June 22, 1976 Part One

22/June/76

Dear All,
Got your June 15 letter today. The heat is not unbearable yet. In fact, this morning we actually had big (for here) clouds coming off the Mediterranean from 6 am till 10 or so and I was freezing to death having come out to the tell without a sweater. I was ready to grab one of the big sheep or goats that wander on the hillsides to cuddle with, but John D. our area supervisor for the tombs said that the herding dogs are protective of their flocks and I might just be devoured. I crawled into a cave to get warm.

There are 6 people on the photography team. Paul D. is the chief, nice guy who is easy to work for. Then there is Scott R. who was in the Marines and has now lived in Amman for a couple years till he’s ready to go back to school. Then, Kaye B. who’s about 25, and is an aspiring journalist and famous writer. She also has a husband and 3 kids who she left at home with her mother. Then Andy K., a guy who from Canada claims he’s in the Middle East for romance and intrigue. Then Loren C., from Andrew Univ. who is a nice guy. It seems to be a good enough team. We are on a rotating basis so that each person gets to work on a different part of the dig. This week I am with the tomb crew. Yesterday, with the help of Helmie, the local grave robber we made soundings with a long iron nail and started a tomb probe. Since there were no pictures to be taken I did a lot of digging and excavating myself. I even had a case of the trots yesterday (the 1st!) but of course that was from sitting on cold cement steps!
(picture at left is Helmie)

Actually, Sunday we had a day trip to Um Quais, the biblical Gadara, near where Jesus was supposed to have driven Legion’s Demons into the swine. We could see the Sea of Galilee in the distance, also the West Bank. There is a German crew excavating Um Quais. It’s awfully hot there. I’m glad to be here! We saw a Roman theater, hippodrome and mausoleum there all made of black basalt. I was taking pictures with my instamatic of which the battery is dead so maybe have nothing. I may send that film home to see. I need a PX30 Mallory battery I think. 1” diameter ½” thick. Drat.

(This next picture was taken surreptitiously from hip level. The view encompasses Lebanon and Syria and Jordan Israel too. A tender spot.)

Insert from website: http://www.jordansinaihotels.com/quaisday.htm

Known as Gadera in ancient times, modern Umm Qais is in the northernmost part of
Jordan, just south and east of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan. Founded
by the Ptolomies as a military post after the death of Alexander the Great in
the 3rd century BC, Gadera was a member of the Decapolis during Roman
times. There are significant Roman and Ottoman ruins including two
amphitheaters in the area. From the guesthouse one can enjoy sweeping
views of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan.
The biblical significance of Gadera comes from its claim to be the setting for the tale of the Gerasene swine, told in the gospels of Mathew, Mark, and Luke. In this story, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee and entered the country of the Gerasenes, where a man had been possessed by a multitude of evil spirits. Jesus caused these
spirits to leave the man and enter a great herd of swine that were grazing
nearby. The pigs then charged down into the Sea of Galilee and
drowned. Terrified at what they had seen, the people of Gadera
implored Jesus to leave, which he did. The man whom Jesus had helped
wanted to go with him, but Jesus requested that he stay behind to tell his story
(Mark 5:20) “So the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the
Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him.”