Shalom Salaam!: Dust and Water Beneath Our Feet

We started out the day in the classroom, discussing the geography and history of the region. While all the information was rather interesting, what caught my attention the most was our discussion on objectivity. Archeology, Aubrey reiterated over and over, is not a science, but an art. Anyone can approach the evidence and interpret it how he or she wants, with whatever biases he or she possesses. While I will be the first to concede that we all approach the world with our biases, the journalist in me flinches at this seemingly blatant disregard for objectivity. How can I accept the interpretation of someone whose credibility is already flawed in my mind? Nevertheless, this is how archeology works, and it seems those in the field have found a comfortable process of accepting all interpretations with a grain of salt until it is repeatedly verified by generation upon generation of archeologists.

The Jerusalem wall during the first Temple period (1000-586 BC) The blue/white ruler in the top left hand corner shows the original height of the wall.

Children at the playground by the wall remains

A current excavation. Can you imagine living in a land where archeological discoveries are being uncovered every day?

Our favorite pastime: looking down at hills and valleys

Another view of Dormition Abbey on the current Mt. Zion

Krissy looking rather like a shepherdess =)

Israelis piling into a public bus

The rest of the day carried us out to the City of David and Hezekiah’s Tunnel. The city of David is the sliver of land on the eastern hill that David conquered from the Jebusites and made his capital. Today it lies just outside the city walls of Jerusalem, and is preserved mostly for archeological purposes.

What remains of the city David

Fresh Israeli recruits were being indoctrinated to the history of the land they are required to protect.

From the top of a building in the City of David, we could see the backside of these apartments built on top of former cave tombs. These tombs were never actually used, but today, residents use them as backrooms.

A pomegranate (not yet ripe)—a VERY common symbol in Israeli art

Israeli soldiers

Probably the most exciting stop of the day was Hezekiah’s Tunnel, which is a tunnel that was dug by the Israelites to redirect the fresh water from the Spring of Gihon to the Pool of Siloam. We got to walk through the tunnel with cold water rushing around our legs. Sometimes it was up to our thighs; other times it was just above our ankles. But with the stone walls tight around us, we trekked through the water and darkness for about 45 minutes before being greeted on the other side by Jewish kids splashing in the Pool of Siloam.