An Archaeological Study Tour
Israel
Oct. 27– Nov. 12, 2010
Led by Dr. Mattanyah Zohar, Archaeologist


The Lands of the Bible, though physically small and shared today by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, have attracted the attention of Western scholars for more than two hundred years. This tour encompasses the marvelous kaleidoscope of Israel’s archaeological riches from the Neolithic Revolution and the Bronze and Iron Ages to the Classical and Medieval Periods. Five full days will be spent in Jerusalem, exploring in depth the archaeological sites, the outstanding museums and the major Christian, Jewish, and Islamic holy places. Some of the many highlights of the tour include the prehistoric Carmel Caves, King Herod’s fortress of Masada, Bronze and Iron Age Megiddo, Hazor, Dan and Lachish as well as the famous classical sites Bet She’an, Caesarea, Capernaum and Sepphoris. During the Galilee portion of the tour, the sites visited include the Crusader fortress at Qalat Namrud, the fortified town of Gamla and ancient Katzrin. The exploration of these sites and the plethora of local museums will provide significant insights into both the ancient and modern history of the Near East and its profound influence on Western civilization.


Wednesday, October 27: Depart in the evening from our home cities.

Thursday, October 28: JERUSALEM: Our arrival into Ben Gurion Airport will be in the evening. We drive up to Jerusalem and relax at our well-located hotel, David Citadel, before our orientation lecture and dinner with Dr. Zohar.
Meals: Dinner

Friday, October 29: JERUSALEM: Our tour begins on the Mt. of Olives and Mt. Scopus, with several spectacular views of Jerusalem. These views will give us a clearer understanding of Jerusalem’s geographical position. We then drive down to the Old City and begin to explore the city’s historical layers at the City of David. Excavations have exposed the city and shaft leading from the city to the water supply in the Kidron Valley. We will examine Hezekiah’s Tunnel, built through the rock under the city to divert the water into an inner city reservoir, the Gihon Spring and Pool of Siloam. There will be time this afternoon to stroll in the Old City and to experience the preparations for the Jewish Sabbath in the Jewish Quarter.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Saturday, October 30: JERUSALEM: Our first stop this morning is the Model of Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple. The remainder of the morning is devoted to an in-depth visit to the Israel Museum (portions of the museum remain closed for renovation), which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and many other treasures, as well as an ethnography collection and the Billy Rose sculpture gardens. Lastly, we will stroll through the Kidron Valley, which holds some of the finest standing monuments of the Second Temple period.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Sunday, October 31: JERUSALEM: The focus of this exciting day is the recent discoveries of the Second Temple period. Beginning in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, we visit the Herodian Quarter, the residence of the upper-class Jerusalemites; the Cardo, the main thoroughfare of the Upper City and the fascinating southern wall excavations.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Monday, November 1: JERUSALEM: Returning to the Old City, we tour the Islamic monuments on the Temple Mount, including the Dome of the Rock and El-Aqsa Mosque (provided they are open to the public). Our touring continues with the excavations of the Western Wall and the Christian Quarter, visiting the Bethesda Pool and the Church of St. Anne. Lastly, we will follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Tuesday, November 2: JERUSALEM: Traveling south, we stop at Lachish, conquered by the Assyrian King Sennacherib in 701 BC. The capture of Lachish was the subject of a magnificent series of wall reliefs for the palace at Nineveh. These reliefs can now be seen at the British Museum. We then continue to the caves of Beit Guvrin, thought to have been dug first for stone to build the Roman coastal cities, and later used as churches by the Byzantines and Crusaders.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Wednesday, November 3: JERUSALEM: We have made special arrangements for a tour and lecture at the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, the oldest American research center for ancient Near Eastern studies in the Middle East. Touring continues at the Rockefeller Museum of Archaeology. Here we will see important finds from throughout the country, including the famous Israelite “Lachish Letters.” The afternoon is at leisure to explore the city on our own.
Meals: Breakfast

