Tel Ashdod Archaeological Project

A detailed overhead photographic view of an active excavation square at Tel Ashdod, completely devoid of people but filled with tools and features. The square is defined by taut, bright string tied to metal stakes at each corner, forming a precise boundary over compacted, light-brown soil. Within the square, a shallow pit reveals a circular stone installation and a darker soil stain suggesting an ancient hearth. Around the edges lie neatly placed trowels, a small hand brush, a metal dustpan, a folded measuring tape, and labeled plastic buckets, their surfaces dusty from use. Soft, high midday natural light from a clear sky casts minimal shadows, ensuring every tool and soil variation is crisp and legible. The composition uses a bird’s eye view and sharp focus for a clear, documentary, educational mood that emphasizes careful field methodology.

Educational Programs

Explore field schools, internships, and training opportunities connected to the Tel Ashdod Archaeological Project.

About

About Tel Ashdod Project

Tel Ashdod is a major coastal site in southern Israel, revealing Philistine, Judean, and Persian-period communities. Our project combines excavation, conservation, and student training in collaboration with international universities.

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A meticulously arranged assemblage of excavated ceramics from Tel Ashdod displayed on a neutral grey archival table. The centerpiece is a large, reddish-brown storage jar profile with a clearly broken edge revealing its thickness, surrounded by smaller bowl rims, jug handles, and base sherds in varied clay tones from pale buff to deep terracotta. Each group rests on crisp white index cards and pale plastic trays, all free of text, aligned with careful spacing. Bright, even studio lighting from above eliminates harsh shadows, creating a clinical, museum-like clarity that emphasizes surface slips, incised decorations, and traces of soot or mineral deposits. Shot from a slightly elevated, three-quarter angle with sharp focus across the frame, the composition feels analytical and orderly, reflecting a professional research environment and the careful documentation of material culture.

Project Team

A close-up, photographic view of a partially excavated mudbrick wall at Tel Ashdod, the weathered bricks in shades of warm beige and reddish-brown stacked in a slightly irregular pattern. The surface shows crumbling edges, fine cracks, and embedded tiny pebbles, with a thin horizontal profile of darker soil marking an ancient occupation layer. The wall is framed by cleanly cut excavation balks of compacted earth on both sides, their stratigraphy visible as distinct horizontal color bands. Soft, diffused morning light from an overcast sky reduces harsh shadows and brings out subtle textures in the soil and brick surfaces. The camera is positioned at eye level with a moderate depth of field, keeping the wall in sharp focus while gently blurring the background. The mood is careful, methodical, and academic, highlighting the precision of archaeological work in a clean, professional style.

Aarav Sharma

A wide, panoramic view of the Tel Ashdod archaeological mound captured in crisp photographic realism. The gently sloping tell rises from a dry, golden-brown coastal plain dotted with low scrub and exposed soil sections, revealing stratified earth layers. In the middle distance, carefully cut square excavation areas with neat balks create a subtle grid pattern in the earth, covered with pale dust and scattered stones. Late afternoon natural light casts long, soft shadows that emphasize the texture of the ground and the contour of the mound, while the sky is a clear, pale blue with a faint haze near the horizon. Shot from a slightly elevated angle with sharp focus throughout, the composition feels calm, professional, and documentary, conveying a sense of scale, history, and scientific observation without any human presence.

Mateo García

A detailed overhead photographic view of an active excavation square at Tel Ashdod, completely devoid of people but filled with tools and features. The square is defined by taut, bright string tied to metal stakes at each corner, forming a precise boundary over compacted, light-brown soil. Within the square, a shallow pit reveals a circular stone installation and a darker soil stain suggesting an ancient hearth. Around the edges lie neatly placed trowels, a small hand brush, a metal dustpan, a folded measuring tape, and labeled plastic buckets, their surfaces dusty from use. Soft, high midday natural light from a clear sky casts minimal shadows, ensuring every tool and soil variation is crisp and legible. The composition uses a bird’s eye view and sharp focus for a clear, documentary, educational mood that emphasizes careful field methodology.

Zuri Ndlovu

Education

A meticulously arranged assemblage of excavated ceramics from Tel Ashdod displayed on a neutral grey archival table. The centerpiece is a large, reddish-brown storage jar profile with a clearly broken edge revealing its thickness, surrounded by smaller bowl rims, jug handles, and base sherds in varied clay tones from pale buff to deep terracotta. Each group rests on crisp white index cards and pale plastic trays, all free of text, aligned with careful spacing. Bright, even studio lighting from above eliminates harsh shadows, creating a clinical, museum-like clarity that emphasizes surface slips, incised decorations, and traces of soot or mineral deposits. Shot from a slightly elevated, three-quarter angle with sharp focus across the frame, the composition feels analytical and orderly, reflecting a professional research environment and the careful documentation of material culture.

Join our summer field school for hands-on excavation experience at Tel Ashdod under professional archaeological supervision.

A close-up, photographic view of a partially excavated mudbrick wall at Tel Ashdod, the weathered bricks in shades of warm beige and reddish-brown stacked in a slightly irregular pattern. The surface shows crumbling edges, fine cracks, and embedded tiny pebbles, with a thin horizontal profile of darker soil marking an ancient occupation layer. The wall is framed by cleanly cut excavation balks of compacted earth on both sides, their stratigraphy visible as distinct horizontal color bands. Soft, diffused morning light from an overcast sky reduces harsh shadows and brings out subtle textures in the soil and brick surfaces. The camera is positioned at eye level with a moderate depth of field, keeping the wall in sharp focus while gently blurring the background. The mood is careful, methodical, and academic, highlighting the precision of archaeological work in a clean, professional style.

Semester-long student placements integrate research, documentation, and conservation tasks within the ongoing Tel Ashdod excavation project.

A wide, panoramic view of the Tel Ashdod archaeological mound captured in crisp photographic realism. The gently sloping tell rises from a dry, golden-brown coastal plain dotted with low scrub and exposed soil sections, revealing stratified earth layers. In the middle distance, carefully cut square excavation areas with neat balks create a subtle grid pattern in the earth, covered with pale dust and scattered stones. Late afternoon natural light casts long, soft shadows that emphasize the texture of the ground and the contour of the mound, while the sky is a clear, pale blue with a faint haze near the horizon. Shot from a slightly elevated angle with sharp focus throughout, the composition feels calm, professional, and documentary, conveying a sense of scale, history, and scientific observation without any human presence.

Participate in daily lectures, pottery workshops, and guided tours, eligible for academic credit through partnering universities.

A detailed overhead photographic view of an active excavation square at Tel Ashdod, completely devoid of people but filled with tools and features. The square is defined by taut, bright string tied to metal stakes at each corner, forming a precise boundary over compacted, light-brown soil. Within the square, a shallow pit reveals a circular stone installation and a darker soil stain suggesting an ancient hearth. Around the edges lie neatly placed trowels, a small hand brush, a metal dustpan, a folded measuring tape, and labeled plastic buckets, their surfaces dusty from use. Soft, high midday natural light from a clear sky casts minimal shadows, ensuring every tool and soil variation is crisp and legible. The composition uses a bird’s eye view and sharp focus for a clear, documentary, educational mood that emphasizes careful field methodology.

Short intensive training workshops cover survey methods, digital recording, GIS mapping, and ethical practices in Near Eastern archaeology.