Yavne Diary 2007

So, another year has come and gone. While wonderful progress was made on the geophysics of Tel Yavne, and the long-term plan is being concretized, there is still much work to be done.

2006 produced an intriguing find in a field on the opposite side of the train tracks. Four meters below the surface, and extending to a depth of 20 meters+ (our scans only went that far), we found an underground feature that looks like a tooth. A monumental tooth of immense proportions. Archaeologists, geophysicists, and regular folks like Barnea and I, have no idea what it is.

We learned a new phrase last year - "ground-truthing". It's become one of my favorites, because it means until you actually dig, you're only dealing with conjecture, theory, intuition - guess work. Ground-truthing means that we've actually put the shovel in the soil and KNOW exactly what it is. Hopefully. Because as much as archaeology endeavors to be a "hard" science, even after "ground-truthing" much can still be ambiguous and open to interpretation. That's what makes this so much fun. Because for every answer we get, we are led inexorably towards ten new questions.

...so stick around. Late December we are looking to put the shovels in the ground once again. Maybe we'll find a mausoleum, an unusual natural out-cropping, or even part of a tower or city wall. It's all part of the unfolding story that is Yavne, and this time, it was geophysics that showed the way.

Shana Tova and best wishes,
David Willner
Parshat Ki Tavo El Ha'Aretz 5767