Excavate Historic Jerusalem

Have you ever dreamed of excavating within sight of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, just minutes away from more than 3,000 years of fabled history and lore? If so, you might want to volunteer to work on the new Mount Zion excavations in Jerusalem, taking place just outside the Ottoman-era walls of the Old City.

Two thousands years ago, the area of the Mount Zion excavations was well within the city walls of Jerusalem and bustling with activity. The area was situated at the end of the city’s great main street, the cardo maximus, and recent excavations here have revealed the incredibly well preserved houses of some of Jerusalem’s wealthiest families of the first century C.E. Fortunately for archaeologists, the construction of the massive Nea Church during the Byzantine period required much of the Mount Zion area to be artificially raised and leveled, meaning that many of these first century houses were safely preserved beneath construction fill.

This summer, you can help dig directors Shimon Gibson and James Tabor uncover the remains of these Roman-era houses, many with their painted walls and high vaulted ceilings still intact. Volunteers can sign up for an excavation session from June 15 to July 25. The excavation project has negotiated a special dig rate with the Beit Shmuel hotel and hostel just a few minutes walk from the site.