Straight from Ashkelon to Your Table: The Ascalonian

“We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic…” (Numbers 11:5)

While Ashkelon is noted for many things, such as Philistines, the oldest arched gateway, and horrific Roman-era sewers, it has another, lesser-known claim to fame. It is also the hometown of one of the world’s most popular vegetables: the onion.

More specifically, it is famous for a particular variety of the Alum family. During the Roman era, the name Ashkelon was latinized, becoming Ascalon or Ascalonia. Among the city’s many exports, such as its famous wine, it also cultivated a smaller variety of onion that did not tend to mature to the full bulb, and was known for its mild flavor. Writers such as Theophrastus and Strabo expounded on the qualities of this humble root. And, since it was cultivated in Ascalon, it became known as the ascalonian, or escalonia. Pliny the Elder described it in The Natural History as:

The Ascalonian onion is of a peculiar nature, being barren in some measure in the root; hence it is that the Greeks have recommended it to be reproduced from seed, and not from roots: the transplanting, too, they say, should be done later in the spring, at the time the plant germinates, the result being that it bulbs with all the greater rapidity, and hastens, as it were, to make up for lost time; great dispatch, however, is requisite in taking it up, for when ripe it rots with the greatest rapidity. If propagated from roots, it throws out a long stalk, runs rapidly to seed, and dies.

As the name passed through many centuries and many tongues, it was altered slightly into the French shallot and English scallion. 

The Mighty Ascalonian

Today, scallions are still cultivated in the park, though the crops often suffer from foraging picnicking parties and barbeques. However, in forgotten corners, they have grown quite large, with huge clusters that blossoming archaeologists have to clean out of their grids with pickaxes. It is rather a disappointment to come home smelling like onions without having had the pleasure of eating them.

Clumps of Ascalonians

Grid Foxes of Ashkelon

One of the fun things about traveling is enjoying the ecology of other lands.  For example, Trent’s fox in Grid 20, where they are exploring the Islamic and Crusader fortifications in the “Snake Tower.”  The fellow seems to be an adolescent who is more interested in playing with his rocks and dirt mounds than avoiding humans.  His interest in archaeology has also led to reports of volunteers in the trench looking up to see a fox peering down at them.

Our little friend is part of a long line of Grid Foxes that have graced us with their presence.  The whole family turned out last season to watch us sweat and toil in Grid 38 (and never offered to lend a paw).

Lunch above the “City of Palms”

The past two weeks or so, we’ve been bouncing around Jerusalem and making a few excursions to outlying areas.  Yesterday was one of those excursions, and a kickin’ lunch view to boot.

Enter Tel es-Sultan, Jericho, City of Palms, and the Mt. of Temptation (the first three being the same, the later is a separate entity).

Tel es-Sultan, as the site of Biblical Old Testament Jericho, has seen excavations by some of the biggest names in archeological history.  Seemingly fitting, along with the big names, it has also been a site of flashy archaeological debate for many years.  We shall not go into flashy debate items here.  Our intent is to provide a few high level shots of the site (pun intended), relate its setting to Biblical texts, and provide insight to the good food at the mountain next door 🙂

The shots below were taken from the “Mt. of Temptation,” just west of Jericho.  As the name implies, this is the traditional location where Jesus was “tempted” by the devil (Matthew 4), and a Greek Orthodox monastery atop the mountain is perched there to remember this tradition (this tradition has no relation to Old Testament history).

From the photos blow, you can see the setting (albeit through the desert summer haze), a good visual backdrop to verses mentioning geographical and physical aspects of Jericho’s setting it in Biblical texts.  A word about the cables in the photos later in the post.

Jericho and Jordan Valley from Mt. of Temptation

Closer shot of the Jericho tel from the Mt. of Temptation. The building that is most prominent, between the cables just before they reach the tower, is just in front of the tel. The tel is what appears to be a long sandy/grayish hill or mound. It extends slightly to the right, you can see a second gondola/cable tower (with gondolas just in front of it) covering the southern edge of the tel. It extends left to the group of buildings at the end.

