by Greg MacDonald
Staff Writer
Four University of La Verne students and Dr. Milton Moreland, assistant professor of religion, will be a part of a group of 40 students, including some from Duke University and the University of Wake Forest, for an archaeological dig in Israel this summer.
The ULV students and Dr. Moreland will depart from Los Angeles International Airport May 26 and arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel, to work on the site May 28.
“We are interested in finding how people were living and are interested in digging up their houses,” said Dr. Moreland.
The excavations of the Sepphoris Regional Project will use the student workers exclusively, with the staff from the various universities supervising the digs.
The digs, according to Dr. Moreland, usually find kitchens from the first century Romans complete with pots, pans and glass objects. Religious objects with Jewish and Christian symbols on them may also be excavated.
“We will find out about their religious practices and beliefs,” said Dr. Moreland.
The artifacts are going to be held at an on-site museum in Israel. Some of the major finds will make it to the United States in a traveling exhibit from North Carolina to Michigan.
Once the afternoon digs are complete, the students will attend evening lectures by specialists in various areas, such as archaeological strategy, ceramics and early Judaism, to supplement the educational process.
“It is a terrific experience for the students to see the ancient world,” said Dr. Moreland. “We also are going to see the real world of the Middle East and experience the culture.
“It is more exciting than it is frightening to see people interested in peace,” he said.
After the four week excavation, the ULV students will travel to and visit Germany for their final week.
The trip to Israel will be Dr. Moreland’s fifth, including last year’s expedition which took 10 ULV students.
The students going this year are enrolled in the Religion 339 class this semester and will receive four upper division units. The class has met 10 times this year and will hold most of the classroom time on the dig site.
The cost of the five week trip is $3,000. The cost includes airfare, travel to the site, room and board, and entrance fees for travel through Israel.
Staff and students will live in the nearby village of Hoshaya, two miles from the excavations. The living arrangements are dormitory style, four to a room. The ULV students will room with other students from Wake Forest, Duke and the University of Connecticut.
Students can ask the Financial Aid Office to re-evaluate their financial aid packages based upon the new need assessment. There are two small travel scholarships available on a competitive basis to religion majors, and students may also qualify for additional loan amounts.
Those interested in more information about this year’s trip may contact Dr. Moreland at ext. 4366.
