34. Derbe

Reroute
We saved 2.5 hours today by taking the new road that doesn't hug the Turquoise Coast. We never were near enough to see the ocean again. I am glad I stuck my toes in the sea when I did. I would like to relax by the Turquoise Coast some day ...

Mining Explosion
Mining explosion at 3 pm yesterday during shift change. Private company. Mine is located near Izmir. 201 miners were killed and 380 have been rescued. There are more to recover or save. Problem is lack of oxygen. Power unit exploded 150 meters down. The fire is still burning so they can't pump in more oxygen without stoking the fire.

Turkey: Social Studies Continued
Westernized: alcohol, abortion.
Education
One big change by Ataturk was in education. It is required for children to attend school for 12 years. Play school and kindergarten are optional. Typically the grandmother looks after all the kids. - Primary School: From 6 to 10 years old, children attend primary school (same teacher stays with the same kids until graduation from primary school). 90% of primary teachers are female. Curriculum is standard.
- Secondary School: Begins at age 10. During this time you learn a second language but Arabic isn't a choice. Uniform is different.
- High School: At 15 years old, high school begins and you must decide about your future. Regular high school prepares you for university. Trade school, lasts 4 years as well, and teaches you a skill. Commercial school is for office workers.
- University Exam: Anyone can take university exam. Inequality among the schools. 2M take central university exam but only 15% are accepted at an university. Some state schools are better than private schools and vice versa. When you take the test, you make 16 university choices. You are accept or rejected based on your exam score. Izmir gets 65% of their test takers into universities. Most unsuccessful on the Iraqi border - 0%. Most popular professions used to be medicine, computer, business.
Practicing Medicine
A few years ago, law changed. Previously doctors worked part time for hospital for self and then for hospital. Now you must choose one. All new doctors must go for 4 years to eastern turkey and work there. Specialization exam - each year 25000 take this exam, small % get in and study an additional 4-5 years. Medical profession not as popular any more. Orhan's nephew just finished obligatory rotation: 3 young doctors in charge of 153 villages. Drives overnight. No hot water. Mice running around in health clinic. Government tries but conditions are different and difficult. 50 to 60 years behind in Easter turkey.
Teachers
Orhan did his military service near Derbe. He was recruited too be a soldier science teacher at a public school. He taught 4 classes made up of 40-52 students. Ice - frozen 4 months. Private school had own laptops. Teachers receive low wages but the prestige is high. "Flesh is yours. Bones are mine." Whatever is necessary, you do it. We respect whatever the teacher does. Teacher with 20 years experience gets $1500 - 1600 / month. Average income in turkey is $12000 / year. 3 months summer vacation and 2 weeks off in winter. Coeducation - buys and girls taught together. Transportation is expensive. Teachers paid the same across country. Teachers don't want to teach in big cities.
Private Schools
The parents pay between $7000 - $32000 / year for a private high school. Orhan's wife is in university and they get a big discount on private university school. They have to travel 2 hours in traffic every day and son is suffering. Private school has more flexibility but refused to let his son start language earlier. If you have money or good social situation you send kids to better schools.
Pension
Everyone gets a pension. Regardless of years worked ladies get it at 55 and men at 58.
Medical care
Work for state or private firm must carry insurance. Self employed must purchase option to by certain kind. The chief of your area gives you a green card. If you are poor everything is free. Pay 20% for medicine. Wasn't working. His father was told you need a bypass tomorrow if possible, but 4 years later was earliest date available. Only public hospitals can provide free services. Any private hospital can do the surgery the next morning and doctor will be paid by state. Appointment on phone or internet so you don't have to wait in a line. If you have money, many people didn't buy insurance.
Summer Homes

