From the Field: The Tell Madaba Archaeological Project… Week 2

By Daniel Kwan, Gallery Facilitator and Volunteer

Our excavation at Tell Madaba in Jordan has begun! After a rather lengthy cleaning effort, our unit is now free of dense foliage and garbage. In the previous dig season (June 24 – August 8, 2010) we had excavated approximately nine feet down, cutting through the Hellenistic period to the Late Iron Age. During the previous excavation with the Tell Madaba Archaeological Project, we had uncovered a set of three walls that ran through the bottom of our square. Although the relationship between these walls is uncertain at this point, I hope that my students and I will be able to excavate the remnants of a fourth wall. Understanding the relationship between the walls (which don’t line up with each other) through further excavation, coupled with the presence of mortars, grinding stones, storage vessels, and jar stoppers, may indicate the presence of a storage room or pantry. I have a strong feeling that the other areas within our excavation unit (burnt layers and pounded earth floors) may be connected to our current excavation efforts.

Only time will tell!

Daniel