Digging Through Ancient Garbage

Maresha, Apollonia, and an Ancient Toilet Bowl

Last weekend we traveled to Bet Gurvin national park to participate in Dig for a Day, a program where bumbling civilians get to dig through ancient garbage from the subterranean homes of the Edomite city of Maresha. Dig for a Day is a program I remember from my first trip to Israel in high school. It was one of my favorite things about my time here. Coming from a new subdivision in Texas, the idea that I could unearth ancient pottery was earth shattering. According to the guides, the Edomite’s backfilled their network of 2000 bell caves when they were forced to flea their city after the Maccabees took control. It was a scorched earth type policy with dirt instead of fire. Mixed in the dirt is pottery and ancient leftovers of charcoal and chicken bones.

Our girls are not quite old enough to have a framework for how ancient the artifacts are, but they absolutely loved the process of unearthing the remains, especially since all of the children were handed pickaxes, including a wild toddler who had just finished throwing an epic temper tantrum over not being allowed to eat bamba while sitting on top of antiquities. Sure, why not give him a pick axe too.

The absolute highlight of the day for the girls was our guided tour through one of the ancient dwellings. We crawled through narrow tunnels, passageways, and shimmied down a circular opening our guide nicknamed the ancient toilet bowl.

That night we traveled back to Herzliya exhausted and caked in limestone dust to begin a busy week. We made sure to leave plenty of time to enjoy the beach, especially the sunsets. It’s in the 50s to 60s here. As it warms, this area will be hopping, but right now it’s quiet and cozy. It’s “winter” and the Israeli’s are convinced that means it’s frigid. Even the tennis instructors wear down jackets.

This weekend we explored antiquities again. This time we traveled to Apollonia to see a Crusader fortress built on top of a Byzantine town. It was both gorgeous and educational. We had two main take ways from the outing:

1. While the Crusaders were good at building fortresses, the Byzantines knew how to live it up. Byzantines built pools, soaking baths, and amazing mosaic floors in homes with breath taking views.

2. Watching Monty Python before visiting a Crusader Castle is a parenting must. Every time we read an informational placard, the girls were like ‘Oh yeah. I know about that from the Holy Grail.’