Beit Lehi Partners with American Veterans Archaeological
The Beit Lehi Foundation and American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR) have announced a partnership to bring U.S. military veterans to Israel to participate in the excavation of a new area of Horbat ‘Amuda, which lies within the Khirbet Beit Lehi Archaeological Project (“Beit Lehi”). Beit Lehi is an active archaeological site located southwest of Jerusalem in an area known as the Judean Lowland.
AVAR is a registered non-profit organization that integrates military veterans with physical and/or mental disabilities into a community of archaeological researchers that supports their rehabilitation through goal-oriented, team-centered excavations.
According to AVAR CEO Dr. Stephen Humphreys, “Israel is an ideal location for American veterans due not only to its extraordinary past, but also to the phenomenal people we are able to work with there today. The Israeli archaeologists we have worked with have all been veterans due to their country’s tradition of military service. Their shared background creates a natural bond which allows them to connect and assist one another in the process of healing.”
The social bonding that occurs while working toward a common objective is an important feature of AVAR. Participants share their interest and experiences in archaeology with others from the community of veterans and make new connections in the community of academic and professional archaeologists, connections that can lead to lifelong friendships or even a new career.
“When I learned that AVAR was interested in working on the Beit Lehi project, I was excited and gratified,” said Alan Rudd, President and co-Founder of the Beit Lehi Foundation. “AVAR’s involvement fits precisely within the mission of the Foundation – to generate awareness and create experiences for people to engage in the excavation and preservation of most significant archeological project in Israel. Working with U.S. Military veterans on the site will be magnificent, and further validates the significance of the project. I am looking forward to a long partnership with AVAR as we dig for knowledge in the Israeli Judaean foothills.”
The idea to bring AVAR veterans to Beit Lehi was the brainchild of Ms. Haber, co-director of Beit Lehi Regional Project and herself a veteran of the Israeli Armored Corps. “I became aware of AVAR through an item in the local media about its participation in another Israeli excavation and was very moved by the initiative. We immediately thought to reach out and explore the possibility of having one of their groups join us as well. In this small way we can thank the veterans for their service alongside introducing them to this amazing, unconventional project as a reflection of the many good things Israel has to offer.”
Dr. Oren Gutfeld, Director of the Beit Lehi Regional Project, who previously served in the Israeli Special Forces, added, “These American veterans are one with us. We feel that to a certain extent we share the same language and life experiences. Their willingness to make the long journey to dig with us cannot be taken for granted and we are truly looking forward to meeting and working together.”
AVAR joins other groups actively engaged in assisting at the Beit Lehi site including Utah Valley University. Since 2011, Students and faculty at Utah Valley University have provided invaluable assistance in the documentation of Beit Lehi project through its Engineering Design Technology and Digital Media programs. Students utilize digital imaging, LIDAR scanning, GPS, aerial drones and other technologies to map and document the site.
About American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR): AVAR is an American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that uses archaeology projects to help veterans find a new sense of mission and purpose, build community, and learn vocational skills. AVAR has put over 60 veterans on excavations in the USA, UK, and Israel since its inception in 2015, thanks in part to a National Geographic Education Grant. Learn more at www.americanveteransarchaeology.org.
About Beit Lehi Foundation: Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Beit Lehi Foundation was organized in 2009 as a non-profit organization. Its purpose is to fund and manage the excavation and preservation of the Beit Lehi Regional Project, now popularized as “The Lost City of Ancient Israel.”
About Utah Valley University: Utah Valley University is the largest public university in Utah, with an enrollment of nearly 35,000 students. Under the direction of Professors Darin Taylor and Michael Harper, multiple teams of students and faculty from the University’s college of Engineering Design Technology and Digital Media come to work at the site each year. In 2017, the Beit Lehi project was recognized as the #1 engaged learning experience by the Administration and Board of Trustees of the university.
About Khirbet Beit Lehi: Under the sponsorship of the Beit Lehi Foundation and Hebrew University of Jerusalem, excavations have been ongoing at Beit Lehi for more than a decade under the direction of Dr. Oren Gutfeld and Mr. Yakov Kalman. The new area of Horbat ‘Amuda expands the area of Beit Lehi approximately 1.5 km further to the north, and will be co-directed by Dr. Oren Gutfeld and Ms. Michal Haber of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology, and Mr. Pablo Betzer of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Artifacts date the first settlement at the Beit Lehi site around 800 B.C. (Iron Age II) as part of the Kingdom of Judah. However, with only a small portion of the site excavated, archaeologists believe a community could have existed at the site as far back as 1200 B.C. Beit Lehi was abandoned during the Babylonian conquest in 586 B.C., and soon after reoccupied by the Idumeans. Around 112 B.C. the area reverted to Jewish control under the Hasmoneans/ Maccabees, remaining so into the Herodian, or Late Second Temple period. Beit Lehi was inhabited by Jews, Christians, Idumeans, and Arabs until believed abandoned in the late 14th or 15th century A.D. Recent discoveries include the Tomb of Salome, the mother of James and John, apostles of Jesus.
The new area of Horbat ‘Amuda was likely an extension of Beit Lehi from the Early Hellenistic (4th/3rd century B.C.) to the Herodian/Early Roman period (1st century A.D.). In only one short season of excavation, Horbat ‘Amuda has produced several massive subterranean quarries, subterranean oil presses, and a number of tunnel networks used by Jewish rebels in their fight against Rome, and early Christian refugees. A beautifully built monumental structure was also unearthed, dated to the Early Hellenistic period, which may have served as either a temple or palace.