T imothy Sailors used to go on vacation to relax. Not last year. The site is important in understanding the degree to which Hellenism and Judaism influenced early Christianity. He joined the dig as a volunteer with EarthCorps, the field crew of Earthwatch, a non-profit ecological organization. EarthCorps dispatches scores of people looking for a unique vacation across the country and around the world to assist scientists.
Archaeology is just one of several project areas.
It isn't necessary to be a biblical scholar to participate in a Holy Land excavation. But to be satisfied with scratching around in the baked earth for several weeks, it helps to value learning over comfort. My faith was strengthened by an increased understanding of the sort of world in which Jesus and his earliest followers lived. Tel Megiddo is located about 50 miles north of Tel Aviv, near the junction of the roads to the Sea of Galilee and the port city of Haifa. The mound itself rises 680 feet and commands a view of Nazareth.