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| Tel Batash, Biblical Timnah |
| Cooperation with Schools in a Conservation and Development Project |
| Implemented by: |
Arch. Avi Mashiah
Arch. Tamar Nativ
Arch. Yehonatan Tzahor
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Tel Batash, which is today situated near Moshav Tal Shahar and Kibbutz Zor‘a, rises above the banks of Nahal Soreq, in the heart of a fertile valley. Extensive archaeological excavations directed by G.L. Kelm and Amihai Mazar were conducted at the site from 1977 until 1989 by an expedition from the United States, in cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Twelve settlement strata were discovered and remains of a well-planned and fortified city were exposed that existed during the periods of the kings of Judah, in the eighth–seventh centuries BCE.
The tell is identified with Biblical Timnah. Famous biblical stories are associated with this place. It was here that Samson met his Philistine wife and in the nearby fields he encountered a lion and killed it. After he quarreled with his wife and her family he burned the crop in the fields using torches tied to the tails of foxes. In the gates of the city Tamar seduced Judah and the resulting dynasty from their son Peretz gave birth to King David ten generations later.
In 2012, some 25 years after the end of the archaeological excavation there, during which the mound stood desolate and covered with tall vegetation, a joint venture was begun between the Soreq-Lachish Drainage Authority, Israel Antiquities Authority and the Milestones Program of the Heritage Department in the Prime Minister's Office. This venture promoted a project intended to prepare the site for visits by the public as a principal attraction along Nahal Soreq.
As part of the conservation and development measures conducted at the site the ancient city gate was exposed and prepared as a passageway. An oil press and its surroundings and a representative dwelling were treated and integrated in the visitor’s path. In addition, a passageway was prepared in the city’s ancient street that runs next to its massive city wall, and a shaded teaching station was built in a spot where there is a breathtaking view looking out over the surrounding region.
Apart from the intervention in the finds themselves, many explanatory signs were installed at the site from which one can learn about the region and its history and about the biblical stories associated with the place. These measures of interpretation and presentation will promote learning by visiting the tell, whether as part of a formal curriculum of study or in an informal setting.
The experience accumulated in conserving heritage sites shows that in order to ensure that the site will be maintained and preserved over the long term a link should be created between the antiquities and the local communities. One way of doing this is through the "Adopt a Site" program. In this program children from the surrounding communities participate in an educational program that is implemented at the same time as the conservation and development measures are being carried out. The groups of students learn about the place and participate in the practical field activity at the site.
In the current project we implemented a plan, led by the Archaeological Education Center of the Jerusalem Region of the Israel Antiquities Authority, in two schools in the region – the Shahar School in Moshav Tal Shahar and the Hartuv School in Kibbutz Zor‘a. It was conducted with fourth and fifth graders, in a total of eleven classes from the two schools, in which c. 340 pupils participated.
The educational activities began in October 2013 and included an archeology workshop that met for four sessions in the classroom and a final festive fifth session in the field at Tel Batash. The goal of the program was to introduce the students to the heritage site, to teach them about the antiquities on Tel Batash and their archaeological importance, and involve them into preparing the site for the benefit of the general public and community living nearby. In the field activity the pupils gained first-hand experience in an archaeological excavation and restoration and construction work. They paved the gate plaza with river pebbles utilizing the original building technology, of which physical evidence was found in the excavation. In addition, they participated in traditional crafts such as grinding flour and preparing pita bread and learned about the place from an activity booklet encompassing different topics that are reflected on the tell.
The program has proven itself to be very successful. The children had a great time, as can be seen in the video filmed about the project (see attached hyperlink), and they were exposed to the history of Tel Batash and the work methods employed by archaeologists and conservators. There is no doubt that the cooperation with schools and the joint work in the field, of professionals and pupils, strengthens the ties of the nearby community with the archaeological site. Furthermore, such activity is key to the continued existence of the project over time, to the conservation of the site and its future upkeep.
Link to the video about the educational activities Tel Batash
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August 2015
To view the figures, click on the figure caption
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