Ramat Rahel is about 812 meters above sea level. Bethlehem and Judah are both about 750 meters high. Ramat Rahel sits half way between them with a commanding view of both sites as well as the major north-south roadway and the western approach to Jerusalem. Nice place for the eyes of the empire....
I saw the moon set and the sun rise over our site this morning. Work at the site began at 5:30 am following our 10 minute walk up the hill from the Hotel. It was a delightful day although my own work could best be described as cleaning floors. Thank God for knee pads! [see photo]
My particular little corner of the dig involves cleaning and defining a 5th-7th century CE flooring that was set against a Iron age wall (that dates to time of Hezekiah or Manasseh). Once we've done that, the flooring will be removed - carefully - and we'll begin excavating beneath it. After the end of the dig, the flooring will be replaced and my work will never again see the light of day.
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