RAME and History major Eitan Cassway summer 2026 archaeological excavation in Tel Shaddud
October 01, 2026
With a scholarship from the Meyerhoff Center, Eitan Cassway, a double major student in RAME and History shares his summer 2026 archaeological excavation.
In the summer of 2026, I had the unique opportunity to participate in an archaeological excavation as an undergraduate at the University of Maryland. As a double major in Religions of the Ancient Middle East and History with the goal of entering academia in the field of Ancient Near East studies, for the longest time, attending an archaeological dig was the pinnacle of my aspirations. Now, I know I can reach higher.
Shaddud is a small tel on the northern side of the Jezreel Valley, directly across from the famous site of Tel Megiddo and a stone’s throw away from Nazareth. Originally brought to light thanks to a salvage excavation undertaken by the Israel Antiquities Authority, it piqued the interest of Professor Omer Sergi of Tel Aviv University, who now heads the operation alongside Karen Coello-Pavan of the IAA. I had the opportunity to meet Professor Sergi at a conference in 2025, which is when I first learned about the excavations being done at Tel Shaddud.
With the help of the Meyerhoff Center, I was able to secure a position as an undergraduate participant in Tel Aviv University’s field school, which was being held at Tel Shaddud that year, making me the only undergrad not enrolled at TAU to attend.