Numbers 22:1- “Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho –“

From the angle of the first photo, you can see two interesting things.  One is the Jordan River Valley, or the Great Rift Valley as is it sometimes referred to.  In the bottom right corner, you see the edge of the Judean Hill Country dropping off into the Jordan Valley (same mountains from which the photo is shot).  The Jordan River resides in the bottom of the valley, thus, “on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho.”  Number two concerns the north end of the Dead Sea.  It’s hard to see in this photo, again, because of the summer haze, but halfway up the photo on the right side, where the land appears to become sky, a portion of that blue is actually water of the Dead Sea.  This provides another interesting point in that just above the Dead Sea on the other side of the Jordan is known as the “plains of Moab.”  So the “plains of Moab” and “across the Jordan,” are two things we can see in this photo, described from Numbers 22:1.

Deuteronomy 34:3- “…the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar –“

Below is a shot of palm trees from the tel, along with other items of agriculture.  Given the heat and barrenness of this area, you can certainly see were springs of water (or rivers) make a difference, especially when harnessed for irrigation.

Palm trees and other agricultural items from Jericho. You can also see the mountains of Jordan in the background, across the Jordan River Valley.

Joshua 2:16- “And she said to them, ‘Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.’”

This verse is in the context of Joshua sending the spies to Jericho and their interactions with Rahab.  This verse is where she helps them escape after it is suspected by some in the city (who informed the king), that Israelite spies had come to investigate the city.

The photo below is looking south from the Temptation Mount and provides a good profile view of mountains they could have hidden in.  The Judean hills “behind” Jericho to the west would have been a logical hiding place, since the search party would have probably looked east, toward where Israel was encamped across the Jordan.

Profile Shot Looking South of Judean Hills

Lastly, there was a mention above about the cables in the photos from the top Mt. of Temptation.  While Mt. of Temptation has the monastery on the side of the mountain, it also contains a few shops, a restaurant, and a snack bar or two.  How do you get to that spot on the side of the mountain?  Yep, that’s where the cables come into play.  For a nominal fee, you can ride a snazzy set of cable cars up to Mt. of Temptation.  There you will be tempted by an assortment of souvenirs and food.  We failed the food portion of the test, as you see below.

This view show the restaurant in the center, cable cars to the right side, and the monastery staircase is visible to the left along with the edge of the monastery buildings.

Musakhan Chicken- Marinated half chicken, grilled with special summaq, sauteed onion, and served on Tabooun bread

Chicken breast cooked in lemon sauce and tarragon

So, if you ever make it to the top of Mt. Temptation, soak up the views that help you see the surrounding of Jericho and the Jordan Valley, and pay a visit to the Sultan Restaurant.  It’s not as pricy as you would expect, for a touristy restaurant, and provides stunning views of the Jericho and the Jordan Valley (if you can acquire a table out on the terrace).

Arbel, Tiberus, Hazor, Nazareth, Jezreel Valley, Tel Jezreel, Bet Shean, Qumran, En Gedi (Photo Summary for the past week, last Tuesday – this Wednesday)

We have been covering a lot of ground over the past week, mostly in northern Israel, but some in the south as well.

Here are some photo highlights.

Mt. Arbel, in Northern Israel-
This is one of the interesting features on the northwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee.  It pairs with Mt. Nitia to form a pass which has been used over the ages to pass from areas west of Galilee (such as Nazareth) to the sea and locations north of the sea, such as Capernaum.  The first photo is from the top of Arbel, looking down on the Sea of Galilee and the second photo looks from Arbel across the pass to Mt. Nitia.  You can see the trail going around Arbel disappearing around the side of the mountain where the cliff drops off to the pass in the valley floor.

From Mt. Arbel, overlooking the Sea of Galilee

Looking from Mt. Arbel across the pass to Mt. Nitia

Tiberias Mosque, in the city of Tiberius on the west central shores of the Sea of Galilee –
While not ancient, this beautiful old Mosque stands tucked away in one of the shopping centers of Tiberias, one block from the sea-front promenade.  It is the Al-Amari mosque, built in the 1730s. Tradition holds that its construction was funded by the local Jewish population, who was thankful for the sheik’s protection.  Had we not stumbled through a corridor looking for a shortcut, we would have never known it was there.

