Gideon Avni, who heads the Archaeological Division of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), began his archaeology career in 1980. Since then, he has conducted extensive archaeological fieldwork throughout Israel. Here, Avni discusses the topic of salvage excavation. To read the full interview with BAR, visit biblicalarchaeology.org/rescue. (1) 2 3 4 5 What is a salvage excavation? GIDEON AVNI: This is the basis: If you have antiquities on your property, the site and its artifacts are owned by the state—through the Antiquities Authority. The director of the Antiquities Authority has the right to decide what to do with the antiquities […]
