Excavation Participant Resources

Archaeological Fieldschool Program Dates

The 2016 archaeological fieldschool program will run from June 24 to July 28, 2016. The excavations are located within the archaeological garden in Old Jaffa, on the south side of Tel Aviv (see our “campus”).

Participants should plan to arrive at their accommodations by the evening of Friday, June 24 (for the Saturday orientation) and to depart by the evening of Thursday, July 28.

The excavations run five days per week (Sunday-Thursday, the Israeli workweek). The weekends are reserved for program fieldtrips, which are planned for 3 weekends and are included in the costs. There is one free weekend during the program.

Flyer; Facebook Event

Application, Costs, & Deadlines

Deadline: Please note that all applications must be complete to be enrolled in the program. Enrollments will be on a first-come, first-serve basis until April 15, 2016. (Notifications by May 1.)

Option 1: UCLA Travel Study Program enrollment for academic credit through the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). See Program Flyer. UCLA students should apply for the Cotsen Undergraduate Research Grant. For additional scholarship information for UCLA and non-UCLA students, see Fellowships & Scholarships below.

Option 2: Non-credit enrollment is intended for participants who do not need formal academic credit. Total costs for non-credit enrolled participants are $4,250, the balance of which must be paid by May 1, 2016. A $250 deposit must be submitted with the application; once accepted to the program, the deposit is non-refundable and deposits will be applied to the total due. Please complete and email the following forms: Application (.dotx) [downloads to your Download folder]; Medical Status Report (PDF); and UCLA Waiver (PDF); and have two recommendations sent by email.

For additional Fellowships & Scholarships, read below.

Fellowships & Scholarships

The following programs frequently advertise fellowships and scholarships to support student participation in archaeological excavations like Jaffa. We strongly recommend that you check with local organizations in your home town (e.g., Rotary Club, 4H, etc.) for additional opportunities.

Click on the organization for a direct link to the fellowship or scholarship. They are arranged by the deadline typically advertised. Please check specific fellowships for the deadline for the current year.

Amercian Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR)
Deadline: From Jan. 1
Amount: $1000 (many awards)
The Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project is an ASOR affiliated project.
Requirement: Active membership of the ASOR

UCLA, Academic Advancement Program (AAP) Scholarship
Deadline: about January 31
Amount: $2,500
Requirement: UCLA student; must be a member of AAP and enrolled as full-time undergraduate for coming Academic Year (for more, see website)

Catholic Biblical Association of America (CBAA), Archaeology Research Stipends
Deadline: about February 15
Amount: $3,000 renewable for second season
Requirement: Active or associate membership of the CBA

Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)
Deadline: about March 1
Jane C. Waldbaum Archaeological Field School Scholarship
Amount: $1000 (7 awards)
Requirement: Active membership of the AIA

American Archaeology Abroad (AAA)
Deadline: about April 1
Amount: $1500 (1 or more awards)
The Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project is now an institutional member of American Archaeology Abroad.

Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS)
Deadline: March 15
Amount: $1000 (many awards)
Participants of the project have received support from BAS in the past.

Archaeological Institute of America, Los Angeles Society
Deadline: about April 15
Undergraduate Fieldwork Scholarship
Amount: $1000 (1-2 awards)
Requirement: Membership of the AIA
Contact: Email current society president

Cotsen Undergraduate Research Grant, UCLA
Deadline: April 1
Requirement: Must be UCLA undergraduate
Amount: $1000 grant
Requirement: UCLA Student
Contact: Kimberly Squire, Cotsen Institute

UCLA, Undergraduate Israel Essay Competition
Sponsor: Undergraduate International Relations Society (UIRS)
Deadline: about April 30
Amount: Airfare covered
Requirement: UCLA Student

Sacramento Archaeological Society, Inc.
Deadline: May 1
Amount: Up to $1500 scholarship
Requirement: Membership of society?

Birthright Israel
Deadline: Rolling admissions
Amount: Airfare
Requirement: Must be of Jewish descent
Consider participating before the trip and cover your airfare to Israel.

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Travel Information

Participants must arrange their own airfare and local transportation to and from the accommodations. For more information regarding how to get to the accommodations, please review the Orientation. For researching best-priced airfares, we recommed Kayak.com.

Exchange Rate information

Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Israel

Jaffa “Campus” Map. Shows the key places on our “campus,” where most of our activities will take place.

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Accommodations

Arrangements for accommodations are subject to change and based on availability at the time of booking. No guarantees can be made concerning the specific ammenities available, although all efforts will be made to maintain comparable accommodations.

Beit Immanuel Hostel
Participants are usually housed at the Beit Immanuel Hostel. These comfortable and affordable accommodations place you at the crossroads of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, giving you access to both areas to roam and explore during your free time. Laundry can be done at a nearby laundromat.

Address: Beit Immanuel, Auerbach St. 8, Jaffa

Phone: (972)-3-6821459; Fax: (972)-3-6829817; welcome@beitimmanuel.org

Mail and Packages:
Beit Immanuel
P.O. Box 2773
Tel-Aviv 61027, Israel

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Emergency Contact Information

Prof. Aaron Burke can be reached in Israel on his mobile: (052) 615-6274 (if dialing from abroad, the country code is 972). He can also be reached by email, which is checked daily: burke@humnet.ucla.edu.

Dr. Martin Peilstöcker can be reached on his mobile in Israel at: (054) 544-1194 (if dialing from abroad, the country code is 972). He can also be reached by email: mpeilstocker@hotmail.com

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What to Bring

Essentials
The dress code and required equipment for the excavations includes the following:

  1. Trowel (your own). We recommend the Marshalltown 45–5, although most 5” pointing trowels will suffice and some smaller pointing trowels (available at Forestry Suppliers and hardware stores online).
  2. Hiking boots (preferrably steel-toed work boots)
  3. Long pants
  4. Sunscreen
  5. Water bottle
  6. Hat (preferably one that has a brim all the way around)
  7. Small backpack (for hauling your own things to the site)
  8. Your JCHP T-Shirt (purchase)

You Will Probably Also Want the Following
Around the house you will probably want the following:

  1. Shoes for wearing around the house
  2. Bathrobe for hallway to bathroom.
  3. Sunglasses
  4. Swimsuit
  5. Camera

Towels and bedding will be provided.

You are welcome to bring your laptop, as the hostel is very secure and has wireless internet access. You may also have opportunity to use it in data entry related assignments working with your supervisor, particularly since the project's database is online; the database does not run on tablets or iPad OSs. Should there be occassion where you might bring your laptop to the lab, it is a safe and sufficiently clean environment for the operation of computers.

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Orientation

The orientation presentation can be reviewed by clicking here.

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Syllabus & Readings

The most recent version of the syllabus is available here: Syllabus. It will be updated until the program starts. Please consult it for books that need to be purchased.

In addition to the assigned articles, available via the links in the syllabus PDF, please purchase a copy of the first volume of the Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project in order to acquaint yourself with the site’s history (particularly the Bronze and Iron Ages), the project as a whole, the Kaplan Excavations Publication Initiative, and related discoveries from the Late Bronze Age.

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Database

Each participant will have access to the project's online database, known as OCHRE (Online Cultural and Historial Research Environment). You may wish to consult the manual and to download the software to take a tour of projects using this database. To do so visit the OCHRE website.

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