Scholarship Winners

Matt Chasco, Tel Rhehov

Matt Chasco, a student in the graduate program in Biblical archaeology at Wheaton College, Illinois, was a volunteer at Tel Rehov last summer, where he enjoyed the archaeological equivalent of “beginner’s luck”—he was involved in uncovering nine notable finds.

Last June, I had the great privilege to work with Dr. Amihai Mazar and his crew at Tel Rehov, in the shadow of Mt. Gilboa in the Beth-Shean Valley. I was posted on the south end of the tell, in area B, square F-19. In my three weeks at the dig I was able to learn—and then practice—various archaeological field methods. I learned from Dr. Mazar himself how to draw cross-sections of our balks (the unexcavated “walls” between squares), and I also assisted in recording elevation levels.

There are three main types of archaeological finds in Israel. First, and most common, are pieces of pottery and bone. Second are features or installations such as fire pits, grinding stones and walls. In the third category, and generally rarest, are “special finds,” such as a complete bowl or pot, a figurine or, most exceptional of all, an inscription. Some people work on digs for many years and never come across a special find. But I was fortunate enough to be involved in the discovery of nine special finds—all within the first five days of our dig!