Reports from the field: Day 4 @ El Araj

The base of a delicate Roman glass vessel unearthed by Lucas Turnage.

Today we concluded our first week of excavations. We continue to work down through Crusader and Byzantine remains. Vestiges of the past are unearthed frequently. The finds today include the base to a delicate Roman glass vessel, many mosaic pieces belonging to the Byzantine church of Peter and Andrew, lead weights used for fishing nets (Bethsaida's main industry was fishing in the nearby lake), and many Roman and Byzantine coins (17 found this week). We are well positioned to make good progress in the next three weeks as we seek to uncover the city's past.

— R. Steven Notley

Our team continues to work down through the upper layer to uncover the past at el Araj.

Three Byzantine coins found together. Both Byzantine and Roman coins have been identified among the 17 unearthed this week. These are important in dating the levels of settlement at el Araj.

We record the existing walls and floors as we dig down through them to previous periods

Mosaic floor from the Byzantine church of Peter and Andrew found while sifting remains from the excavations of el Araj.