It’s the final day of an excavating season in ancient Caesarea Philippi in northern Israel, but for a small group of graduate students, the adventure was just beginning.
After weeks of digging, moving rocks and sweating over soil vibrating with more than 2,000 years of history, Pepperdine students and others from across the globe were sweeping and cleaning, readying for the jaunt back to comfy beds and favorite coffees.
Perhaps it was a hunch. Instead of sweeping, students from Greece initiated their own experiment and continued to dig just beyond their designated square. Beneath the surface, an ancient passage was discovered that would prove a powerful link between 21st century peoples and royalty from the fiery days of Roman Palestine. The passage ultimately led to the immense palace of Agrippa II, grandson of Herod the Great, believed to have ruled the principality most of the second half of the first century A.D.
The great palace, still being excavated, emerged as a key focus of the expedition for the last six years, confirming that some of the greatest discoveries are achieved by accident.
For the first time ever, 132 representative treasures out of thousands found during 12 years of excavation at the ancient site will be shown in an exhibit entitled: Rediscovering Caesarea Philippi: The Ancient City of Pan, at Pepperdine’s Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Feb. 11 through May 4.
John F. Wilson, director of Pepperdine’s Institute for the Study of Archeology and Religion, spearheads the excavation program, as well as the exhibit, in active partnership with Vassilios Tzaferis, former director of excavations for the Israel Antiquities Authority, now senior research professor at Pepperdine.
With a gift for storytelling and a scholar’s insight into religion, Wilson manages to bring ancient history to life with very human anecdotes on the passions of Roman royalty coupled with compelling stories of the period.
“The city is deeply rooted in the histories of the great religions of the region — Christianity, Judaism, and Islam,” said Wilson. “It’s fitting that people of diverse cultures and backgrounds take part in the excavation. We’re Americans, Greeks, Arabs and Israelis, everybody is involved. We are not interested in political issues — we’re trying to understand our history and civilization.”
Wilson and Tzaferis’ respective enthusiasm for the region’s rich history and archeological heritage is infectious, drawing Pepperdine students to participate in the summer excavations, together with students from a consortium of colleges and seminaries from the United States and Europe. The expedition continues each summer in the Israeli city of Banias, (the modern name for Caesarea Philippi) located near the Syrian border.
Tzaferis, a native of Greece, who has lived in Israel since his years as a young student, speaks with reverence for a city brimming with biblical significance and numerous cultural incarnations.
“Banias was not only a city, but a capitol of a kingdom,” he said. “The City of Pan was established by Philip, son of Herod the Great. The territory was first awarded to Herod by the Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar, in approximately 23 B.C.”
According to Wilson, the city’s name changed with centuries of cultural transition. The Greeks called the area Paneas, derived from their keen devotion to the Arcadian God Pan, “the forest God,” said Wilson, “who was worshipped in the caves and springs and made strange noises at night, making people panic.” The Sanctuary of Pan was discovered along the cliffs where a shrine of statues and temples was dedicated to the mischievous deity.
In other excavation highlights, Wilson says they found the remains of a large Byzantine church that reportedly once housed a famous statue of Jesus performing a healing miracle. According to traditions, the statue depicts Jesus healing a bleeding woman, kneeling at his feet, who had come to Capernaum from her home in Banias to be healed.
“Despite its pagan nature, Banias was also once a major center for rabbinical study,” explained Wilson. “The city is thought to have become a Christian community not long after Jesus visited. Jesus’ presence in Caesarea Philippi is documented in the gospels of Matthew and Mark.”
For those with aspirations of reinventing themselves as Indiana Jones, Wilson is quick to warn: “The dig is not easy. Flexibility is important. It’s sort of like Marine boot-camp. If you pass the first week it gets easier, you fall into the pattern. By the third or fourth week, you’re in the best shape of your life — eating healthy. Students come back with wonderful stories and say it’s the best experience of their life.”
Ben Elliott, 21, a Pepperdine undergraduate Political Science major with a minor in Religion is not only a dig survivor from summer 2000, he is returning again this year.
Elliott confirms the Banias dig is physically demanding, but was drawn to the experience due to his passion for archeology.
“It’s a physical thing, not necessarily [the type of exercise] you normally do, like swinging a pickax or hauling buckets. The repetitive motion of digging itself can be hard if you’re not used to it. Anyone who can hike up a mountain can do it: gender doesn’t matter.”
Elliott’s enthusiasm was heightened by the experience of being in Israel and discovering that, well, he loves their green olives.
“I tried to immerse myself in the language and culture as much as possible. I enjoy studying people of the past. When I returned, I left a part of myself there.”
Students say the excavation schedule is challenging and rewarding. They stay at a kibbutz (a collective settlement) a quarter mile from the site, rising Monday through Friday at approximately 4:30 a.m. Wilson said, “I always tell students [the kibbutz] is not as nice as a cheap motel, but it’s much better than your cabin at camp.”
After a breakfast of largely tomatoes and cucumbers, students descend on Banias at 5:30 a.m., where they move heavy rocks, push wheelbarrows and dig until 1 p.m. or 2 p.m., at which time the sun forces them to leave.
Elliott added, “The supervision is very hands-on, the professors teach as you go along. We go through examples of how to dig, how to brush off something. Digging around an object is a big concept in archeology.”
Students return to the kibbutz caked in dirt but are soon rewarded with a shower and freedom to relax for the afternoon at a sumptuous pool with a great view. They read, play chess, listen to music or take a siesta. Wilson, Tzaferis and other visiting professors often lecture and teach in the evenings.
Sam Parmelee, 24, a recent Pepperdine graduate with a double major in computer science and music composition, enjoyed the contrast between the strenuous morning workouts and the afternoons off.
“You have the whole afternoon to enjoy the culture. We worked hard all week and on weekends we’d go to Jerusalem or travel as a group to other places. It’s a nice change of pace.”
The Banias experience affects each student differently. “Gradually, you realize the significance of what you’re doing,” said Parmelee. “On a daily basis, we saw things no one has seen for 2,000 years. I was reminded of my place in the world and the historical spectrum. I have thoughts, goals and dreams, yet I am one out of billions that have felt that way. The people [of Banias] had dreams too, worked at a profession — only it was 2,000 years ago — we’re just a snapshot in history.”
For some students of religion, the opportunity of digging in Israel is a pivotal one. “I’ve been a student of the Bible for a long time,” said Nghia Nguyen. “It was a wonderful opportunity to walk in the area and visualize that, 2,000 years ago, my Lord was walking in that area.”
Parmelee, too, says he experienced a number of things on the dig. “I learned that different people have very valid things to offer. I could be having a conversation with someone from Pepperdine, then shortly after, talk with a 50-year-old school teacher from Missouri, then talk to a local Israeli whom I might play basketball with that night — everybody has interesting things to say.”
All Pepperdine students are eligible to apply for the program, according to Wilson, from both undergraduate and graduate levels and from all areas of study within the university.
The secret of Banias is out. Wilson reports that more than 400,000 people visit the site each year. “It’s a lovely spot with a wonderful waterfall,” he said, that reportedly looks more like the Colorado Rockies than a Middle Eastern desert.
As to clues on how Wilson views this excellent archeological adventure, he said of the excavation, “We like to call them windows into the ancient world. We are looking for that which belongs to all mankind, because it’s all a part of our history.”
The Pepperdine Frederick R. Weisman museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.