July 25 • 2019 39
jn

eretz

T

his year marked the 11th time an 
Oakland University student group 
traveled to Israel for a summer 
archaeological study abroad program, 
but this may have been the most histori-
cally significant. 
Some of the excavation team’
s findings 
included stone and metal vessels, food 
bowls, jugs and jars of pottery, animal 
bones, weapons and parts of building 
structures. That, along with other evi-
dence gathered in recent years, led expe-
dition leader Professor Yosef Garfinkel 
from Hebrew University in Jerusalem to 
call a press conference. He declared to 
the world media that his team had found 
the biblical town of Ziklag at modern 
day Khirbet al-Ra’
i. 
Ziklag is known in the Bible as the 
site that was given to David by the 
Philistines before he was king and had 

fled from King Saul. The city was a gift 
to help the Philistines raid to the south 
of the land. The Book of Samuel records 
that after King Saul was killed in battle 
with the Philistines, David left Ziklag 
and traveled to Hebron to be anointed 
king of Israel. 
Biblical references about Ziklag can be 
found in the Hebrew Bible at: I Samuel 
30:1, II Samuel 1:1, I Chronicles 12:1, I 
Samuel 27:6 and Joshua 19:5. 
Anthropology professor Michael 
Pytlik, director of Judaic Studies at 
OU, director of the Cis Maisel Center 
for Judaic Studies and Community 
Engagement and faculty leader of the 
OU group, said, “The site fits the biblical 
stories associated with Ziklag since it 
shows signs of having been a Philistine 
settlement, then a Judean settlement 
with probable mixed populations. It 

then remained Israelite until later events 
caused it to be destroyed. 
“For the first time, the occupation 
layers, the geographical location and the 
references to the site all overlap. Some 
12 other areas have been proposed for 
the site of Ziklag, but none of them con-
tain the necessary dating, occupations 
or material finds to confirm the site’
s 
identity.
”
This year’
s study abroad program last-
ed 3½ weeks, and the 13 students and 
their advisers spent weekdays working at 
the dig site from early in the mornings 
till late in the afternoons. Weekends were 
spent immersing the students in the 
culture and history of the region with 
travels throughout the country. 
Veronica Russell, a fifth-year senior 
from Ortonville majoring in anthropol-
ogy, said, “It was three weeks of hard 
work, and I am not sure the significance 
of this year’
s trip has hit me quite yet.
” 
Sydney Wendling, a second-year 
student majoring in anthropology and 
political science from Saginaw, added, 
“We heard something was happening 
around the dig site, but it was ‘
hush-
hush’
 for a while until we heard they 
were calling a press conference to 
announce they found this biblical city. It 

was magical. I hope I can go again next 
year.
”
Jerad Inman, a fifth-year electrical 
engineering major from Birch Run, 
said he hoped to gather some new data 
and artifacts for the dig leaders but was 
surprised by the magnitude of news the 
group would make. “I never expected it 
to be this huge. We actually contributed 
to something that made national and 
international news.
”
Over the years, Oakland students, 
under the direction of Pytlik, co-leader 
Dr. Jon Carroll and professor emeritus 
Richard Stamps, spent five years working 
at Khirbet Qeiyafa, another city from 
the time of David. They then moved 
their dig site for four years to the site of 
Lachish, the second city to Jerusalem in 
the Judean monarchy. This year marked 
the second season working at Khirbet 
al-Ra’
i. 
Oakland University’
s study abroad in 
Israel program is supported by the Nina 
and Bernie Kent family, other dona-
tions to OU’
s Judaic Studies’
 program 
and research grants from the Provost’
s 
office. ■

Learn more about the Oakland University 
Archaeology in Israel group and their recent trip 
by vising facebook.com/Oakdigs.

COURTESY OF MICHAEL PYTLIK

The team from Oakland University

BRIAN BIERLEY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS 

Historic 
Find

Oakland University 
students help fi
 nd 
biblical town of Ziklag.

Oakland University 

students work at 

the dig site.

An aerial 

view of

the dig site