About the Project: Participate in New Orleans Seminary’s archaeological excavation of an ancient Canaanite water system (the largest of its kind) at Tel Gezer in Israel and the investigation of structures related to the Bronze Age Canaanite Gate.

Dates: May 22 – June 10, 2016. Volunteers should plan to arrive no later than May 21, and those working all three weeks should plan departures for June 11 or 12.

Cost: $1950 for the three-week season, or $650 per week (Extra days $100 / day) + airfare. Costs cover room, board and weekend travel. Preference will be given to three-week participants. Participants are responsible for their own flights to and from Israel. The dig will arrange airport pickup.

Weekend Travel: The expedition will arrange several field trips covering key regions and archaeological sites of Israel. Weekend travel costs are included in the excavation pricing.

Accommodations: Volunteers will be housed in air-conditioned rooms at the Neve Shalom Guest House, with three to four persons per room.

Academic Credit: Undergraduate or graduate course credit for up to 6 semester hours is available. Standard tuition cost and fees apply.

More Information: To learn more about the dig, contact Dr. Dan Warner (dwarner@nobts.edu) or Dr. Dennis Cole (rdcole@nobts.edu), or visit Moskau Institute and Center for Archaeological Research website www. nobts.edu/archaeologycenter/

The ancient city of Gezer, located between Jerusalem and the modern-day city of Tel Aviv, was a Canaanite city-state that reached its height of importance in the Middle and Late Bronze Age. Much of Gezer’s importance derived from its location near the Via Maris, an important ancient trade route. The Bible mentions the city 14 times in the Old Testament. In one of the more important Gezer entries, the Bible reports that an Egyptian pharaoh conquered Gezer and gave it to Solomon as a dowry (1 Kings 9:16). The account records that Solomon rebuilt and fortified Gezer along with Hazor and Megiddo.