Ferrell Jenkins has posted about the 4th of July in Israel while excavating at Lachish in 1980.  He also has some interesting photos of the excavators, showing some of today’s leading archaeologists at a younger age.  I remember Gabriel Barkay talking about the visit of the Arab workers that Ferrell witnessed.  He recalled how one day the old workmen and women showed up at the dig site.  They had formerly lived in Qubeibe, a village just north of the tell, but were now living in a refugee camp in Jordan.  Barkay had photos from Starkey’s excavation in the 1930s and the workmen identified themselves.  The town of Qubeibe was leveled by the Israeli military in the 1960s and the stones of the village, probably many taken from the ruins of Lachish, were sold to building contractors.  Who knows but some ancient inscription was unknowing transferred from Lachish to Qubeibe and is now part of a wall in the area?