Kletter/Community Archaeology, 4.Community Archaeology in Israel: Test Cases, Observations – and Questions

The subject of community archaeology is close to my heart and has been part of my archaeological activities for many years now. I worked in the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) for many years, and in 2010–2019 I was a member and an employee of the Archaeological NGO “Emek Shaveh”. This article is based on my experiences in community archaeology excavations in Israel. I directed three such excavations between 2005 and 2016. The first was at a Byzantine site near Wahat es-Salam/Newe Shalom. The second was at Ain La‘mur/En Limon, the spring of the village Ain Rafa near Jerusalem. The third excavation was of an ancient cistern in Mamilla, Jerusalem. I also participated as a team member in two other community archaeology projects at Lod and Jerusalem. In this article, I wish to offer my observations concerning these excavations and the nature of what we call “community archaeology”.