In the far north of Israel, surrounded by rolling farmland, is a nondescript hill that could contain ancient secrets.
There isn't much there now, but for thousands of years that hill was occupied by a town of up to four thousand people.
That hill and town, known as Abel Beth Maachah, is mentioned several times in the Bible, and may have been brought to its end by the invading forces of the Assyrian Empire around 700 B.C.
Despite its biblical status, the site has never been excavated by archaeologists - at least until now. Later this month, a professor from Azusa Pacific University and a team of about 20 students and researchers will begin surveying the site in preparation for an archeological dig.
Robert Mullins, an associate professor of biblical studies at APU who is heading up the excavation, said he hopes to discover what exactly happened to Abel Beth Maachah when it was overrun by Assyrian soldiers all those millennia ago.
"If we found a citadel with a siege ramp running up to it, I would be very excited," Mullins said.
Mullins, who lived in Israel for 20 years and earned his doctorate there, has earned a reputation around APU as something of a real-life Indiana Jones. He has explored and studied many other Biblical-era sites in Israel and has appeared as an ancient-Middle East expert on BBC, and guest on the History Channel TV show, Indiana Jones and the Ultimate Quest."
"I had a group of students give me a
whip," Mullins said with a laugh.
Mullins said in its heyday, Abel Beth Maachah would have been a bustling place.
"Living in the cities are going to be officials working for the government, merchants and tradespeople," Mullins said.
The fact that the town may have been destroyed by enemy soldiers means it could be a rich site for excavation.
Mullins said sometimes when ancient towns and cities fade from existence, it was because they were abandoned. When that happens, the former occupants often take their belongings with them, leaving little for archaeologists to study.
But when a city is captured and destroyed by an enemy, people don't have time to pack up their things. They leave behind the "artifacts of daily life," Mullins said.
"All of that's going to be frozen in time," Mullins said. "For archeologists, destruction is great."
Even though the site could prove to be a treasure trove, Mullins said it was never explored because it it just wasn't as famous as some other places mentioned in the Bible.
And its location near the border of Lebanon, which has been in conflict with Israel several times since 1948, meant there were safety concerns for archaeological teams in the area.
It's a situation that's not so different from the one that existed in ancient times.
"It was kind of a defensive city against attack," Mullins said. "The site was at the intersection of Israel, Phoenicia and Assyria."
The exploration of the site this month will begin with a basic survey of what's there. Mullins said his team, in partnership with Hebrew University, will scour the ground, looking for pottery shards and other artifacts that might hint at where they should begin digging.
Once the excavation site is chosen, they will lay out a grid pattern on the ground and get to work. Sometimes the tops of ancient buildings are located as few as two inches under the soil, Mullins said.
If the team encounters ruins, the artifacts contained within could clue provide clues about what fate befell Abel Beth Maachah. A full study of the site is expected to continue for up to 10 years.
"If it's a city that was destroyed by Assyrians, we'll start seeing ash - evidence of destruction," he said.
They might also learn more about what kind of a town Abel Beth Maachah was. The presence of daggers and spear tips would indicate a military installation. Containers for holding wine, grains and oil would suggest a center for collecting taxes from farmers.
The biblical story of a wise woman who saved the town from destruction at one point makes Mullins wonder if she played a religious significance. It's another mystery he hopes to solve.
"Archaeologists a lot of times go on hunches," Mullins said. "You go on these hunches and you test them. Your know something is in there. You're shaking the box."
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