Lachish is mentioned 24 times in the Hebrew Bible and was the second most important city in the Kingdom of Judah after Jerusalem. According to the biblical tradition, the first Iron Age city at the site was built by King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. After seven years of excavation (2013-2017, 2022-2023), the team has uncovered a large horizontal exposure of the first Iron Age city in Level V, as well as a city wall, public storage buildings, and private houses. The radiometric dates place this city in the last part of the tenth century BCE and the first half of the ninth century BCE, supporting the biblical tradition.
The excavations have been concentrated in the northeast part of the site but the 2024 season will examine the southeast part, as the end of the 2023 season saw a city wall of Level V discovered in this part of the site. The team wishes to uncover a large horizontal exposure here and get a better picture of life in the Kingdom of Judah in the period of about 930-860 BCE—a period not well represented in any other site in the region.
Shephelah, South-Central Israel
June 30-July 19, 2024
3 Weeks
Friday, May 10, 2024
3 credits are available from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for $360.
The expedition will stay at "Midreset Hadarom" hostel, at the village of Neta, east of Lachish. This is a religious institution, and the food is kosher. We stay 4 volunteers in an air-condition room and bathroom. We collect the volunteers on Sunday morning in Jerusalem, arrived at the hostel by 11:00 AM, have lunch and go to the site to dig till evening. Monday to Thursday we excavate in the mornings. We leave the hostel on Thursday afternoon. Volunteers are free during the weekend, from Thursday evening to Sunday morning.
Yossi Garfinkel: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
HooGoo Kang: Seoul Jangsin University