With the last excavation season closed, I would like to express my thanks to everybody who has been involved in the project over the years.
Ein el-Jarba Area G (Photo: it is complicated)
My thanks go first and foremost to the team who accompanied and build the project together with me from the first test season to the last day of excavation. All of the staff members are by now pursuing a career in archaeology and I am glad that they stayed faithful to Ein el-Jarba, despite their advances in recent years and allowed us to close the project together. I thank the square supervisors Marina Bekker Shamir, Hananel Livneh, Alla Rabinovich and Ayelet Segal for their meticulous documentation and instruction of volunteers. Their reports form the base for the final publication.
A very, very special present from the team
Further, I want to express my gratitude to Dotan Traubmann for his extraordinary logistic skills in the field. Lastly my special thanks go to Hadas Misgav who made this project possible, helping us organizing essential logistic backup in Kibbutz Hazorea such as accommodation, meals and office space. The logistic staff provided the base for any archaeological work and without their skills, contacts and efforts, excavation seasons could not have taken place.
I would like to thank Kibbutz Hazorea, for their kind reception and support. While it is beyond the scope of this short note to name all of them, Menahem Neumark and Lea Peleg should be pointed out. Their support made a significant difference to each excavation season.
Further, I would like to express my gratitude to the many volunteers from abroad who have joined us for one or more seasons. I was impressed by their skill and motivation, and the team appreciated the high work ethic and input. I hope that we were able to grant further work experience and additional insights into the excavation strategy and documentation method of the project.
Amitai and the figurine (Photo: K.S.)
I also thank the Israel Antiquities Authority for their continuous support, both in their official function and in the many visits of specialists in the Protohistory of Israel. Their experienced advice and input helped me in archaeological decisions and the interpretation of stratigraphy and finds.
I also want to express my gratitude to the Institute of Archaeology at Hebrew University, where this project is based. The academic and logistic backup is essential for projects of this scope and will remain particularly important for the following publication phase of Ein el-Jarba.
Further, I want to thank the Thyssen Foundation, which funded the excavation seasons of 2015 and 2016 and provides the financial means for the processing and publication of the finds. Without their financial support, the project could not have been completed.
The Ein el-Jarba team of 2016
Lastly, I would like to thank Felix Höflmayer. His meticulous surveyor work, instructions in the use of the total station and drawings in the field were indispensable for the project. I am also grateful for his insightful advice regarding both archaeology and project management. With the end of the Ein el-Jarba project, we will embark on the next project together, as joined venture of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Hebrew University, exploring the Middle to Late Bronze Age transition at Tel Lachish.
Ein el-Jarba Excavation Project 