The Processes of Excavating and Preserving an Archaeological Dig - Shiloh, Israel

In June, I joined an archaeological dig in Shiloh, Israel. While there, I recorded segments from those doing different components of the dig.

The process begins with a small group working in a measured space to remove large and medium-sized rocks and then look for any pottery, bones, artifacts, or anything that looks different. The soil is dumped in a “goofa” (a basket made of tires) and brought to a dry-sift area. Smaller rocks are discarded here and loose dirt is sifted away. What remains is still preserved and is taken to wet sifting where very small things unseen previously, show up, such as beads or small coins.

Once the sifting is completed, any pottery found is washed and recorded. Any artifacts are logged and sent to a professional to do more research to determine what was found.

Click here for that recording.