Sunday June 14
Finished out my research in the Magdala region with a closer look at Mt. Arbel. This towering rocky mountain still has visible caves and holes where Jews escaping persecution in Jerusalem his during the time of King Herod. Legend has it that soldiers were lowered in baskets from the top of the rocky cliff to reach into the holes dotting the sheer face of the mountain and remove those who were hiding. They were then thrown off the top of the mountain to their deaths. Some have speculated that the psalmist who wrote of the “valley of the shadow of death” may have referred to this or a similar location.
I am glad to leave Tiberius today. The city is crowded and filled with more shops than culture. The best aspect of my time there were the evenings, looking out over the Sea of Galilee from a cushioned bench swing near my room. I am headed back to Jerusalem, 2 hours south, where I hope to complete my research for the script. So many new possibilities have opened up as a result of information I’d have never known without making this journey. I am very grateful I came, even though the enormity of the re-write expands with every new “aha.”
Monday June 15
My day begins at 5:30 am and was by far the most intense physical day of my trip. After working out at the hotel gym, I head out on foot to look into touring the City of David. This is an ancient area dating back to BC, just outside the city walls of Old City Jerusalem. There is a tremendous amount of excavation there, and since Biblical archeology is an important part of my story, I am here to learn. On my way, I remember to stop and buy water; I also have half a sandwich tucked in the patchwork satchel I wear slung over my shoulder. I am slathered in 50 SPF, wearing a broad-brimmed beige hat, and ready for adventure.
As I round the western corner of the outside of the city walls, I spot an excavation team already at work. A large blue tarp hangs from poles jammed into the stony earth, sheltering about 25 workers from the already-blistering sun. In front of them a backhoe digs huge white rocks out of a huge hole in the ground that looks like a house-sized meteor tore into it. Chain-link fence provides an imposing barricade, and I almost walk right by, until a woman begins to walk down the hill toward me. She is blonde, she is my age, she could be my sister. Her name is Marika, and she is a German archeologist working on an international team funded by (of all places) the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I introduce myself as a writer from Los Angeles and find a warm welcome here. I tell them I am writing a modern mystery film about Biblical archeology, and that I hope to learn from them. I tell them I want to help dig, and offer my services. How better to learn the tools and process of excavation?
I am introduced to several men who are in charge here – a leather man with twinkling eyes and a grey scruffy beard tells me visitors are not welcome to participate. I nod. “Too many insurance complications.” “Of course,” I say. “And we take this work very seriously.” “As you should,” I say, “It’s such a privilege to be given permission to excavate such a historic site.” (We are literally 1000 feet from the Wailing Wall, in case the importance of the location is not clear…) Someone says the reason this team was selected and approved is that the leather man led a team that discovered an alternate “Jesus Tomb” a few years ago. He is an archeological celebrity.
There is a pause. The leather man squints at me in the bright morning light. He lights a cigarette. Marika and I are about to walk away when I hear him say, “But we will make an exception for you, of course.” He tells her to prepare the paperwork; I will need to sign a waiver. I am told what type of shoes to wear and to eat a big breakfast. Pack lots of water; pack a lunch. Tomorrow there will be 26 members on the team. It is a 5:00 am wakeup call I cannot wait to answer.
I am laying my head on my pillow in a state of utter exhaustion tonight. Tomorrow will bring more of the same. The incredible joy of physical labor driven by spiritual motivation for a creative purpose has me ready to sweat.
Finished out my research in the Magdala region with a closer look at Mt. Arbel. This towering rocky mountain still has visible caves and holes where Jews escaping persecution in Jerusalem his during the time of King Herod. Legend has it that soldiers were lowered in baskets from the top of the rocky cliff to reach into the holes dotting the sheer face of the mountain and remove those who were hiding. They were then thrown off the top of the mountain to their deaths. Some have speculated that the psalmist who wrote of the “valley of the shadow of death” may have referred to this or a similar location.
I am glad to leave Tiberius today. The city is crowded and filled with more shops than culture. The best aspect of my time there were the evenings, looking out over the Sea of Galilee from a cushioned bench swing near my room. I am headed back to Jerusalem, 2 hours south, where I hope to complete my research for the script. So many new possibilities have opened up as a result of information I’d have never known without making this journey. I am very grateful I came, even though the enormity of the re-write expands with every new “aha.”
Monday June 15
My day begins at 5:30 am and was by far the most intense physical day of my trip. After working out at the hotel gym, I head out on foot to look into touring the City of David. This is an ancient area dating back to BC, just outside the city walls of Old City Jerusalem. There is a tremendous amount of excavation there, and since Biblical archeology is an important part of my story, I am here to learn. On my way, I remember to stop and buy water; I also have half a sandwich tucked in the patchwork satchel I wear slung over my shoulder. I am slathered in 50 SPF, wearing a broad-brimmed beige hat, and ready for adventure.
As I round the western corner of the outside of the city walls, I spot an excavation team already at work. A large blue tarp hangs from poles jammed into the stony earth, sheltering about 25 workers from the already-blistering sun. In front of them a backhoe digs huge white rocks out of a huge hole in the ground that looks like a house-sized meteor tore into it. Chain-link fence provides an imposing barricade, and I almost walk right by, until a woman begins to walk down the hill toward me. She is blonde, she is my age, she could be my sister. Her name is Marika, and she is a German archeologist working on an international team funded by (of all places) the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I introduce myself as a writer from Los Angeles and find a warm welcome here. I tell them I am writing a modern mystery film about Biblical archeology, and that I hope to learn from them. I tell them I want to help dig, and offer my services. How better to learn the tools and process of excavation?
I am introduced to several men who are in charge here – a leather man with twinkling eyes and a grey scruffy beard tells me visitors are not welcome to participate. I nod. “Too many insurance complications.” “Of course,” I say. “And we take this work very seriously.” “As you should,” I say, “It’s such a privilege to be given permission to excavate such a historic site.” (We are literally 1000 feet from the Wailing Wall, in case the importance of the location is not clear…) Someone says the reason this team was selected and approved is that the leather man led a team that discovered an alternate “Jesus Tomb” a few years ago. He is an archeological celebrity.
There is a pause. The leather man squints at me in the bright morning light. He lights a cigarette. Marika and I are about to walk away when I hear him say, “But we will make an exception for you, of course.” He tells her to prepare the paperwork; I will need to sign a waiver. I am told what type of shoes to wear and to eat a big breakfast. Pack lots of water; pack a lunch. Tomorrow there will be 26 members on the team. It is a 5:00 am wakeup call I cannot wait to answer.
I am laying my head on my pillow in a state of utter exhaustion tonight. Tomorrow will bring more of the same. The incredible joy of physical labor driven by spiritual motivation for a creative purpose has me ready to sweat.