Wealthy of Adana and Mesina build summer homes in these mountains. The cities are hot and humid in the months of June, July and August. Eastern Tarus Mountains  have lots of hiking trails. Native needle pines.Cilician Gates
The tight pass known as the Cilician Gates was widened to allow this highway. The original location was just before Kacis Rampasi exit. Near Pozanti.
Sir William Ramsey
In the notebook on page 13, discussion about Sir William Ramsey. A Thousand and One Churches. In 1880 he tried to find whatever he could. Ramsey noticed that classicists we're much more inclined to accept the Bible as factual than religious scholars. Timothy was of Lycaonia because he was from Lystra. Acts 14:6. Ramsey ultimately asserted that Luke was a historian of the first rank. Acts 14:11. Inscriptions have been found that state Zeus and Hermes were principle gods of Lystra.
Notice that Derbe (Kerti Huyuk) is the most difficult to reach. The Sebaste Road connected Antioch of Pisidia to Konya.
Derbe
Last year a Turkish University began work on excavating Derbe. There won't be a much completed. Pottery pieces will be on the outside of the tell. You can look at them but you cannot take them (unlawful to take any antiquity out of the country). You might see shepherds, dung drying on the roof or dung used for a fire. In East Turkey, Ferrell saw a sheepfold made of sheep dung. Problem is that it doesn't last long.
Paul & Barnabas - Normal route would have been to continue on through the Cilician Gates. Instead they backtracked and appointed elders in the churches.
The Book of Galatians
Acts 14:6-20a Lystra
Acts 14:20b-23 Derbe
Was Galatians written to these congregations? Possibly. The Jews stirred up the Gentiles against them. Paul was stoned (probably mob mentality) and left for dead.
Acts 15 Paul took Titus with him. Refused circumcision for Titus.
The Gospel
Trace the church by the seed that is planted wherever the gospel goes. It's not a case of a continual congregation being in one city because we tend to follow the cycle of the Judges.
Surprise
Mark Wilson lives in Attalia and he is going to speak to our group one evening (maybe 30 minutes). He will bring some books with him for sale and could autograph them.

Geography
On the left are the snow-capped Taurus Mountains. Eventually we arrive to the Anatolian Plateau. I have enjoyed the changing scenery. Craggy mountains, fertile fields, some areas verdant, others are austere in appearance. Pines, pomegranates, lemons, tangerines, oranges, wheat, barley and apricots.

Near here is where the Cilician Gates used to be.

Eventually sheer cliffs became ...

 ... rolling hills.

Then the terrain turned desert-like.

Eventually we were drove through the fertile Anatolian Plateau. Usually the women harvest.

Unplanned Photocall
Off to see Derbe. Unplanned stop at the small city near to Derbe. We had an opportunity to photograph storks, sheep, bakery oven, dung rooftops with poles across (paralytic letdown through this kind of roof) and an 85 year old woman. She invited us to her home. She said her daughter-in-law would serve us.

Precious girls who eventually turned shy.

This oven has seen better days.

Storks!

This 85 year old woman wanted all of us (33 people!) to come home with her.

Dung roof

Derbe

Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. (Acts 14:19,20)

Seljuk Univesity began excavating Derbe in 2013. They think they have found the remains of a Christian church. The team believes some of the remains are 8000 yrs old.They made significant progress in just one season at Derbe. Excavated areas were between 4-5 feet deep.

The tell (huyak) of Derbe

It amazes me that they made this much progress.

I'm curious about what they've found thus far.

I found the edge of a vase as I walked up the tell. It had been incised with 3 lines around the neck of the base. You could see the marks of the sculpting tool used to form it on the inside (kind of like being able to see the brush marks on an impressionist painting).

A pottery shard.

A pillar marks the highest point of the tell.

I found a triangular shard painted with glaze. Its right side is 1". I used it as my ruler.

Mole holes peppered the side of the tell. You had to be careful going up ... and more so going down.

Ferrell said every time it rains, pottery is exposed and tumbles down the tell.
I put 70+ sunscreen on but I don't think it was enough. I think I am redder than when I started out this morning. Time to hydrate.
Pottery is often used to date a tell. Nelson Lick would travel through Israel and Jordan. From pottery he would assign a time period for that population. Many times he was proven with further excavation to be correct in his supposition. Other times not.

Throughout the trip, we saw Turkish men standing around or sitting. Brad, Ferrell Jr & Ed have acclimated well.