Sarah Smith, Adam Coe,
Working at Ein Gedi is incredible. We spend our days hiking in a beautiful oasis in the Judaean Desert and get
discount ice cream. As if it weren't already the best job ever, recently it became even better. While our boss,
Yaacov, was hiking near the Ein Gedi Spring one day, he stumbled upon a two thousand year old tomb from around the time of the Second Temple. Two days later the Antiquities Authority sent out a team of archaeologists to excavate. The four of us were invited to work at the dig as volunteers. When we arrived at the tomb it didn't look like much- there was a hole in the ground and lots of scattered rocks. We first uncovered the entrance to the tomb which consisted of a wall and a large rock which was used to cover the door. Once we dug our way inside, the artifacts started to pour in. As we sifted through the buckets coming out of the tomb, we found pottery, both broken and intact. There was Roman glasswork and iron utensils which had been imported from Europe. By the end of the first day we had already uncovered over 40 thousand dollars worth of artifacts. When we arrived back at the tomb at 8 am the next morning, the archaeologists had already been digging for 2 hours. We had to work fast because the permit for the dig expired that day. We took turns working in the hole, hauling buckets, and sifting dirt. The finds kept rolling in, including beads, oil lamps, and perfume bottles; remnants of our ancient Jewish ancestors. As the dig was winding down, one of us found an amulet containing ancient Jewish writing on a piece of parchment, possibly even
a prayer written in the Temple!
The dig was incredible, not only because it was interesting but also because we got to help uncover the history of the Jews who lived here 2000 years ago. We all feel privileged and grateful to have had the opportunity to take part in such a unique experience.
