The ancient city of Dor—situated then, as now, on a particularly spectacular stretch of Levantine coast—dominated both the primary north-south trade route from Syria to Egypt and the primary east-west route from the ancient Near East to the Mediterranean World of Cyprus, Greece, and further west. A vibrant multi-cultural port city, ancient Dor was occupied in succession by communities of Canaanites, Egyptians, Sea Peoples, Phoenicians, Israelites, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans.

These days, most of the year our Tel is occupied by nothing more exciting than sunbathing lizards and curious tourists. But in summer, when classes let out, “modern” Dor proves itself no less vibrant and multi-cultural than its ancient namesake, as student volunteers from Seattle and around the world come to live, learn and work side by side with Israeli students and scholars as participants in the University of Washington’s Tel Dor Archaeological Excavation and Field School.

You'll notice that some of this site is still under construction. Please return in the coming days for more information about the UW Tel Dor program. Applications are currently available in .pdf format by clicking the "Apply for the 2009 Season" link on the left side of this page.