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An American excavation continues at the Iron Age gate at Tel Gezer, a key site in the battle between biblical minimalists and maximalists over the prominence of David and Solomon. Archaeologists are also excavating the Philistine city of Gath, where they uncovered a pottery sherd with a name similar to Goliath written on it.

Around the Sea of Galilee archaeologists have excavated at Tiberias, Sussita, and Sepphoris, cities that can tell us about life in the time of Jesus. Just north of the Sea of Galilee is Hazor, where archaeologists are seeking a Bronze Age library.

I'm not opposed to all amateur archaeologists. After all, most of these projects rely heavily on volunteers who pay for the privilege of digging and possibly helping to open a new page of biblical history. It's a process of peeling back layer after layer of debris. It's tedious, but that's how real archaeology is done.

Gordon Govier is the editor of Artifax , a quarterly magazine on biblical archaeology, and produces The Book & the Spade weekly radio program and podcast.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Other articles on archaeology are in our history section.

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May 2008, Vol. 52, No. 5