THE 2007 EXCAVATIONS IN THE ROMAN FORT AT YOTVATA, ISRAEL
INTRODUCTION
Yotvata is the modern name of an oasis with saline marshes located in Israel’s southern Arava (rift valley), about 25 miles north of Eilat and Aqaba on the Red Sea. The name Yotvata is based on the possible identification of the oasis with Biblical “Jotbathah, a land with brooks of water” (Deut. 10:7), one of the Israelites’ encampments during their desert wanderings. The water springs and location made Yotvata a focus for settlement in different periods, with a number of ancient sites located around the oasis.
In June 2007, we will conduct our fifth season of excavations in the Roman fort at Yotvata. The fort is located to the west of and next to the main highway to Eilat. A stone police station of the British Mandatory period sits atop the remains of the fort. In plan, the fort is a typical Roman castellum: a square enclosure measuring approximately 40 x 40 meters (ca. 120 feet square). In the 1970’s, an expedition under the direction of Zeev Meshel of Tel Aviv University made some soundings in the fort. This expedition discovered two main occupation levels, both of which they dated to the fourth century C.E. on the basis of coins. In the mid-1980’s, a monumental Latin inscription was discovered by accident. Originally set above the main (east) gate, it tells us that the fort was built by Priscus, probably one of the governors (praeses) of the province of Syria-Palestina during the reign of Diocletian and the other tetrarchs (293-305). This fort guarded the oasis and its garrison would have escorted caravan traffic along the valley road. Our excavations in 2003-2005 revealed a more complex occupational sequence than that suggested by Meshel. We have good evidence for an early Islamic occupation (seventh-early eighth centuries) as well as a series of Roman phases, the earliest of which equates to the Tetrarchic foundation.
DATES AND HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS
The 2007 excavations will take place from June 3-June 29 under the direction of Professor Gwyn Davies of Florida International University ( Miami, FL), and Professor Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The staff and work force will consist of students and volunteers from the US, Israel, and other countries. The excavation is open to anyone 18 years of age and above. No archaeological experience is required. We will be housed at Kibbutz Lotan, a communal farm up the highway from the site. Housing will consist of air-conditioned, shared rooms (with two persons per room). Each room has its own bathroom and shower facilities, and the dorm units are equipped with kitchenettes. Participants on the dig are allowed access to the kibbutz’s swimming pool. We will dig from the crack of dawn (about 5:30 am) until lunchtime (about 1 pm) every day, Sundays through Fridays. After lunch and a siesta, participants will wash pottery or participate in workshops given by staff members in the afternoon. Two or three nights per week, senior staff members will give lectures after dinner. Breakfast will be eaten at the site; lunches and dinners will be eaten in the kibbutz dining room.
SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS
As a remote desert site far from major urban centers, Yotvata is a safe area. Nevertheless, for security reasons, participants will not be allowed to travel on their own during the period of the excavation. Instead, we will organize field trips to local archaeological sites on weekends. These trips will avoid Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other crowded urban areas. Before the excavation begins and after it ends, participants are free to travel on their own, but at their own risk and responsibility. All participants are required to sign the attached “Informed Consent/Waiver of Responsibility” Form before arriving on the excavation.
Participants can fly into Ben-Gurion Airport (near Tel Aviv; about a 4 hour drive from the site) or into the airport in Eilat (about ½ hour drive from Yotvata). Please note that we will arrange to meet flights arriving at Ben Gurion on June 2 – the transport will depart the airport for the kibbutz in the late afternoon-early evening (around 6 pm). Similarly, we will ensure that transport is provided from the kibbutz back to Ben Gurion on the morning of June 30th. Anyone flying in to or out of the airport on alternative dates (or those with early morning flights leaving Ben Gurion on June 30th) will have to make independent transport arrangements.
COST AND CREDIT
The excavation costs $50 per day per participant. This covers room, full board, and transportation for the purposes of the excavation (including all field trips except for an optional, two-day field trip to Mount Sinai in mid-June). It does not include airfare to and from Israel; participants must make their own air travel arrangements. A minimum stay of 2 weeks is required. Students wishing to receive academic credit may do so through the Hebrew University School for Overseas Students Summer Courses Program (and transfer the credit to their home institution). Students from UNC-CH who want academic credit must contact the UNC Study Abroad Office. Students opting to receive academic credit for the excavation are required to participate for the full 4 weeks and must fulfill the requirements set by Professor Magness.
TOTAL COST: Airfare to Israel + $50 per day for room and board + $60 non-refundable application fee (see below) + tuition (optional, for academic credit) + pocket money.
REQUIREMENTS
No background in archaeology is required for this excavation, as participants will receive full instruction (though any background is considered a plus). The two qualities we seek are:
1) Physical strength and endurance. Digging is hard physical labor, involving the use of picks, shovels, wheelbarrows, and the lifting of stones. We will be doing this work in the middle of the desert, in the heat of the Middle Eastern summer, where temperatures regularly average well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The biggest health hazard participants will face is dehydration and sunstroke. Because of this, everyone is required to dig with the protection of a hat and sunscreen, to wear appropriate clothing and footgear (no digging in bathing suits!), and to drink plenty of water. Before being accepted to the excavation, applicants must have a physician certify that they are in excellent physical condition (see attached form). They must also provide written documentation that they carry full health coverage and insurance that will cover them in Israel.
2) A cheerful outlook and a sense of humor. Getting up before dawn, working in the summer heat, and living intensively with a small group of people can be stressful. We seek team players who can get along well with others under these conditions, and who will appreciate the unique experience of digging at Yotvata.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
1) Applicants must submit a completed application form, a signed medical form (see below), two passport photos, a signed waiver of responsibility form (see below), and a non-refundable application fee of $60 to Professor Davies no later than March 15, 2007. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by March 31, 2007. Please send the application materials and checks to:
Professor Gwyn Davies, Florida International University, Department of History, DM 388A, University Park, Miami, Fl 33199. Tel: (305) 348 2974. Fax: (305) 348 3561. Email: daviesg@fiu.edu.
2) A non-refundable registration fee of $120 must be paid within one week of notification of acceptance to hold the applicant’s place on the excavation.
3) ALL OTHER PAYMENT FOR ROOM AND BOARD MUST BE RECEIVED BY APRIL 15, 2007. Please note that the $120 registration fee is counted towards the cost of room and board. Payment of tuition for academic credit is made directly to the Hebrew University School for Overseas Students Summer Courses Program or to UNC-Chapel Hill.
ALL CHECKS SHOULD BE MADE PAYABLE TO Gwyn Davies.
Applicants accepted to the excavation will receive newsletters with additional information during the course of spring 2007.
