Archeology for newbs

"The bigger the scorpion, the less venomous it is."
I awoke this morning in the pitch dark and readied myself for the first day at the dig site at Ashkelon, a city once controlled by the Philistines, one group of the infamous sea peoples who brought low such noble states as classical Egypt and the Hittite Empire. I was assigned to grid square 51, which I affectionately will hereafter refer to as Area 51. Area 51 froze in time a horrifying scene. In the 7th century BC, the Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (the same Nebuchadnezzar as appears in the Bible. A surprisingly uncommon name, actually) in his conquest of Israel laid waste Ashkelon, and leaving signs of his wrath to be discovered by archeologists like us. Approximately 10 minutes into our orientation, someone came over to the supervisor, and showed her an Egyptian bead. There were visible anks on the back, along with incredibly legible hieroglyphics (unfortunately my hieroglyphics are rusty). Just as our appetites were whetted, we were instructed to clear out the infamous winter wash, or dirt that washed into the dig during the rainy season. In digging through the wash, I was left dumbfounded by the amount of 7th and 8th century BC pottery that was found, and horrified at the way I was instructed to deal with it. "If it's wash, just dump it" they told me. A part of me considered snagging a few pieces and bringing them home, however there were none cool enough. As I dug, I kept an eye out for several things: Palestinian shells, which occasionally fly overhead, although they are not aiming for the dig, and finally small, green scorpions. The small green ones will sting you and leave your fingers numb for 2 years, as one of the dig supervisors attested. To make matters worse, I later saw one of these scorpions, although it did not look particularly angry. After the dig, we were given a break, and then we went afterward to wash the pottery unearthed during the day. Although I did not find an inscription, I still did find a very nice piece of archaic Greek pottery, which can be seen below.
Today was a hard day, but hopefully I will sleep better.

 The archaic Greek potsherd

  An Egyptian beed boasting a cartouche flanked by anks