During the months of May/June 2017, excavations were carried out at Tel Shiloh. At the conclusion of the dig, conservation work needed to be carried out on some walls that were in danger of deterioration or collapse. One section of the Middle Bronze Age city wall, W17 in Square AC-30, was selected for conservation.

We exceeded all expectations, and I had pretty high ones!' was what Dig Director Scott Stripling said to the whole team at our final meeting on Friday evening. It was a wonderfully successful first season for the ABR Shiloh Excavation.

As we closed down the dig portion of our season, we prepared for sightseeing while a few of our staff prepared for restoration work. Lou and Ann Klauder finished up the pottery processing, while Abigail closed down the office over the week. Excitement reigned as the play began! We started Sunday afternoon at the airport to pick up the rest of our group. Due to a series of missed connections, we were only able to collect two of the seven people who should have arrived. We did not waste any time, however. On the way home we stopped at Beth Shemesh, saw the current excavations there and learned about the coastal trade routes in the area.

Every morning during this past week, the sun has risen between the hills east of the ancient tel of Shiloh, and we get to see the western hills capture this early light and see the shadows against those hills gradually fade. In this daily beauty, we have completed the third of four weeks of ABR's Shiloh excavation. We had some of our team depart after the second week to return to classes or other obligations and had new team members arrive to the site for the third week. All workers have remained strong and dedicated as we confronted the highest temperatures yet on this dig.