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Spartanburg Herald Journal Researchers from Wofford College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are preparing for a high profile dig this summer in Israel that could help explain historical periods more than 1,000 years apart. 
Beginning in June, the team will work for about a month on the Huqoq Excavation Project near the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The effort could expand later to include other universities.Preliminary surveys have indicated the presence of an early Roman village from the first century, close to the time of Jesus of Nazareth. It also showed a former Palestinian village that was destroyed in 1948 during the fighting that led to the formation of the state of Israel. "This is going to be one of the first digs where we'll do a systematic, programmatic, thorough investigation using all of the latest technologies," said veteran archaeologist and Wofford religion professor Byron McCane, who will serve as the research team's senior field supervisor. Based on the surveys, researchers expect to find houses, a synagogue and production facilities for olive oil and wine. McCane said up to a 1,000 people lived in the village, which didn't receive attention from the archaeological community until recently because Huqoq is not mentioned in the Bible. "There have been excavations in sites related to Jesus before, and the historical study of Jesus as a result has been a real growth industry for 30 years now," McCane said. Researchers also will focus attention on the remains of the former Palestinian village, which is estimated to comprise about half of the top layers on the site. They are interested in determining where the refugees from the village went following the fighting. McCane said some might have ended up in Israel, while others might have gone to Jordan, where members of the research team will spend time this summer trying to track down more information. "It's kind of exciting to think perhaps we might be able to find someone who was perhaps very young (and lived in the village) at the time of the fighting," McCane said. The scholars will use heavy tools to break down each layer and fine tools to work around artifacts without damaging them. McCane prefers a set of dental tools given to him by a dentist friend for the most careful work. McCane is the only Wofford professor committed to the project for now, but he will be joined by a handful of Wofford students. Some of the students are interested in pursuing archaeology, and others are just interested in history. "I've always loved archaeology and history," said Brian McCracken, one of the participating students. "A trip to one of the richest places in the world was not to be missed." Researchers from Wofford and the University of North Carolina have worked together on a previous archaeological dig in southern Israel, but the new project marks the first time they are working as part of a formal collaboration funded by both institutions. McCane said the team hopes to publicize its research quickly. He said bringing the information to the public as soon as possible will allow scholars to use the new research in their classrooms and help further interest in the field. For a researcher as passionate about archaeology as McCane, whose sister once noted her brother's lifetime passion with a gift of a hat saying "I Dig in Dirt," anything that can spark interest in the work is a great opportunity. "You really do get a very palpable sense when you take one layer out at a time of what history looks like," he said. "We're going to be one layer (some day) and somebody will be above us. Maybe, somebody will dig us up 2,000 years from now."
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