Indiana Jones for the Weekend...Without the Action

Monday, April 30, 2007

7 comments
What does one do with a 3-day holiday weekend? Go digging in the dirt, of course! I just returned from a couple of days working with an archaeologist friend down in Shobak. My friend specializes in Iron Age pottery and is working in a number of Edomite sites just north of Petra.

The weather was perfect. The Bedouin hospitality was fantastic. (On a side note, Bedouin tea beats Ammani tea any day of the week.) And to top it off, we dug up some really cool stuff. We found tons of pottery, including a number of really nice, significant pieces. We also uncovered a number of bones, some coal (for radio carbon dating), a bunch of seeds (great for dating because they only have a lifespan of 1 year), a piece of leather with a hair attached to it, and a pile of fossilized clams and mussels.

Now how do you suppose clams and mussels arrived in the middle of the desert at 1,220 meters above sea level?

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

THAT sound like fun!

4/30/2007 8:46 PM  
Blogger Madi said...

duuuuuuudeeeeeee, this post doesn't work without some pics!

4/30/2007 11:07 PM  
Blogger Dave said...

Ok, Jad...I've added a picture just for you.

5/01/2007 9:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I second what Kinzi's said! awesome!

5/01/2007 10:11 PM  
Blogger Blogger said...

Finders keepers?

Pottery? What happened to being cool and looking for the sweet sweet gold?

Anyways, I hope that if you find something of historical value that you turn it in to the Department of , just make sure you give it to a smart person there (not too many).
http://www.doa.jo/doa1.htm

Good stuff.

5/02/2007 10:15 PM  
Blogger Dave said...

Firas,

Not to worry; my friend has a Department of Antiquities representative present at the site each day.

5/02/2007 10:22 PM  
Blogger Blogger said...

Tsk Tsk tsk, shame on you guys.

Okay, 50% and I won't tell?

5/03/2007 2:49 AM  

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