“The best age for diggers is about 15 to 20 years. After that many turn stupid, and only a small proportion are worth having between 20 and 40. After 40 very few are of any use,” advised Sir William Flinders Petrie in 1904.¹ Fifteen years earlier, Petrie^a had ushered in the era of scientific archaeological excavation at Tell el-Hesi, 15 miles northeast of Gaza in modern Israel.² Petrie’s experiences in the field led him to offer his fellow archaeologists hints on what to look for in laborers:

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