Excavations & Publication Project
One of the main projects of the CAR is its participation in the Tel Gezer excavation and publication project in the Middle East. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary has participated in several projects the past quarter of a century.
Summer 2012 Gezer Water System Expedition
Project: In the Summer 2011 expedition, access was cleared to the Gezer Water System tunnel leading down to the main water source, and entrance to the horizontal cave was gained. In 2012 we will continue to clear the diagonal tunnel and expand the excavation of the cave.
Dates: - May 27-June 15, 2011 (3 weeks); guests need to arrive by May 25 or 26.
Cost: $1,500.00 for room, board, transportation, and weekend travel for the full three weeks. Overseas flights are to be arranged by each individual, and the dig staff will arrange for each to be picked up at the nearby (20 minutes) Ben Gurion airport. Some space is available for those who cannot stay all 3 weeks, at $600.00 per week.
Weekend Travel: - the expedition will arrange travel to various key areas and sites during the three week stay.
Graduate or undergraduate credit: - 6 hours of credit can be obtained through NOBTS for the full 3 week participation in the expedition. A reduced tuition charge will be assessed by NOBTS for participants in course credit. Contact Dr. Cole for more information on courses and credit opportunities.
Accommodations and Directions: - The excavation project will be housed at Neve Shalom. The Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (Oasis of Peace) Guest House is part of a unique community in which Jews and Arabs have chosen to live side-by-side. The students and staff will stay in the various suites on the hotel grounds. These suites will be within a short walking distance of the excavation dighouse where all the lectures and processing of finds will take place. Neve Shalom is located close to everything in central Israel, 30 minutes from either Tel Aviv of Jerusalem, 20 minutes from Ben Gurion Airport. All guestrooms have air conditioning, telephone, television, and refrigerator. The dighouse and hotel lobby have wireless availability for all guests.
Visit the Neve Shalom website for more information: http://www.nswas.com/hotel/
Contacts: - Dr. Dan Warner (dwarner@nobts.edu) or Dr. Dennis Cole, (RDCole@nobts.edu)
http://www.nobtsgatekeeper.com/
Summer 2011Gezer Water System Expedition
Project: - Access was cleared through the Gezer Water System diagonal tunnel leading down to the main water source, and entrance to the horizontal cave was accomplished.
Dates: - May 21-June 11 2011
Summer 2010 Excavation Project
In the summer of 2010 NOBTS took on the project of probing the ancient water system at Tel Gezer. The broader excavation of Tel Gezer (under the directorship of Dr. Steven Ortiz of SBTS and Dr. Sam Wolff of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and which NOBTS is a consortium member), took the summer off to publish the results of its last four seasons. In the interim, NOBTS under the leadership of Drs. Dan Warner, Dennis Cole, Jim Parker (all professors at NOBTS) and Dr. Tsvika Tsuk (of the Israel National Parks Authority), took on the challenge to reopen the ancient water system at Gezer which was first exposed in 1905 by the British archaeologist Robert Macalister. Since his excavations left several unanswered questions; like what is the source for the water, the date of the tunnel and its overall function it is necessary to reopen the system and clarify these issues. Since it was first exposed, over 10 meters of fill has accumulated in the tunnel which leads to a cave or cavern which is the source for the water. This tunnel leading to the cavern, is over 40 meters long heading in an eastern direction. Our goal this past summer was to open a probe and see if it is possible to reach the cavern and determine the feasibility of reopening the whole system for public exploration. On the link page for CAR, one can check out the Photo Gallery and Videos on updates on what we are doing and how far we have dug to reach the opening of this cavern. Our goal was to reach the mouth of the cavern and explore fully its function.
Click on the link below to obtain more information for the full Tel Gezer Dig