Ancient Port of Tel Aviv

This summer, drop anchor at one of the oldest known ports along the Eastern Mediterranean coast. Situated on a high promontory overlooking the sea, the city of Jaffa has been a port of call for sailors, merchants and soldiers for over 4,000 years. During the Middle Bronze Age, the first city at Jaffa was fortified with a massive sloping wall or glacis, the remnants of which can still be seen today. By the Late Bronze Age, Jaffa had become one of the principal ports and grain centers of the Egyptian empire. Archaeological work over the past 60 years has shown that the city continued to be an important administrative and commercial center through the Iron Age until the end of the Ottoman period in the early 20th century.

Now, archaeologists Aaron Burke and Martin Peilstôcker have returned to this ancient site to reveal even more of its secrets. For six weeks this summer, volunteers will help them uncover the buried remains of the Middle Bronze Age Canaanite city. Field school participants will also learn modern methods of field excavation and documentation, help with laboratory analysis and learn about cultural heritage management in old Jaffa.

Volunteers will be housed in the comfortable Old Jaffa Hostel in the heart of historic Jaffa, just minutes from downtown Tel Aviv. For more information, see www.inisrael.com\oldjaffahostel.