Archaeology Fieldwork: Jezreel Expedition

Jezreel Expedition

In 2012, UE began cosponsoring the Jezreel Expedition with the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa.

Jezreel Expedition staff and students excavating at the site, with hot air balloon in the distance.The Jezreel Expedition is an archaeological project in Israel sponsored by the University of Evansville and the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa. Co-directors are Dr. Jennie Ebeling (UE) and Dr. Norma Franklin (U Haifa) and eight consortium institutions support the project: Campbell University, Chapman University, Moravian Theological Seminary, San Francisco Theological Seminary/Graduate Theological Union, University of Arizona, Vanderbilt University, Villanova University, and Wesley Theological Seminary.

In summer 2012, the Jezreel Expedition staff and eight UE archaeology majors conducted a ground survey of 2.5 square km of "greater Jezreel" and recorded more than 350 features including walls from various periods, tombs, and wine and olive oil presses.

Excavations 2013-2018 focused on Tel 'Ein Jezreel, a new site located next to the spring north of Tel Jezreel, and revealed evidence of occupation from the late Neolithic Period through the modern era. Highlights of the project include evidence for a prehistoric basalt artifact workshop, an Early Bronze Age ritual area, a large Iron Age winery complex, and a system of paths and roads that connected Tel Jezreel to the spring from the Roman period through the modern era.

Dozens of UE students have trained in archaeological field methods at Jezreel and UE archaeology students and alumni continue to work on the finds during the post-excavation phase of this ongoing project. For more information, visit www.jezreel-expedition.com.