Unearthing the Past

Students join archaeologists to discover clues from history

“What was here before?”

Depending on your location, it can be a fairly innocuous question. In the American context, most often the question is answered with a description of what existed a generation ago, or a century or two in extreme cases. Asking the question in Europe or Asia could mean a considerably longer explanation.

But asking in Israel? Well, have a seat. You may be there for a while. You see, in Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East, asking what preceded our current frame of reference is best done with a qualifier, a narrowing down of the spectrum spanning from before the dawn of recorded human history to the present day. Otherwise the question, “What was here before?” might be answered with, “Well, how far do you want to go back?”