This week has gone by way, way too fast! I'm back in jerusalem already, it's so crazy. we did get a lot of work done, and I better have some good muscles once this is over, besides the hiking part, i have dug with the pick axe for 3 out of the 4 days about. In the group Eric is over there are four working squares, I've kinda been jumping back and forth between, but the main one, and the one i'll be staying on (hopefully, unless he makes me work on another project) is finally starting to produce results, we settled on a surface at the beginning of the week, and then today we think we found the mycaenean floor that had been found in the neighboring square and hopefully right under the surface are some good things, like a whole vessel (cross my fingers). the other day i did find a bronze age accessorie pin, that was cool, it was an aquamarine colored metal. in our area we have also found an egyptian faience scarab (absolutely amazing), a loom weight, some large vessel sherds, and part of a MB, possibly EB fortification wall, and where i am there might even be evidence of a room system with a mud brock wall form early iron age. we try not to be jealous of area D who got ot the destruction layer, and last night pulled out 32 complete vessels (though amit promises that if they have to pull out any more i can come help, i was supposed to last night, but it didn't work out). I unofficially have the position of assistant everything to eric, pretty sure its more a serf-master relationship, but i have been learning so much and he takes time to explain and teach me everything he can. next year he's going to make me official assistant ,though I'm pretty sure it's only because he wants to pass off all his paperwork to someone else :)

On Monday we visited Tel Burna, a new site that is hoped to be the ancient lebnah, it was quite exciting, eric calls it the Lachish of our generation, we'll see, it would be very fun to dig there, though, to be able to be in the opening stages of a dig. And they have it worked out that their dig is the three weeks right before zafit's, maybe they'll make it a discount if we do both. Hopefully tomorrow I'll go to the rockfeller, Eric's going to show me all the vessel and teach me more about identifying them, at the moment I can only identify about 3, maybe 4 types of the pottery when i find it. Last week I was able to go back to the temple mount and holy sepulchre, i was pretty excited when I could find both places and lead my friends to both places on my own :) Jeff also took me and eric around a little tour type adventure over to Mt. Zion and through the old city. We also went to an archaeologist meeting/party thing for israeli archaeology where pretty much all the big wigs go, there were three of us with Jeff, I mostly stuck with Eli who made it a point to point out every important face and position to me, i think managed get 5 memorized, but i am definitely learning the important people and politics or the archaeology game here. The hostel i'm in this weekend, is right inside damascus gate and has a rooftop garden to look out over the city, i love looking out over everything. And it's right by some great food places, i had amazing kabob tonight, there's a reason why Jeff says the only reason he comes is for the food :)

if your interested, there's an actual site blog- gath.wordpress.org