Al-Amari mosque, in Tiberias.

Tel Hazor, ancient mound north of the Galilee region-
This tel is packed with many good layers of ancient history and is mentioned numerous times in Old Testament accounts.  This first photo is of current excavations going on there.  Wish the excavation crew had been there so we could ask them about the walls in the photo (we were there in the afternoon, while most dig sites are active in the morning).  The second photo is looking out of the Solomonic gates at Hazor.  These gates date to the 10th century B.C. and are similar to those found at Megiddo and Gezer.

Excavations at Hazor

Solomonic Gates at Hazor

Nazareth, Central Northern Israel, on the northern edge of the Jezreel valley-
We briefly popped into the city of Nazareth.  Most people visit Nazareth and its large churches built over “Holy sites;” however, we were looking for excavations unearthed just a few years ago with
construction of a new building.  The excavations are pictured below and show 1st century architecture (contemporary with the time of Jesus).

First-Century Dwelling at Nazareth

Jezreel Valley-
View of the Jezreel Valley from the El-Muhraqa (Carmelite) monastery. The Jezreel Valley is the defining feature which cuts at a southwest angle across the northern portion of Israel.  Many accounts of ancient history play out in this valley as it creates a focal point of travel, trade routes, and military movement throughout ancient (and modern) history.

View of the Jezreel valley a few miles from the coast

Bet She’an, at the southeast end of the Jezreel Valley, bordering the Jordan River valley-
With extensive occupation from Canaanite to Byzantine times, and times in-between (Egyptian influence, Philistine, Israelites, Greek/Hellenstic, Romans) this is an impressive ancient site with vast remains at the bottom of the tel, mostly from the Greeks and Romans. From Roman baths, to colonnaded streets, to a theater with seating for 7,000, this ancient city has it all.  This photo is from the tel (Canaanite/Israelite portion) looking down on the Greek/Roman/Byzantine remains.

View from the tel at Bet She’an, looking down at mostly Hellenistic and Roman ruins

Tel Jezreel-
On the southern edge of the Jezrell Valley, just up the valley from Bet She’an, is the ancient tel of Jezreel.  Unlike many of the popular sites, this tel is not in a controlled access national park, it’s just
a roadside stop.  We walked around on the top of this site (now a cow pasture) looking at what ruins were there.  Here is a photo of some of the ruins on the tel (not sure what they are or what time period they are from).  After the fact, we found out that there were current excavations going on this year, concerning Iron Age areas of the tel. We certainly didn’t come across recent excavations where we were walking around.  Many, including those who have excavated here in the past, associate this tel with the Iron Age settlement associated with Jezreel of the Biblical account, connected to Ahab, Jezebel, and Jehu, all of the Divided Kingdom period of Israel’s history.

Ruins at Tel Jezreel

Qumran, on the top of the western edge of the Dead Sea-
After this we wrapped up our travels in the northern part of the country and move south (directionally and elevation), down to the Dead Sea.  Our first stop was Qumran, where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  Below is the typical cave photo you see from the Qumran National Park.

Qumran Cave

Ein Gedi, moving down the western Dead Sea coast-
Our next stop the following day was the springs of Ein Gedi.  This is often associated with the Wilderness of Engedi, where Saul and David had interaction in 1 Samuel 23 & 24.  It is also mentioned at later times in other sources, such as Josephus, when he talks about the siege at Masada, mentioning other villages that were plundered about the same time.  The terrain here is rugged and the springs and waterfalls bring an oasis to the desert.  The first photo is from the top of the largest waterfall in the series of waterfalls in the national park of Ein Gedi (this is a lot higher than it looks in the photo, note the Dead Sea in the distance….it’s hazy, but you can see it).  The water is flowing just under the first photo and the second photo is the view from the bottom of the falls.  It was about a 45-minute hike up to the top, not bad, except that it was up the side of the ravine and it was about 90 degrees (at 8 a.m.).  By the time we were done with our 4-hour hike around the park, it was about 100
degrees (12:30 p.m.).

