rare, we did find some digging companions.

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FINDS

In the back right, remains of a casemate wall that is 3000 years old!

At the end of the season, this section was fully excavated.

Remains of the foundation of some major Canani buildings.

The city entrance.

Casemate wall. During times of peace they were used for storage, during war, they filled up this area to thicken the defense wall.

A cow tooth.

Whoever made this pottery left their fingerprint on it.

A smoothing stone.

This an important piece of pottery.

This piece of pottery is called a portfolio.

From this one shard you can tell what the whole piece was.

Perhaps a kids toy.

An animal bone.

The bone excavated.

Animal teeth still attached to the jaw.

A bead.

A filter.

A team found all these jugs.

Right where I was excavating, they found a layer of destruction from Sancheriv. (That day, I went to dig in the casemate wall)

Every day, I would say I'm looking for the selfie of David Hamelech. My Co-Workers made me this as a goodbye gift.