What do Indiana Jones and Finnish theology students have in common?
The answer can be found at the Horvat Kur excavation in Israel’s Galilee region, where a group of students from Finland led by university researcher Docent Raimo Hakola have participated in an international team discovering an ancient Galilean synagogue.
A group of 30 volunteers from Europe, among them seven students from Helsinki University’s Department of Theology, have worked for three weeks at the Horvat Kur excavations, two kilometers from Lake Kinneret. The excavations are part of the “Kinneret Regional Project”, an academic consortium of the Universities of Bern, Helsinki, Leiden, and Mainz, headed by German Professor Jürgen Zangenberg.
Upon receiving an invitation from Docent Hakola, the Embassy’s Cultural Attaché Susanne Millner and project assistant Hilla Aurén visited the excavation site on July 8, 2010. Docent Hakola and Professor Zangenberg presented the excavation’s historical finding, an ancient synagogue from year 400 CE.
The discovery of the ancient building runs like the plot an adventure movie, where the mystery unfolds piece by piece. Surveys done at the site two years ago suggested that the hill had been populated. Early on in the excavations starter in June of 2010 a monumental 10-meter long wall was found. Later on fragments of pilasters were discovered adjacent to the wall, as well as a long bench of hewn stones, Docent Hakola describes. Nearby a cobblestone pavement was revealed, and the shape of an ancient synagogue became clear.
Coins and pottery discovered during the excavations indicate that use of the building dates back to 400 CE. According to Hakola, there are remains of approximately 5-7 synagogues from the first century CE in Israel. Even though there are more synagogue finds from later centuries, there is continuing and fierce scholarly discussion concerning the dating of these synagogues. The Horvat Kur synagogue can contribute to this discussion as the new findings are analyzed and the dating of the synagogue becomes more precise. The intention is to expand the excavations in the future in an attempt to get a more comprehensive picture of the ancient Galilean village. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has also shown interest in the excavation, and Shuka Dorfman, Director of IAA has already visited the site.
Hakola jokes that the participants at the excavation are in danger of catching the ”dig-virus”. Archeology might just become a passion for them. Vilja Alanko seems to have caught the virus, Hakola points at the Finnish second year student. Vilja admits that her time at the excavation in Horvat Kur has inspired her to dream of a career in archeology.
The four week excavation is an unforgettable and educational experience for the students. University textbooks have become alive in front of their eyes, and ancient remains transform to living pieces of history in their hands. The atmosphere at the excavation site is exhilarating, and the team spirit among the international group is noticeable. Shovels swing swiftly despite the heat, and the excitement has not cooled after three weeks of work.
The wakeup call for the volunteers is at 4 a.m. As the first rays of the sun reflect on the surface of Lake Kinneret, the work has already begun at the dig. At mid-day work is halted, and the dirt-covered volunteers return back to the shore of the Kinneret for washing up, eating lunch, and resting. Afternoons are spent examining the findings, and listening to lectures by Israeli experts of the archeological field. Many of the volunteers are in Israel for the first time, and they have taken advantage of the opportunity to travel across the country in the weekends. Naturally, many of their visits have been to archeological sites, which are neither few nor far in between in this country.
Besides Hakola’s expertise in the field, the Finns have other special missions in the group: as the shovels hit a big piece of rock underground, the Finns are called to the ditch. In no time the stone is lifted up. Finnish “sisu” is epitomized daily at this dig.
What treasure hunter Indiana Jones and the Finnish students at Horvat Kur have in common is curiosity – according to the excavation’s director, professor Zangenberg, it is the most important trait for an archeologist. An archeologist must also be able to prioritize, and analyse which findings are important, Zangenberg continues. But most of all, curiosity is what pushes these young diggers to continue rock by rock, shovelful by shovelful, without knowing if they will come across something historically significant, as they now have.
Text & pictures: Hilla Aurén – Embassy of Finland, Tel Aviv
More information on the Kinneret Regional Project website http://www.kinneret-excavations.org/
