Dig for a Day: Hands-On Archaeology

The Dig for a Day program at Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park is one of the most unique experiences in Israel: visitors participate in an actual archaeological excavation, digging through the fill of an unexcavated cave, sifting the dirt, and keeping whatever ancient pottery, coins, or artifacts they find. The experience is supervised by professional archaeologists and is available for visitors of all ages, from children to seniors.

Digging in the Caves of Beit Guvrin

Participants receive tools (trowels, brushes, buckets, and sifting screens), a brief introduction to archaeological methods, and are assigned to an active excavation area within the cave system. The caves at Maresha are numerous enough that many remain unexcavated, and the Dig for a Day program focuses on these untouched caves. Visitors dig through layers of soil, sift the material through screens, and collect pottery shards, animal bones, stone tools, and occasionally coins or intact vessels. Everything found is catalogued by the supervising archaeologists, and visitors receive a certificate of participation.

What You Find

The most common finds are pottery shards from the Hellenistic period (3rd-1st century BCE), when Maresha was a thriving multicultural city. The shards include fragments of cooking pots, storage jars, oil lamps, and fine tableware, many of which are over 2,000 years old. Occasionally, participants find coins, complete oil lamps, carved figurines, or other significant artifacts. The thrill of pulling a 2,200-year-old object out of the ground with your own hands is real, and it connects visitors to archaeology in a way that no museum can.

Archaeological Significance

The caves at Beit Guvrin-Maresha were carved over centuries by successive civilizations, including the Sidonian colony that settled here in the 3rd century BCE. Hundreds of these bell-shaped caves honeycomb the soft chalk beneath the surface, serving as quarries, cisterns, columbaria (dovecotes), olive presses, and burial chambers. The archaeological material found within the caves spans the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, giving participants a genuine connection to the layered history of the site. Finds from previous Dig for a Day sessions have contributed to the scholarly understanding of daily life in the ancient Judean foothills, including trade patterns, dietary habits, and ceramic traditions. The UNESCO World Heritage designation of the Beit Guvrin-Maresha cave system (2014) reflects the extraordinary density and variety of subterranean spaces at the site.

The program runs daily (except Shabbat) and must be booked in advance. Sessions typically last 2-3 hours. Participants should wear closed-toe shoes and clothing they don’t mind getting dirty. The caves are cool even on hot days. The program is suitable for children aged 5 and up.

Visit with Hoshen Tours

Dig for a Day gives visitors hands-on experience in real archaeological excavations. Hoshen Tours pairs this experience with the caves of Beit Guvrin, the ancient city of Maresha, the mosaics at Beit Loya, and the David and Goliath landscape of the Ella Valley.