Ancient Israel scholarships program

First-hand experience at archaeological dig

Linda Dwyer, a regional teacher from New South Wales, is one beneficiary.  Although she had taught her students about Ancient Israel for more than 10 years, she thought she would never have the chance to travel to the region.

“We teachers don’t often have the opportunity to reflect on our practice and enhance our understanding with a personal perspective,” Linda says.

As part of the Ancient Israel scholarships program, she travelled to Israel after being awarded a Teacher Education Scholarship.

As a volunteer at the Tel Azekah archaeological dig, she helped excavate everything from monumental architecture — including the city’s wall — to domestic artefacts. While the work was difficult and at times physically challenging, it reaffirmed Linda’s passion for the subject matter.

“What I found most heartening was that I understood what was going on at the dig. I understood the processes, what we were looking for, and why we were working in a particular manner. It reinforced for me that I’ve been teaching archaeology the right way. I could transfer the experience directly into the classroom and engage my students with first-hand knowledge.”

Rather than simply reading about events or studying static objects, students who want to understand ancient cultures should be immersed in the past, says Dr Gil Davis, Director of the Program for Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Macquarie University.

Dr Davis refers specifically to the Ancient Israel program that has attracted widespread interest since its inception four years ago. The recent appointment of specialist lecturers in archaeology, language and literature has seen the program grow substantially in 2016, with 216 students taking units and 21 travelling to Israel on archaeological digs.

Thanks to financial support from sponsors and donors, institutional support from Macquarie University and collaboration with Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Ancient Israel program now offers an array of immersive educational opportunities for students, school teachers and the wider community.

Student and PhD candidate Lyndelle Webster is another beneficiary. Her masters research project into dating artefacts at the Tel Azekah site in Israel was supported by funding from donors Dr Tom and Christine Wenkart and Dr Frank and Karen Wolf. Dig directors entrusted her with dating work on the entire site, which has the potential to help reinterpret the chronology of the whole Southern Levant region.

The Roth family are among the many benefactors of the Ancient Israel program, and their generosity funded the Roth Schools Outreach Fellowship. Its recipient, Dr Eve Guerry, is developing comprehensive, free, online information for teachers and students. The development of these resources has helped persuade the Board of Studies to include Ancient Israel in its new Ancient History curriculum.

The Ancient Israel Program continues to be a source of pride for Macquarie University.

“The generous support of the Education Heritage Foundation and the wider donor community has been crucial in the development of this program,” says Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton. “Since it started only four years ago, 700 students have studied program units, with more than 100 travelling to Israel to participate in digs and student exchanges".