Horvat ‘Amuda

As exploration expands to include new areas outside the initial dig area of Beit Lehi, ground surveys and excavations show that the immediate area has a much more extensive archaeological reach than was previously thought. Discoveries in both the south and the north of Beit Lehi shed light on just how much is unknown of ‘The Lost City of Ancient Israel.’ As the reach of the investigation expands, new areas of the Beit Lehi site have been named and are under excavation by archaeologists and the Foundation.

About a half-mile north of base camp at Beit Lehi is one of the new excavation areas identified as Horvat ‘Amuda. The story of its discovery demonstrates the unique process that goes into exploring an archaeological site. Each discovery comes about a little differently, often occurring unintentionally as archaeologists and volunteers scour the area looking for clues of past human settlement.

The story, relayed below by a student volunteer, of the discovery of the Horvat ‘Amuda area reveals the unexpected consequences of exploration and how the story of the area surrounding Beit Lehi continues to unfold year after year. This particular discovery took place during the Beit Lehi Foundation’s May 2016 expedition.

“The day started out as planned. Volunteers, including students and faculty from Utah Valley University and Beit Lehi Foundation president Alan Rudd, loaded up the cars to drive half a mile from the main site of Beit Lehi with lead archaeologist Dr. Oren Gutfeld and other members of his team. The students and faculty from UVU had already planned to map and document a cave (unofficially named the Cave of Pillars) discovered in previous years and set off with the necessary equipment and preparations.

Dr. Gutfeld went ahead in the direction of the entrance to the Cave of Pillars as the rest of the crew unloaded the vehicles. With an excited shout from atop a vista, he began calling back to the volunteers. He was seeing things he never remembered seeing before: remains of another ancient tower as well as clear signs of walls. He and the rest of the team continued to explore and found themselves literally stepping into brand new discoveries.

Over the next few hours students and faculty walked into another vast cave, obviously carved by ancient hands. The remains of the staircase once used to gain access to the room were visible underneath rubble that now buried it. They gained access to an intricate tunnel system and climbed through a few tunnels only to discover more rooms that had quite possibly not been seen since their use after initial construction. What had started out as a day of documentation turned into a day of discovery.”

What was discovered that day, and during subsequent expeditions sponsored by the Foundation, would be identified as Horvat ‘Amuda, yet another area of Beit Lehi unknown to archaeologists despite its close proximity to the Cave of Pillars mentioned in the story. Discoveries like this are difficult because they demand a situational awareness of the ground. Archaeologist generally comb the ground looking for clues that lead them to evidence of habitation. Overturning rocks, looking for tell-tale signs that humans have built a structure or excavated an area, is time consuming and often futile. Other clues are common giveaways of possible habitation, such as fig trees protruding from a cave or a mound of rubble. Seemingly insignificant details like these are welcome sights to archaeologists, as a new discovery might be just a few steps away.

One such discovery was an unknown olive press located in the Horvat ‘Amuda area found in this particular manner. This discovery is a beautiful example of the amazing construction qualities of the ancient inhabitants that has made the Beit Lehi project so valuable, and it was found by accident! Most discoveries found by simply exploring on foot are much more difficult to come by, however, and the time between discoveries may be months and possibly years apart. Yet, where this used to be the cruel reality of archaeology, technology is stepping in to aid in the discovery process, often shortening the time span between discoveries, as it enables archaeologist to rapidly conduct ground surveys.

Dr. Gutfeld put it this way at the commencement of the October 2018 excavation season at Beit Lehi when he said, “When you walk, we might see a stone here and a stone there, but with a drone, suddenly you see a line.” Often the images provided by technology can help to identify patterns and areas of interest.

With drone technology, archaeologists are quickly advancing new processes and discoveries across Israel, but none more so than at Beit Lehi. Using drones has now become commonplace at Beit Lehi, and archaeologist and survey teams see everything in absolute ground-breaking detail. The use of advanced technology has benefited the excavation effort at Beit Lehi and played a leading role in determining what areas should be investigated on future excavations. In fact, the use of a simple drone image lead to the discovery of buildings, walls, and roads of throughout the site, even though the area had been walked on extensively by trained eyes. Continued use of LiDAR to survey these discoveries, done exclusively by Utah Valley University faculty and students, continues at an increasingly rapid rate, assisting in archaeological efforts.

As a result, with additional discoveries made, locations like Horvat ‘Amuda expand the vision for the entire area by adding to the knowledge-base of past excavations. As for Horvat ‘Amuda, after a determination was made to conduct a selection of site excavations by the Foundation with consultation by archaeologists, the knowledge gathering process has been tremendous. From such excavations, it is possible to hypothesize based upon the retrieval of highly significant religious artifacts that this specific location was inhabited by the Hosmonean culture, as well the Edomite culture. This adds to the complexity of the story of Beit Lehi as both locations are in close proximity to each other.

While the panorama in this guide used to introduce readers to the expanse of the area helps provide a comprehensive understanding of immeasurable discoveries made thus far at and around the Beit Lehi site, it is clear that our understanding of the site is just beginning to come into view. The mysteries of Beit Lehi and surrounding hills will only be unraveled by dedicated teams of archaeologists, enthusiastic volunteers, and generous donors to keep the work moving along.

Beit Lehi offers a once in a lifetime opportunity waiting for those willing to take it.