2010 Brochure and Application: Session II

The Bethsaida Excavations Project 2010 Season brochure and application materials for Session II are now available for download at http://www.nicolaeroddy.net. This special two-week session will depart the U.S. on June 12. For additional details, contact me at nroddy@creighton.edu. Note: Some non-U.S. volunteers may be eligible for a discounted participation fee.

Bethsaida 2010

The dates for Dr. Nicolae Roddy's expedition for the Bethsaida 2010 Season are June 13-June 28. Extensive sightseeing is planned for the weekends and the three-week opportunity will finish up with a couple of nights on Jerusalem's Old City. After being on sabbatical for 2009, Dr. Roddy is more enthusiastic than ever about returning for the 2010 Season! Several persons have already expressed their excited commitment to participate this summer. For additional information, go to www.nicolaeroddy.net and click on the Bethsaida Excavations Project button or the Bethsaida logo, or contact Dr. Roddy at nroddy@creighton.edu.

Bethsaida Excavations Resume in 2009

The Bethsaida excavation season for 2009 will resume next summer with two sessions. The dates are:

May 31 - June 30

June 21 - July 11

See the project website for details.

New! The Virtual World Project Blog

The Virtual World Project, available at http://www.virtualworldproject.org, allows visitors to take audio tours of Bethsaida and several other sites throughout Israel/Palestine and Jordan. Also, check out the new VWP Blog, available at http://virtualworldproject.blogspot.com/ to see recent additions to the site.

Bethsaida 2008 Season. Session Two

Session Two of the Bethsaida 2008 Season closed with great success. Excavations were carried out in Area A (IA II) and Area C (Hellenistic-Roman). In addition to uncovering architecture at both levels, finds included a figurine, assorted coins, and a number of domestic items like loom weights and bone awls. I was pleased to have an incredibly productive and collegial (read "fun-loving") group of participants this year.

Special mention is due to a couple of experienced graduate student volunteers who learned the ropes and served as assistant supervisors in performing daily duties of recording, mapping, taking elevations, etc., namely, Ms Alexandra Untu, M.A., from the Faculty of Letters at the University of Bucharest (5th from right), and Mr. Richard Newton, of the Perkins School of Theology at SMU (far right). I am also greatly indebted to my daughter, Aurelia Roddy, 16 (10th from right), who during this, her third consecutive year digging at Bethsaida, assumed a leadership role in tending to the affairs of student volunteers, thereby reducing my usual workload significantly!

I will be on sabbatical next year, so while I will probably will spend some time in the Middle East in connection with the Virtual World Project (www.virtualworldproject.org), I will not be organizing a group for Bethsaida. But start making plans now to join me at Bethsaida in 2010!

The Bethsaida Excavation Season

Read the weekly accounts of the ongoing excavation at Bethsaida!

Bethsaida 2008

As the cold wind blows across the prairie people are already beginning to ask me about the 2008 Season at Bethsaida! As in previous years, I've planned a special two-week expedition, running between June 15-29 and coinciding with the start of Session 2. This special session is designed to meet the needs of volunteers who have a desire to participate in the dig and all of its intensive sightseeing opportunities, but cannot be away from a job or family for more than two weeks at a time. As always, intensive and extensive touring is planned for the weekends, including a two-night stay in Jerusalem at the end of the expedition. For further details, visit my website at http://www.nicolaeroddy.net/ and click on the Bethsaida logo. Please feel free to contact me for questions or additional information at nroddy@creighton.edu.