Tel Gezer
This past Sunday, my classmates and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Tel Gezer. When we arrived, we faced many obstacles. Namely arriving quite early in the morning, the heat outside, and (spider) aunts especially. Personally, I was nervous about learning while outside as I tend to get distracted. Once we started learning though, I was awe struck at the opportunity that our first tiyul brought us, and that the rest soon will; the ability to learn about something while being there.
At first, I thought that the Canaanite people were being over-credited by everyone when they talked about them prior to the trip, but I soon realized that I wasn’t giving them nearly enough credit. The first thing that stuck out to me was their water system. As my classmates and I walked to the huge, man-made cavern that they carved into the limestone themselves, it struck me that I had gotten tired only walking there. Although it is merely a home for pigeons now, it is still an outstanding reminder of the hard work that went into everyday life to create advanced cities (for the time) like at Tel Gezer. It was standing at the well that we learned there are about 25 different layers of cities in Tel Gezer, and each layer holds the story of the impressive people that lived there. The Canaanite people were only one example of many.
Along with the well, the Canaanite people also had a complex system of walls called casemate walls. In times of peace, these walls were used as accommodations, while during invasions the space in-between the wall would be filled in with rocks and dirt as an extra layer of defense. The Canaanite gate, called Shaar was the center of town. It is easy to imagine a thriving community in their town center, being hospitable, cooking meals, and just generally going about their everyday life. Another impressive feat at Tel Gezer was the extremely large guard tower that was set up for defense!
Avraham did not settle in Gezer for most likely a multitude of reasons, none of which can be proved. One of the most probable explanations is that God promised him land and he ought to get to know it, so he was walking it. Another explanation is that he was nomadic by nature, and settling down would be unnatural to him. He also had to spread monotheism and ideas could only spread by communication in person. He would've also been uncomfortable in a polytheistic city as it goes against his beliefs, and one that sacrificed humans like we learned happened at Tel Gezer.
There were also many other exciting things that archeologists found at Tel Gezer, such as clay shards with writing on them, and the Gezer calendar which was especially exciting because it showed that farmers from the 8th century BC were literate. There was much to learn about jewish tradition, such as hospitality, and the importance of not sacrificing humans while almost everyone did at the time.
What was the most important thing you took away from this trip, or the one you're least likely to forget?
My biggest take away from this trip was how advanced the Canaanites were at the time. Also knowing that people who were a lower class, farmers for example, had at least basic comprehension or reading and writing was very impressive. Of course, I will forever be traumatized by the spider ants and baby sacrifices. Great job on this post! You did an amazing job encompassing the day's events and the most important information concerning Tel Gezer.
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing I took away from this trip was how smart the Cananites were and not just how they thought of these ideas but how they implemented them throughout society. For example, It was astonishing how the casement walls were created with the technology they had back them. You did a great job explaining how meaningful this tiyul was to many of us.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I'm least likely to forget about our class trip to Tel Gezer was the remains of the buildings/houses. Last summer I went to Pompeii in Italy, Tel Gezer really reminded me of what I saw in Pompeii but not as big. I was very blown away by the fact that those remains have been there for so many years, it made me feel like I was there in ancient times.Good job Cara. :)
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I will never forget from this trip are the images that I was able to create in my head. Sounds weird, I know. But there was something about actually being in the spot where the history happened. I remember looking out onto the land below and seeing Abraham traveling, as if I was someone he was trying to convert to monotheism. While we were at the altars for sacrifice, I could imagine the animals (not the children, I would like to forget that) being slain. I could I imagine myself in between the walls of the gates taking place in trade and culture. There is something about not only Tel Gezer, but about being a part of history, that truly gets me excited to learn, and makes me feels attached to my history. And having that feeling for the first time is something I will never forget
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing I took away from the trip was how different things truly were back then. People had to have such smart ways of living, fighting, and protecting themselves from their enemies. People had to work so hard back then and do things that no one would even imagine doing nowadays. It was cool to sit and learn on a rock that many people throughout history were on at some point too. This was a really great blog post as well!
ReplyDeleteTo me the coolest part of the trip was seeing how many civilizations lived in the same place. I found it extremely interesting that over 25 different civilizations chose the same place to live, and over such a long period of time.
ReplyDeleteI will never forget the sheer size of the man made tunnel in Gezer. That really showed me how much control the ancient people have over their environments. That was also the most important thing I took away from this trip. That the people living thousands of years ago were not just barely living with primitive technology. They lived fulfilling lives by making their day to day actions easier and more accessible.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I will never forget is the tunnels that were dug in the cave we went in to. It was very interesting to see the amount of thought that went into creating the tunnels. Another thing that I will never forget is the city walls that were used as housing during times of peace but used as protection during war times.
ReplyDeleteThe most interesting thing and thing that I will forget least about going to Tel Gezer was the area with the monoliths where they would sacrifice people (and possibly children). I will also never forget that awesome water cave that the Canaanites dug out.
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing I took away from the trip is how life was more complicated and tough back in the time of the Canaanites. Walking back and forth to the cavern to just take water would've been so challenging for me. To walk down to that man-made cavern and to get water must have been so hard and such a difficult task.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Cara! It was really insightful to the several technological achievements that the Canaanites offered. Also it was interesting to learn about why Abraham wouldn't settle there. It was also cool to see how many cities were piled up through thousand of years. Thanks for the article, Cara!
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing I took away from the trip to Tel Gezer was seeing how the casemate walls worked and how much man power was needed to fill the walls. Also I don't think anyone is going to forget what happened at the monoliths... :( but good job on your blog post!
ReplyDeleteThe most memorable thing I remember from our trip to Tel Gezer was the technology the people had. I thought their system for collecting water was smart and efficient. I also liked the way they put rocks in between the walls to delay enemy attacks. Not only were they advanced in technology but they also had language which I found very impressive.
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