Image Details
Main photo: courtesy of the Tanninim Archaeological Project; background and underwater photos courtesy of the Combined Caesarea Expeditions; photo in upper right (with brush) Richard Nowitz
ON THE COVER: Ingrid Fiallo, a volunteer at Tel Tanninim, on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, engages in one of the basic tasks of an archaeological volunteer: dumping out a bucket of earth. As necessary as it is mundane, the removal of dirt is just one of many jobs carried out by volunteers every season at sites throughout the Near East. Our background montage hints at the variety to be found on excavations—from extracting pottery (upper right) to uncovering an ancient floor (center) to an underwater salvage operation (upper left). Our annual survey of volunteer opportunities, “Any Time, Any Place: A Dig for Every Interest,” can help put you in the picture this summer—and perhaps on our cover next winter.