Israel will never cease to offer up the past because the land is a virtual layer cake, each culture built upon the ashes of the culture that thrived before - the land of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the first Hebrews, the Canaanites, Imperial Rome, Saladin, the crusaders, the Ottoman Turks. Ever since the great archaeological excavation began at Masada in 1964, people from around the globe have flocked to Israel each year to participate in one of more than two dozen ongoing digs. Many are digging now, but most get under way in late spring. Recent discoveries include a vast port submerged in the waters just offshore at Caesarea, and the oldest known synagogue near Jericho, the place where Joshua fought and the walls came tumbling down. Artifacts are everywhere.
Work begins on-site at dawn before the day's heat becomes overwhelming.
When things begin to roast, everyone has lunch and a siesta. There are a few more hours of work before dinner followed by a campfire under the stars. Participating in an archaeological dig is definitely not a spa at a fancy resort.