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Israel archaeology study abroad program helps ‘write the country’s story’
For the past seven years, Oakland University students have been helping uncover secrets about the history of Israel through a popular archaeological study abroad program.
“Every shovel into the ground is writing one more sentence to the story,” said Mike Pytlik, visiting assistant professor in Anthropology and director of Judaic Studies at Oakland, as well as organizer of the trip.
“I always end up with extra requests, because this is really an exciting trip for everyone. It’s a chance to awaken new interests and old memories of when you were a kid and wanted to dig up history.”
Each year, Pytlik takes a group of Oakland students to archaeological sites in Israel through a partnership with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The trip offers a field school that gives students experiences such as courses in archeological methods, pottery-processing classes, on-site digging, lectures and more. Weekend excursions to historical and exotic locations are also offered.
This year, a group of 11 students traveled to the ancient Judean city of Lachish, Israel – an 18-acre mound that contains about 7,000 years of history, including history of biblical events. The students left June 19 and returned July 13. Jon Carroll, Ph.D., of Oakland’s Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice, co-led the group for his second year in a row.
Pytlik said the main goal of the archeologists working on the large site is to understand Lachish’s entire history and when it became important to ancient Judah. “There are secrets that are locked in 100 feet of accumulation that will probably take several lifetimes to uncover. But while students only put in three weeks, that’s enough to leave their impact. They left their stories there, too.”
Students have found ancient pottery, jewelry, destroyed ruins, temples and other artifacts from thousands of years ago. On a previous Israel study abroad trip, students digging in Khirbet Qeiyafa helped unearth a 3,000-year-old ceramic jar that was restored to reveal a rare inscription – along with a 10th century BCE fortress – attributed to the time of King David (c. 1000 BCE).
Andrew Simpson, a communication major who is minoring in Judaic studies, said he enjoyed seeing the biblical connection to history.
“Lachish is mentioned a few times in the Bible, I Kings in particular, and it was interesting to see the ramp that the Assyrians built up to attack the city,” said Simpson, who hopes to become a pastor after graduating. “The trip was really beneficial for me and I’ll be able to use my experiences there for years to come … I’ll be able to share the experience with my congregation.”
The biblical and historical ties to the site make the trip intriguing, said Pytlik, but the experience is also a cultural one. On weekend excursions, students visited the cities of Jerusalem, Apollonia, Tel Aviv and others; swam in the Dead Sea; met people who lived in the cities; barbecued on the beaches of the Mediterranean Coast and visited structures built by King Herod.
“When they’re done, I think they have not only a longing to know more and an appreciation of what they went through as a group,” said Pytlik, “but a different appreciation for the Middle East apart from the negative media we’ve all heard about. It really widens their horizons.”
The Israel study abroad program is open for any student who wants the experience, as long as they have a strong interest in the overall program, Pytlik explained.
Nursing major Missy Jones, who went with the group, said she didn’t give much thought to archaeology before the adventure, but heard about the trip through an anthropology class. “I went for the cultural experience, but I found that archaeology deserved a lot more attention and respect that it gets; I developed a new respect for it.”
More than 100 volunteers participated at the dig site on Lachish, led by famous archeologist Yosef Garfinkel. Each volunteer dug carefully in a 5-square-meter area.
Jones said she ended up making close bonds with many at the site, including her OU group and a student from Australia, the group’s Israel guide, and others. “The experience was so memorable. It definitely changed me.”
Many students interested in the Israel study abroad trip may not otherwise be able to participate if it wasn’t for financial assistance through several different avenues. While students usually pay about a third of the cost of the trip, Oakland University donors and the Provost’s Office each also fund a third of the cost. For more information about the Archaeology in Israel program, visit oakland.edu/ie/ou-programs/israel or email trip Director Michael Pytlik at pytlik@oakland.edu.