View of the Wadi David at En Gedi, looking toward the Dead Sea (standing just above the “David Falls”)

View of the waterfall from the bottom

It was a busy week, to say the least 🙂

Masada Sunrise

View of the sunrise from Masada, Herod’s ancient fortress.

It is rising over the mountains of modern-day Jordan and the Dead Sea.

Photo shot about 9 hours ago.

Masada Sunrise

Sea of Galilee Sunrise

Here is the sun rising over the Sea of Galilee this morning, about 3 hours ago.  It was a calm and peaceful scene, quite beautiful as well.  We’ve been traveling around the Galilee area for a day or two and are about to move into the Nazareth/Jezreel Valley area.

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

Project #2: Vagabonding in Israel for 40 Days (or So)

Picture of the Temple Mount from a south view. You may have to click to see the larger image, but from left to right you can see the Temple Mount, with the Old City walls below it, the Kidron Valley, and then the Mount of Olives (green clump of trees on the right). This shot was from June 14th, on a field trip/break day from the dig.

So you may remember from our first post from back in June, as we ramped up the blog again, we had a few “projects” coming up.  Digging in Ashkelon was #1, vagabonding in Israel for about a month is #2.

How did this project develop?  Project #1 is part of a larger endeavor, which will keep us here in Israel until December (more on that later, Project #3).  Project #2 is the in-between time of projects 1&3, about 40 days.

We faced the question of what to do with those 40 days.  Round-trip plane tickets home?  Sounds logical, but as we looked at that price, the question became, “Could we stay in-country for that or less, and visit the major sites in Israel relevant to the Biblical text?” This would be the ancient cities and tells (ancient mounds), not just popular tourist sites, although some of them are.  A little number crunching indicated that it would be close, assuming we used small hotels, hostels, and perhaps even a Bedouin tent :), and in general, lived life on the cheap.

While we dearly love our families, and desire greatly to see you all soon, you know the adventurous spirits we are. Project # 2 it is.

So, while the sun sets on the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon, the sun rises on explorative vagabonding in Israel.

Sunset on the ancient seaport beach of Ashkelon.

Hopefully, we will be able to keep you more up to date with Project #2, as our schedule will be a little more flexible and not quite so intense.

New adventures…

…coming soon.

Experiencing the Top of Europe on the Jungfrau

We have been home almost two weeks now.  We never quite caught up on posting about the remainder of our trip until now (and we slipped in a post for Columbus 🙂

Before we get into the last post about the “Top of Europe,” here is what we plan to do with the blog after the trip. Most likely once or twice per week, we’ll try to post content much like you’ve seen so far.  There is so much much history, culture, art, nature, and many photos going along with these items which we want to share.  Hopefully you will like reading about it as much as we like writing about it.  So check back in occasionally or sign up for email alerts over on the right side of the page, as we would love for you to continue the journey with us.

The Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau Peaks

We wrap up our trip with a breathtaking journey to the “Top of Europe,” and we mean that quite literally. At 13,642 feet above sea level, the Jungfrau peak is the highest point in Europe and almost everything becomes strenuous. This is one of three peaks clustered together, the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Some stories say the mountains represent the monk (Mönch) protecting the maiden (Jungfrau) from the evil ogre (Eiger). These peaks also front Europe’s longest glacier, the Great Aletsch Glacier (14 miles long, 3300 feet deep). All combined, it creates a panorama of the kind of beauty that can bring tears to your eyes.

View of the Valley Beyond the Peaks

To get to the Jungfrau, we took a cogwheel train through a tunnel system in the Eiger, which began construction in 1893 and was completed in 1912. At the top (11,716 ft), we came out at the Sphinx astronomical observatory, clinging to the high point like some sort of lopsided shanty. Appearances aside, it offers an astounding view of the both the heavens and the earth.

The Sphinx Observatory

From the observatory, you can wander through a network of tunnels leading outside for the 45-minute hike across the edge of the glacier to the peak of the Mönch for a delicious and well-earned meal at the Mönchsjoch Hütte (Mönch’s Hut), a little way station perched on the side of the peak. Here you can enjoy a decadent concoction of bread smothered in 1/2 inch of Swiss cheese, ham, sausage, and all topped with a fried egg. It’s OK–hiking at that altitude burned those calories off pretty fast.

