It was the plumb of assignments, working in the cistern for a few days, a 100 foot man made hole in the ground. All the real work was already done, we were just cleaning up for photos as I recall (*). They had dug it as a water storage facility, a good thing to have when roving bands came by to plunder and murder. You shut the gate, drink the water, and wait them out. One problem, after all that effort of chipping rock with primitive early iron age tools, the bottom was porous. Literally, it didn't hold water, it was useless. They had turned it into a burial site for their elite. In one side of the cavern they had dug out a shelf and laid an Egyptian woman in the site with a ton of grave goods. A perfectly preserved skeleton with just a ton of fine ware and oil lamps surrounding the skeleton**. I was at this point on my way to archaeological stardom if I chose. I was one of the Solomonic Gate guys. The first proof of the Bible as history by science with the sweat of my back. Obviously this was the plumest of the plumbs to be assigned to in the Gezer 73 excavation season. My square supervisor was the Dig Directors very beautiful and charming wife, it was obviously the choice spot to be in 73.
It felt a little weird to be in there with a skeleton, cleaning picking and excavating, I wasn't quite sure what I thought of it, but I kept that to myself. Squeamishness is not the part of an up and commer in the occupation of Grave Re-digging.
Then something happened near the end of the first session. I was picking in her teeth with a small metal probe, cleaning and getting everything ready to be photographed and removed, when I was hit with a peculiar and intense feeling of dread. I left the cistern early that day, and began to consider going home early. In the rush of events that followed the Gate's excavation two years earlier, I had been elected President of my College Student Body, and the affairs of the Student State seemed suddenly urgent and foreboding. I decided to leave the Dig and go home early and skip the second session.
The sense of depression just hung over me, the Nixon impeachment was going full steam, and suddenly the predominate image analogy become not a young JFK type, but Nixonian. I was full of foreboding about going back to Allegheny. This turned out to be quite prescient, the week after school started, my former roommate and friend resigned as editor of the student newspaper, and was replaced by an enemy. To be cool in 73 was to attack power and the new Editor was all to happy to oblige. Suddenly instead of everybody reading how wonderful I was, it was the opposite. It was tough, but a great lesson in what's real in life and what's not. All the former praises got put into their proper perspective. He must have learned as he went along, later he drove an Allegheny Administrator (R Bud Dwyer), to take out a pistol and blow his brains out on TV after being similarly attacked in his coverage week after week after week. He was a master at tearing people to bits.
I always knew in my heart, Bud was a man of the highest character and caliber,
and he was later proved innocent of all the charges. The media frenzy had created false charges,
and plea bargains for perjured testimony. I have several fond memories of him, all tinged with
a sense of humor about what I called his "Chamber of Commerce routine" (Rotary plaques on the wall and all).
Building and supporting strong ethical reputations in his community was his passion, his own was his Alter.
At the time it seemed all good and fine,... but so Square. The brittle nature of his fundamental beliefs laid him bare.
I don't think I ever met anyone as earnest, who worked as hard at being good and doing good, as R Bud Dwyer.
Perhaps my sympathy is tinged cause I actually almost did too, twenty years before Bud, five months later,
driven by the combination of a love affair's stresses and the endless hammering.
Mine was a 6.5 Swedish Mauser, but I demurred when my toe got to the trigger guard, and am embarrassed and chagrined to admit I tasted the metal.
I went to see Joe Seger, the director of the excavation to discuss my early departure. I felt like an ingrate to be bailing on him like this, especially so because of the esteem I and everybody else held for Joe. Joe, of course, was wonderful about the whole thing and said he would drive me to the Airport himself. Turned out, he was headed to Lod the next day anyway, so it wasn't a problem for him with his busy schedule.