Thursday, November 4: SODOM: Our day begins at Herodion, the spectacular fortress built by King Herod between 22 and 15 BCE. We then visit the desert settlement at Tel Arad, an impressive Early Bronze Age city and Israelite citadel, anddescend to the Dead Sea, stopping along the way to view spectacular desert vistas. We will arrive at the Isrotel Dead Sea Hotel with time to swim in the Dead Sea before dinner.
Meals, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Friday, November 5: TIBERIAS: This special day begins with an early ascent to the great fortress of Masada. Built by Herod as a sanctuary, it was later occupied by the Zealots and others fleeing the Romans. After a full morning at this extensive site, we will travel north to Qumran, believed to have been an Essene settlement whose library housed the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in nearby caves. We then continue to ancient Jericho (political conditions permitting), one of the oldest urban settlements in the world. After completing our touring, we drive up the Jordan Valley to Tiberias for two nights at the Sheraton Moriah Tiberias, situated on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Meals, Breakfast & Lunch

Saturday, November 6: TIBERIAS: Touring continues at Bet She’an, where excavations, still under way, have revealed evidence of Bet She’an’s role as an Egyptian provincial capital as early as the 14th to 12th centuries BCE. After lunch, a lovely drive through the rolling hills of the Galilee brings us to the ancient site of Sepphoris, which houses amid its villas a very fine mosaic, locally referred to as the “Mona Lisa of Sepphoris.”

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Sunday, November 7: GALILEE: Our first stop this morning is Capernaum, the site of Jesus’ three-year ministry. We will then drive around the Sea of Galilee to the Golan Archaeological Museum and the ancient site of Katzrin. We will stop to examine 2nd millennium BCE funerary dolmens and view the fortified ancient town of Gamla from above. We can easily imagine the bloody battle discribed by Josephus as we stand above the ruined city. After lunch, touring continues at Hazor where we explore the site and Amnon Ben-Tor’s current excavations. Early work by Yigael Yadin revealed 21 different strata of settlement going back to the Early Bronze Age. Famous as one of King Solomon’s military centers, it was finally destroyed by the Assyrians. We will spend the next two nights at Kfar Blum Kibbutz.
Meals, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Monday, November 8: GALILEE: Our day begins at Tel Dan, known in antiquity as Laish until it was captured by the tribe of Dan. This fascinating tel has yielded wonderful architecture, including a fine Middle Bronze Age mud-brick arched gate and a cult center, where three altars have been found. The afternoon’s touring will focus on the Golan Heights and will include Banias, one of the sources of the Jordan, and the Crusader fortress of Qalat Namrud.
Meals, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Tuesday, November 9: HAIFA: Returning to the Galilee, our first visit will be to the Solomonic city of Megiddo, exploring the remains of the ancient city, the Early Bronze Age temples and the city’s amazing water system. We will spend the afternoon in Haifa at the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum at Haifa University. This fine museum exhibits material from the “Land of Israel,” including an outstanding collection of Phoenician material. Dan Carmel Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Wednesday, November 10: TEL AVIV: Continuing south along the Mediterranean, we stop first at Tel Dor. This ancient harbor is unique for its evidence of three long-boat slips cut into the rocks and for its well-preserved remains of a purple-dye factory. We will visit the small Nautical Museum, before continuing to the Roman port of Caesarea, built by King Herod. Ongoing excavations are exposing greater expanses of the Roman city and port. We will spend the next two nights in Tel Aviv at the Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel.Tonight we will meet for our farewell dinner.
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Thursday, Friday, November 11 & 12: TEL AVIV: Our last morning in Israel will be spent visiting the Ha’aretz Museum, including Tel Qasile, a well-preserved Philistine temple. The afternoon will be at leisure to relax on the beach, finish our shopping or stroll on the boardwalk. Late Thursday night we transfer to the airport for our flight home.
Meals: Breakfast