MORE ON THE DIG AT RAMAT RACHEL from the perspective of the volunteers:

Christians Excavate Holy Land Treasures for Summer Fun
Friday, August 08, 2008
By Julie Stahl

Ramat Rachel, Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) – Imagine spending your summer vacation covered with dust, swinging a pickaxe into stones that are thousands of years old.

Dozens of Christian volunteers and students from around the world are spending a month this summer doing just that -- digging for artifacts from biblical times at an archeological excavation on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

A joint project of Tel Aviv University and Heidelberg University in Germany, the excavations at Ramat Rachel are in their fourth season.

Professor Oded Lipschits from Tel Aviv University told CNSNews.com there are about 75 students – 20 from TAU, 40 from Germany and the rest from North America -- among the 100 volunteers working at the site. Some of the volunteers return year after year, he said.

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Background here.