There is something to be said for holding a piece of pottery, over 2000 years old, in the middle of an archaeological dig in Israel. It is quite possible one of the coolest things I had ever done, working with kids I had just met two days ago, looking at pieces of our people's past. Each piece of pottery could have been someone's wine jug, cooking pot, mixing bowl. The stone chamber 15 feet below ground charred with ancient fire telling a story of a baker, a potter, a common person. A bunch of us discovered steps, and began to frantically clear away the dirt, even as everyone else began to bring the buckets up to the surface. In the process, we uncovered basically an entire charred cooking pot in pieces. It was unexpectedly exciting. As
... read more