Digging Mount Zion
Two weeks from today, on March 2, which just happens to be my birthday, we will officially inaugurate our Mt Zion Excavation for 2008. We have three sessions planned this year, the first running March 2-28, the other two in the summer running June 15-July 25 and August 17-September 12. Minimum stay in March is one week; and two weeks for the summer sessions. Volunteers, whom we call “Team Members,” of whatever age, level of experience, or affiliation are welcome to join us, as long as they are physically fit. Full details are on our Web site: DigMountZion. Although we are past our deadline for registration there are still a few spaces left in March if anyone wants to join us at the last minute.
I have had quite a few people ask me just where we are digging. In this case, a photo is worth a thousand words. You can see below that we are just along the road, outside the Old City Wall on the south, at the base of Mt Zion, between the Dung Gate and Zion Gate. In Roman times this area of Herodian Jerusalem was square inside the city walls, in fact, fairly much at the center of the main city itself. Our Web site explains some of the exciting potential we anticipate lies just below the ground.
University sponsored excavations are usually funded by private donations. We are in the process of raising money for our Mt Zion efforts as described in this Proposal that we welcome you to download, print out, and otherwise circulate. If any of you wish to help with funding or point us to individuals or sources with which you are in touch, please contact me directly via e-mail: jdtabor@uncc.edu