Tel Dor 2010
July 6th - August 12th
The Dor consortium consists of several different institutions, as well as individual volunteers, who may be associated with one of the groups, or unassociated. All the groups share in the fieldwork and accommodations. Students and volunteers are assigned duties according to the priorities of excavation, their abilities, and the focus of the academic program they are engaged in (if possible). Academic and recreational programs vary, however, in scope, demands, numbers of credits and the institution offering them -- and consequently also in price (and sometimes dates). In some cases the excavation experience at Dor is only part of a wider educational / recreational program, which may include tours before / after the excavations or on weekends. This notwithstanding, some of the activities are shared by several programs and many of the afternoon lectures are open to all. Weekend tours of the groups may be open to non-group members on the basis of available space and cost-sharing. You are encouraged to explore the different options offered below to pick the one which best suits you.
Registration options:
- Prof. Bloch-Smith's group, focusing on biblical periods and archaeological method and theory. Members of this group may apply for credits at the Hebrew University Rothberg International School Tel Dor Field School (2 or 4 credits) or at the University of Haifa Fieldschool. Please apply here.
- The University of Washington Tel Dor Excavations and Field school.
Enrollment in the UW Field school brings with it 12 UW credits in Classics 399, NELC (Near Eastern Studies) 399, or Archeology 270. These credits, which are transferable to your home institution, apply only to those enrolling with the UW group. For further information and application, visit the UW Tel Dor website or contact professor Sarah Stroup at: scstroup@u.washington.edu. - German-speaking group. For information please contact H. Larissa Gerstner at: hl.gerstner@arcor.de, phone in Germany: 0761-23068, or go directly to registration pages in German.
- Individuals not interested in joining any of the above groups may apply directly to the Dor office in Jerusalem.
Field School opportunities:
Accommodations
are at Kfar Galim, a boarding school about a 15 - minute drive up the coast from Dor, nestled at a secluded spot between the Carmel ridge and the beach, just south of Haifa.
Units (of 2 - 4 persons each) are air-conditioned; and each set of units has a club-room with a kitchenette, TV and internet connections. Beddings (sheet, pillow and light blanket) are provided and changed weekly. Accommodations include full board: Lunch and supper will be taken at the school and breakfast will be served on-site. Coffee, tea and snacks will be made available in the units' club-rooms. Various amenities (swimming pool, sports facilities) are available in the school.
The business center at the south entry to Haifa (with shopping malls, restaurants, a train station etc.) is about a five minute ride away. Busses (to Haifa, Tel Aviv and other places) stop near the school entrance (on route 4) every 5 - 10 minutes.
The Tel Dor project is devoted to investigating one of the largest
coastal cities in ancient Israel. Excavations were carried out
from 1980 to 2000 by an expedition headed by Ephraim Stern of the
Hebrew University. A new consortium, consisting of two Israeli
and several American universities, as well as a large multi-disciplinary and
multi-national team of scholars and experts, has reopened the
excavation, using it as a testing-ground for new techniques and technologies
for extracting information about the past.
In addition to continued archaeological exploration of this
fascinating site, our consortium is committed to bring the finds of the
previous expedition to final publication, and to
begin to conserve the site and prepare it more fully for public access.
If you are interested in making a donation to help continue this work,
or simply in contacting someone to discuss the possibility of future
support, click here.
Our objectives for this season include (see plan):
- Digging the elite section of the settlement, including the investigation of large complex (possibly a palace or administrative building) in the southern part of the Hellenistic city (Area D4) and large Iron Age Israelite public structure (Area D2).
- Excavating parts of the Early Iron Age Phoenician town in Areas D2 and D5 on the southern slope of the acropolis, aiming (in D5) to reach the Bronze Age city, never before exposed at Dor.
- Conservation of architecture in various excavation areas.
- Analysis of both finds and stratigraphy at the site museum.
Participants will be engaged in all facets of state-of-the-art field archaeology, including excavation, digital registration of architecture and artifacts using advanced graphics and database software, on-site scientific sampling and analysis of deposits and other eco-facts in a variety of techniques, analysis of finds and stratigraphy, and site conservation.
Volunteers will gain proficiency in these subjects as they work in close quarter with the professional and academic staff of a front-line international interdisciplinary project.
Emergency contact information will be posted prior to the season.
Contact Addresses:
Volunteer coordinators:
- Prof. L.Bloch-Smith (bloch-smith@msn.com)
- Prof. S. Stroup (scstroup@u.washington.edu)
- H. Larissa Gerstner (hl.gerstner@arcor.de)
- Jerusalem office (dor-proj@mscc.huji.ac.il)