eretz

Dig It

OU students probe
mysteries at Israeli
archaeological dig.

ERIC REIKOWSKI SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

The Oakland University contingent at
the dig in Lachish, near Jerusalem.

W

hat can you learn from scour-
ing the ruins of an ancient
civilization?
Just ask the Oakland University stu-
dents who spent part of last summer
unearthing artifacts in the storied city of
Lachish. This ancient Judean town, now a
national park, is about 35 miles southwest
of Jerusalem and was among the region’s

most important cities in biblical times.
Led by OU professors Michael Pytlik
and Jon Carroll, 11 students spent three
weeks on an archaeological dig searching
for answers to age-old questions.
“We’re digging with a purpose, trying
to find out when certain events happened
and fill in gaps in the historical record,”
said Pytlik, director of Judaic Studies.
“We’re trying to understand the history
of social relations between certain groups
and how people lived thousands of years
ago. It’s an endless search for answers,
and there’s no limit to the questions..”
Pytlik has organized an Israel dig with
Oakland students for the past nine years.
He says the program draws interest from
students of all majors. Journalism major
Darcy Dulapa went on this year’s trip in
search of intriguing personalities and
stories.
“I was able to meet people from Russia,
Sweden, Australia, Korea and even dif-
ferent states in the U.S.,” she said. “The
excavation was not only an archaeological
learning experience, but it also opened my
eyes to many different cultures.”
Along with jotting down her impres-
sions of the landscape and people in
Israel, she also grew fascinated with the
dig itself.
“The closer I got with the excavation
leaders, the more I wanted to help them
dig,” she recalled. “Before I knew it, I was

Haydn Mega-Concert

talking like a true archaeologist.”
Pytlik said the dig dispels misconcep-
tions about archaeology and the digging
process, which is long and painstaking,
and doesn’t always yield hidden treasures.
“It’s a different experience than what is
shown in documentaries,” he said. “It’s not
always glamorous. We find more pottery
than gold.”
However, Pytlik added that less glam-
orous finds, such as pottery, help archae-
ologists determine the relative age of sur-
rounding objects and architecture.
“Pottery is distinguished from period to
period according to shape, color, decora-
tion and other characteristics,” he said. “If
we can get an idea of how old the pottery
is, that can provide clues to how old the
surrounding buildings are.”
Combing through the remains of
Lachish, anthropology major Carl Ramsey
thought about what life might have been
like for inhabitants of this once-thriving
metropolis.
“Digging through a building that is
3,000-3,500 years old is an amazing feel-
ing, especially when you think about what
you’re digging through means,” he said.
“Smashed pottery and burned bricks are a
good indicator of destruction, and think-
ing about what that would’ve meant for
the people of Lachish is intriguing.”
In addition to the standard archaeo-
logical tools — trowels, pickaxes, brushes

Roustem Saïtkoulov, piano

Sunday, January 14 // 3 pm
Rackham Auditorium

Sunday, January 28 // 4 pm
Hill Auditorium

“No other North American quartet plays the music of Haydn with more
intelligence, expressivity, and force,” says the New Yorker. In this special
immersive concert, the SLSQ performs all six of Haydn’s Op. 20 string
quartets. First violinist Geoff Nuttall provides insightful commentary to
accompany the performance, which, like Haydn, will have a few surprises
in store.

PROGRAM
Brahms
Brahms
Ravel
Ernst
Paganini
Paganini

Presenting Sponsor: Carl Cohen, whose bequest will establish an endowment to support a Chamber Arts
Performance in perpetuity

Eric Reikowski is in communications and
marketing at Oakland University.

Maxim Venegrov, Violin

St. Lawrence String Quartet

This concert will be performed with two intermissions, including a meal
break (details at ums.org/haydn).

and the like — the team deployed a drone
to map the topography of the site. Carroll,
a registered professional archaeologist,
said the drone is also useful for detecting
vegetation changes, which may signal the
presence of archaeological deposits in the
ground.
“Vegetation differences may indicate
where people changed the landscape
either intentionally or unintentionally,” he
explained. “For example, a deposit full of
organic refuse like food waste may change
the chemical composition of the soil, thus
affecting vegetation growth.”
Along with their daily digging routine,
the group visited tourist destinations,
including Caesarea Maritima, Akko, Haifa,
Ein Gedi and Jerusalem.
They also toured two other archaeo-
logical sites, Tel Beit Mirsim and Khirbet
Qeiyafa. The latter, which Oakland stu-
dents excavated in prior years, is believed
to be the biblical city of Sha’arayim. It
overlooks the Valley of Elah, where the
story of David and Goliath is thought to
have taken place.
“The history of the region is most fasci-
nating to me, and seeing things that could
be up to 4,000 years old is mind-blowing,”
Ramsey said. “Every part of the trip will
stick with me forever.” •

Scherzo in c minor from the “F-A-E” Sonata
Sonata No. 3 in d minor, Op. 108
Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major
Theme and Variations on “The Last Rose of Summer”
Cantabile for Violin and Piano in D Major, Op. 17
Variations on “I Palpiti,” Op. 13 (arr. Fritz Kreisler)

Presenting Sponsor: Oscar Feldman Endowment Fund
Supporting Sponsor: Mainstreet Ventures

Media Partners: WGTE 91.3 FM and WRCJ 90.9 FM

Media Partners: WGTE 91.3 FM and WRCJ 90.9 FM

734.764.2538
——— U M S . O R G

jn

January 4 • 2018

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