Khirbet ‘Auja el-Foqa
May 19 – June 16, 2024
other
Biblical Naarah
Since 2015, the Jordan Valley Excavation Project (JVEP) has been investigating the ancient history and archaeology of the southern Jordan Valley, with a particular focus on the Iron Age (1200-586 BC), sometimes referred to as the “Israelite period.” In 2019, JVEP began excavating the site of Khirbet ʿAuja el-Foqa, a well-preserved, fortified city on a high hill isolated by steep slopes. During the Iron Age II (1000-586 BC), the time of the Israelite kingdoms, it was probably an eastern administrative “capital” and military center for the southern Jordan Valley, likely playing a role in the Ammonite wars that had been ongoing since the time of the judges. The site can probably be identified as biblical Naarah, mentioned in the Manasseh-Ephraim boundary description in Joshua 16:6-7. The pioneering excavation is producing completely new information about the administration of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the southern Jordan Valley, a region that has been virtually unknown archaeologically until now.
Details
Geographic Location
Central West Bank
Dates of the Dig
May 19 – June 16, 2024
Minimum Stay
2 Weeks
Application Due
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Academic Credit/Cost per Credit/Institution
Contact for more details
Accommodations
The team will lodge in Jerusalem at the New Metropole Hotel, two to three per room, with air-conditioning and three meals a day. The hotel is a two minute walk from the Old City Walls and provides an ideal base for daily strolls to and from the major historical and biblical sites of the Holy City.
Cost
Directors
Dr. David Ben-Shlomo: Ariel University
Dr. Ralph Hawkins: Averett University