Joe Seger was headed to the Airport to put Hershal Shanks on the plane home. I had never met Hershal at that point so after dinner he introduced us. Hershal, Joe and I began a conversation about dusk just outside the dinner tent that went on for two hours. My depressed state found a confidant in Hershal. He was devastated and could talk about nothing else but "woe is me now". He had planned and fantasized his whole life about a glorious career in Biblical Archaeology. One problem, he now discovers he really hates all the dirt and the dust and the muck. I can't help but laugh at that to this day, that little fly in the ointment, the best laid plans etc. That day tho, nobody was laughing. We were both devastated and distraught. Hershal had done a post card gig in Jerusalem waiting for the dig to start, and he considered that with great contempt. He likened it to the "dirty Roman peasants squeaking out a living selling post cards outside the Colosseum" more than once that night. I kept coming back at him with the point that he should go where his heart is. Do what you love. I am pretty sure I made the point that Post Cards could just be a start, you never know what it could turn out to be... (boy was that prescient). He shrugged a depressed shrug and we parted for the evening.
The next morning he came at me at breakfast with a smile. He shook my hand, thanked me, and said he was going to throw caution to the wind and go for it,... that he certainly did. There was a supply run that morning to HUC in Jerusalem, and Hershal took that road in life, and Joe took me to the Airport instead.
Can I lay claim to not only excavating Solomon's Gate but also being the guy who talked Hershal Shanks into starting Biblical Archaeology Review ? Guess there is only one person who can really answer that....
Hershal?
Sources: Possible but unpromising sources all in or near their 80's now, include Hershal Shanks (no response), Joe Seger (does not remember, but also got year of the Gate wrong), Allegheny Chaplin Donald Hobson (no response), Karen (formerly)? Seger (possibly deceased), and Whomever drove the supply truck to HUC? and there was a fourth person in the conversation for the first hour who was new to me, friend of Hershal's? Joe left after the first hour, the fourth soon after. Don Hobson was my counselor through all this, heartfelt best wishes to him, confidentiality released. My what a wonderful collection of the very best of Mankind that I get to cite in this section this time :) How Refreshing !!!
*Possible fatal documention issue to be persued, the date of the skeletons removal may conflict. Story is still up cause I believe it's correct. They say Memory can be tricky 45 years later, this may be my first proof of it. Another task on the list. Certainly going to find out.
**Its been 45 years, but the grave goods were removed by this point I think, we were were the last in there to my knowledge. Our entrance could have been about something that was needed for publication and was missed ?
The Entrance: The entrance to the cistern that I remember, which very few have been through to my knowledge, was through a narrow cave/archway to a ladder that you had to do a semi-circle 180 to get on it, then about two thirds the way down you tansitioned to a second ladder coming in the opposite direction, kinda like an off centered X. It felt risky and I was a 21 year old. The second ladder descended to a mid level stoop of sorts. With the ladder at your back Sara (The Egyptian/Cannonite?) resided to the the left and straight ahead to the right is the deepest part of the cistern encompassing about half the floor area. The small amount of dirt we removed was by ropes and buckets. I was called out of the area nearby where I was excavating for a short I think 4 or 5 day stint helping Karen. Karen was working on the deeper section primarily and the skeleton. If ya been there please get back to me at webmaster for confirmation or denial of this description, either will be appreciated.
This is just one of the Paranormal Events surrounding
King Solomon's Gate
The First Archaeological Proof of the Bible as History
Dan, Alas the pieces don't all fit! No arched entryway -- just a breach in bedrock in a deep trench at the south end of Field I. The descent was via just one long ladder. That said the Sara skeleton was off to the left (by the blocked entrance) with the main cistern cum tomb chamber to the right. But all this finished with the 1971 summer season. Hang in there!
Joe Joe D. Seger Director Emeritus, Cobb Institute of Archaeology Mississippi State University 5717 N Camino del Sol, Tucson AZ 85718
1. All of the work in Field III (the Solomonic Gate area) was done during Phase I before 1971 2. Work in the deep cistern – tomb Cave !0A was done between 1969 and 1970. The female skeleton at the tomb’s entrance (aka “Sarah”) was excavated in 1970. (So see Gezer V)