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Avi Eitan, the new Director of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums, is only the third person to hold the position in the history of the 27-year old state. (The other two incumbents were Avraham Biran, the most recent director, and Samuel Yeivin.)
A youthful 40-year-old, Eitan is likely to be in this important position for years to come.
Sitting in his large, high-ceilinged, Turkish-style office in the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem, Eitan hesitated to commit himself to future plans while only a few months in office. He was, he said, drawing up a master program for the department which should be available in the next few months.
However, he did say that one of the top priorities in his new administration will be the preservation of excavated sites—a subject which will be of special concern to the BAR in future issues.
First attention in the concern for preservation will go to excavations in Jerusalem conducted since 1967—Mazar’s excavations at the western and southern wall of the Temple Mount, Nachman Avigad’s “Broad Wall” from the 8th century B.C. and the famous Nea Church. None is yet open to the public—all should be. Eitan is aware of this and hopes to do something about it soon. No doubt UNESCO’s condemnation of Israel for its Jerusalem excavations lends a special urgency to the matter. Many Israeli archaeologists believe an archaeological park in Jerusalem would be a fitting answer to UNESCO’s condemnation.
Eitan divides the sites under his jurisdiction into two categories. The first consists of major ancient sites which are frequently visited by tourists and students alike. The second category includes the hundreds of ancient sites which the Department merely fences, with a sign to indicate that the fence encloses ancient remains. Unfortunately, no other information is given on these signs.
030Obviously, lack of money is a primary problem for the Department. Only a small amount is available for preservation and protection of sites, according to Eitan.
Thirteen archaeologists are employed by the Department. They spend much of their time on the almost 100 emergency evacuations which the Department authorizes each year. Whenever construction, development or plowing uncovers ancient remains, the Department sends out archaeologists to excavate before work can continue. Sometimes it is a Byzantine mosaic, or a Second Temple tomb. And sometimes it is a completely unknown village. Dan Bahat, one of the Department’s archaeologists, recently completed excavation of a Bronze Age town discovered near Beth Shemesh in the course of digging the foundation of an apartment project. So far the ancient town has no name, only a number.
In addition to professional archaeologists, the Department employs about 70 staff members including pottery renders, chemists, and curators for the many collections in its museums.
Avi Eitan, the new Director of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums, is only the third person to hold the position in the history of the 27-year old state. (The other two incumbents were Avraham Biran, the most recent director, and Samuel Yeivin.)
A youthful 40-year-old, Eitan is likely to be in this important position for years to come.
