Dear Prospective Volunteer,
Thank you for your interest in the Michigan/Minnesota Excavations at Tel Kedesh. For the 2006 season we will live in the guest houses of Miriam and Itzhak Avitan at Moshav Ramot Naftali, a lovely spot in the hills of the Upper Galilee, about 3 km from the site. We will be offering two 3 and ½ week excavation sessions, the first from May 21- June 14 and the second from June 18-July 12. The cost for one session is $1200 and for two $2000 with full room and board provided, except for the 3 day break between sessions. Volunteers will be responsible for their own transportation costs, but we will be organizing group flights for each session from Detroit to Tel Aviv and providing transportation from Ben Gurion airport to the site (about a 3 hour bus ride) for these groups. There are a few fellowships available for University of Michigan and University of Minnesota students. If you wish to be considered for one of these, please submit a college transcript with your application.
We excavate 5 and ½ days per week from Sunday through mid morning Friday; work begins each day around 5:30 in the morning, and continues until noon, when we stop to wash the pottery that we have collected that day. The staff works again in the afternoon, analyzing the previous day's pottery; volunteers are welcome to assist, though they are not required to do so. Meals include wake-up coffee and bread at the guest house; a picnic breakfast at the site around 9 AM (cheese, fruit, cucumbers and tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, bread); a hot lunch back at the guest house, and a dairy dinner.
The weather in the summer is generally lovely: consistently warm and sunny (around 80 degrees) and fairly arid (no rain, low humidity). Occasionally, however, it is overly hot or quite windy; less often it can get a bit cool in the evenings. You should bring a sweatshirt for early mornings on site (its pretty chilly until the sun comes up). There is a pool at the guest houses, so bring a bathing suit. The dig will provide weekly laundry service.
If you are interested in joining us for the 2006 season, print out and mail the application and medical forms. We will be accepting applications until March 1, 2006, but employ a rolling acceptance policy with applications handled as they arrive. We will contact you as soon as possible with further information.
Best Wishes,
| Professor Sharon Herbert Kelsey Museum of Archaeology University of Michigan 434 South State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1390 e-mail sherbert@umich.edu |
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