While many teen-agers are happy to vacation with their families in Hawaii, that wasn’t enough for 16-year-old Zach Margulies in 2005. Instead, he opted for an archaeological dig halfway around the world, and spent his summer at the historically significant Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project in the south of Israel, an important Philistine city during Biblical times. That experience solidified Margulies’ interest in archaeology, which first began when he was a boy. ‘I can’t really remember a time when I wasn’t interested in the past in one form or another,’ Margulies said. ‘I started out very young being interested in dinosaurs and collecting old coins.’ He was still in middle school at Walter Reed when he first thought that he might like to work in the field of archeology. Born in Hawaii, he moved with his family to the Palisades in third grade (Marquez Charter School), he graduated from North Hollywood High. As Margulies grew, so did his passion for the ancient world, and at Brandeis University he merged ‘my interest in the ancient world and archaeology with my interest in Bible and religion, and I ended up focusing on the pre-classical history of the East Mediterranean/Near East,’ Margulies said. In 2010, he graduated with a B.A. in classical studies and Near Eastern and Judaic studies. Margulies is now in his first year at UCLA studying for his Ph.D. in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures with a focus on Levantine Archaeology, and is planning to dig in Jaffa’a port city on the Mediterranean Sea for thousands of years’this coming summer. He hopes to work in academia one day, so that he can still dig in the summers. After his initial visit to Tell es-Safi, Margulies returned to the same site as a staff member for six additional summers. The name translates to ‘the shining-pure hill,’ most likely referring to the white chalk cliffs at the site, located south of Jerusalem and east of Gaza, at the entrance to the Elah Valley. ’Tell es-Safi is primarily known as the largest Philistine city during the first part of the Iron Age (first millennium BC), but its history stretches back at least to the Early Bronze Age (fourth millennium BC), and includes the remains of Judaean, Crusader and Arab towns,’ Margulies told the Palisadian-Post. ‘Some of the major finds made while I dug there were the discovery of the Middle Bronze Age city wall, two Philistine cultic centers and evidence of an earthquake mentioned in the Book of Amos.’ In all, 10 cities were built upon each other, with one Arab village lasting from the 12th century until its destruction in 1948. Gath is mentioned in the Bible as the home of the giant, Goliath, who fought and lost against David, who would later become king of Israel. It was a large city, inhabited by the Philistines until its destruction in the ninth century BC. The first excavation at Gath occurred in 1899; however, that only lasted several weeks, leaving a gap of nearly 100 years, until 1996, when Professor Aren Maeir of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University began excavations. Digging in the Middle Eastern heat in the height of the summer is grueling work, with days beginning at 6 a.m., and ending in the early afternoon due to heat and wind. It’s tiring work, both physically and mentally, which is why most digs usually last only one month. Professor Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University is in charge of the dig. Margulies is a supervisor, responsible for three five-by-five-meter squares, and the several volunteers digging at each square. As a staff member, his room, board and fees to participate in the dig are covered. ’For a dirty profession, archaeologists are also obsessively clean,’ Margulies said. ‘We usually spend the last 3/4 hour of the day sweeping the squares, just to make sure we haven’t missed something subtle like a change in soil color, or pottery lying flat on a surface.’ Tools range from pickaxes and hoes to dental picks and brushes, and every little item found is painstakingly recorded. In addition to Tell es-Safi, Margulies has also been on digs at Tell Burnah, also in the south. ‘I would really enjoy a chance to dig at Mycenae in Greece (home of Agamemnon from the Iliad), or at one of the Phoenician cities of Lebanon, or even one of the Iron Age sites in western Jordan,’ Margulies said. ’My dream discovery would be a royal inscription from the 10th century BC (the era of David and Solomon). The 10th century is a bit of a black hole for the history of the Levant, where archaeology and texts don’t seem to match up, and any bit of extra Biblical textual evidence uncovered in an archaeological setting would help bridge that gap.’ The Levant is an area along the Mediterranean Sea, between Mesopotamia, Anatolia and Egypt, which today is Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The dig teams Margulies has joined are akin to a mini United Nations, attracting people from all over the world, including Australia, Germany and South America. However, the bulk of college students come from Israel and the United States. English and Hebrew are the primary languages spoken, with a smattering of German thrown in the mix. Professors and graduate students make up most of the staff. No previous training is required to participate in a dig. Margulies, 23, loves being out in the field, and seeing history come alive. ‘The most spectacular find I have been a part of was a Philistine cultic area of the industrial zone in the lower city of Gath, which included a two-horned altar (as opposed to the usual four horns) and dozens of cultic vessels, all sealed by the city’s fiery destruction.’ Funding comes from Bar-Ilan, private donors, grants from the Israeli government and additional institutions. A large dig with adequate funding, such as Tell es-Safi, may have 120 participants, while 20 to 30 people may work at smaller, less important or less-funded sites. Margulies’ parents, Daniel and Jody, still live in the Palisades. Daniel is a trauma surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, while Jody, a retired research scientist, is active in local organizations such as Palisades P.R.I.D.E. Younger brother Isaac, 19, is now in his first year at MIT. Margulies lives in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood. Through archaeological findings, much is discovered about all aspects of life, including the art of war. ‘The siege trench was an offensive tactic used by the ninth- century BC king of Aram-Damascus, Hazael,’ Margulies said. ‘It completely surrounded the city, and would have prevented supplies from getting in, and anyone from escaping. This would have helped starve out the city, before its final destruction. The one at Safi is significant as the first evidence of use of this tactic in the Near East.’
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