As part of its Chol Hamoed Pesach festivities, KKL-JNF invited the public to participate in uncovering an additional section of an ancient Roman highway discovered in the north-western Negev region. The digging took place on Mount Amasa, which is adjacent to Yatir Forest. To date, some 100 meters of the road have been uncovered.
A heatwave had been forecast for the days on which the activity was scheduled, but that didn’t stop hundreds of people arriving from all around the country to participate. Leading the activity were Oranit Gilat, KKL-JNF Community and Forest Coordinator for the Negev Mountains and Arava Region; and archeologists Tal Sapir and Hadar Azrad, from the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The arriving participants gathered under a shaded area of the dig for the necessary preliminaries, including the story behind the road, as well as instructions on how to work safely and without damaging the artifats. Then it was time to roll up their sleeves and get digging. Each candidate was equiped with a bucket, a small pick, a large brush, and a dustpan. “Keep in mind that our activity is not digging holes,” cautioned Tal the IAA guide, “but rather to carefully uncover the outer walls of the ancient road. The idea is to gently loosen the soil around the rocks with the pick, and then to brush the loose soil into a mound to be placed in the bucket and carried away.”
Many of the participants were families with children. The guides made an extra effort to explain to the youngsters the meaning of what they were doing, and to answer their questions. And there were many. “What’s the difference between an archeologist and a geologist?”asked 14-year-old Jacob, who arrived from Kiryat Arba with his mother and two younger brothers. “What use does the road have for us today?” asked another youth.
Hadar the IAA guide told the children that road-building was one of the most important enterprises of the Roman administration in the Holy Land. “Rome regarded transportation as the key to effective governance,” She said. “The roads enabled the rapid transfer of army units to wherever needed and also served the civilian and commercial sectors.”
15-year-old Eitan Chikina, from the nearby town of Omer, was energetically working to remove crusted earth from a rock. As far as he was concerned, heat posed no object to uncovering history. “Perhaps I’ll find an ancient artifact too,” he said hopefully. Stas, Eitan’s father, said that Eitan had been very excited to find out about the dig. “Eitan has always been interested in archeology and history,” he said.
Elia Harel, who came from Bnei Brak with parents Rachamim and Ricki and five siblings, said that when searching for activities that the entire family could take part in, the KKL-JNF public invitation to the Yatir site aroused the most interest. “We are very happy that we came to see the archeological excavation and to visit the Yatir forest,”‘ he said. “However, we are not going to actually dig. As you can see, we are dressed in our best clothes to honor the festival. From here we are going to Hebron to visit the Ma’arat Hamachpela (Cave of the Patriarchs).”
KKL-JNF’s Oranit Ginat said that the dig was planned and carried out in collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority. “It allowed families to feel what an archeological dig is all about, and to become more acquainted with the history of our land,” she said. “We encourage the public to visit our forests and spend time in nature, while getting acquainted with our heritage. KKL-JNF continues to cultivate and develop forests and open spaces for the public.”