The Great Aletsch Glacier

On a side note, literature fans will also enjoy the fact that JRR Tolkein once toured the Berner Oberland area and was inspired by what he saw. The beautiful and gentle Lauterbrunnen valley became Rivendell. The glacial river rushing through the Lauterbrunnen valley at the foot of the Jungfrau also flows through Rivendell as the “Brunnen” river. The Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau make their appearance as the three peaks of the Misty Mountains in Khazad-dûm: Caradhas, Fanuidhol, and Celebdil–where Gandalf battled the Balrog. Tolkein loved the lore of Northern Europe, but he was enchanted by the geography as well.

Tolkein’s View of the Jungfrau

The valley itself is astoundingly lovely, with rough snow sheets melding into rolling pasture land. You can watch the occasional avalanche or herd of ibex above you in the mountains.

Some Ibexes…Ibeces…Ibexi…an Ibex and Another Ibex

Switzerland- Land of Mountains, Trains, Gondola Lifts, and, Well, Cheese (and Chocolate)

Switzerland, small and landlocked in the middle of Europe with the Alps on the southern border, is a beautiful country with a postcard-like ambiance across most of its land. For us, given our interest in nature, hiking, mountains, trains and more, we wanted to give it a shot.  Since we were already across the pond, plane tickets were cheap. Through a handy-dandy guide book, we found a lady who rents part of her cabin (sectioned off much like an apartment or B&B room) for less than most hotel rooms you would find driving across the U.S. Put all of that together and you have a room with a view like this….

Our View in Gimmelwald, Switzerland

This is a view from our cabin in the little town of Gimmelwald. The Google map link below will give you an idea about where this is in the southern central part of the country. If you are a Google Earth user, search for this town name in Switzerland and tilt the view to see the elevation, and you will get a good idea of the mountain terrain in this area.

So a little about Switzerland. Historically, the land area of Switzerland has Greek and Roman history just as many other European and near-east countries. Although you don’t typically think of Rome when thinking about Switzerland, you do have Roman archaeological sites in the country, such as Augusta Raurica in the north central part of the country and Avenches, located close to Bern, in the central part of the country. The 12 and 13^th centuries saw the rise of the “Old Swiss Confederacy” (the common CH abbreviation you now see for Switzerland, which is Confoederatio Helvetica, Latin for “Swiss Confederation”). This era brought many of the communities of the central Alps together. This union allowed the Swiss to fight against other European powers, such as the Habsburg Empire, and win some notable victories, which established some level of Swiss independence in the region. However, due to some internal weaknesses and the power of the French in the Napoleonic era, the Swiss did fall under French rule for a short time. That French rule ended toward the beginning of the 19^th century, with the Swiss reestablishing independence and also beginning the long road of Swiss neutrality, which is still in existence today.

The attitude of neutrality even precipitates down to their animals.  Walk along the quite mountain trails between the villages and try to pet the goats, cows, sheep, dogs, and cats along the way. You will find they accept the petting, but very nonchalantly, and may walk away at any time and stare at you indignantly, as the cow below did to us. Hey, it’s Switzerland.

Neutral Swiss Cow

Just up from the village we were residing in is the peak of the Schilthorn. This peak is notable for a revolving restaurant perched at the top (@ 9,744 ft.). The restaurant and the associated viewing platforms offer spectacular views of the Eiger, Mӧnch, and Jungfrau peaks across the valley. These peaks are commonly noted as “Top of Europe,” which is served by the highest running cog-wheel train in Europe.

The Three Peaks: Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau

Also, the restaurant at the top of the Schilthorn is one of the main settings for the film, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” a James Bond 007 movie from the late 60s. They blew it up in the movie, but, luckily, it is actually still there and serving a delicious “007 Breakfast Buffet” at 10,000 feet.

Breakfast at 10,000

Over the next day or two, we’ll dedicate a few other posts to some Roman ruins we visited and the peak of the Jungfrau.