Robert Deutsch, the author of “Tracking Down Shebnayahu, Servant of the King”, is perhaps best known, unfortunately, as one of two remaining defendants in the so-called “forgery trial of the century,” now entering its fourth year in a Jerusalem courtroom. Some explanation seems required as to why BAR should be publishing an article by a person who has been indicted for forgery:
Deutsch immigrated to Israel from Romania with his family in 1963, when he was 12 years old. He later served as an officer in the Israeli army. Eventually he decided to earn his living by becoming an antiquities dealer, a highly regulated, legal occupation in Israel.
He also decided to become a scholar. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he pursued graduate studies in archaeology and Near Eastern culture at Tel Aviv University, from which he received a master’s degree magna cum laude in 1997. He then pursued a doctorate at both Tel Aviv University and Haifa University.
He has published a number of scholarly books on finds that have come across his desk as an antiquities dealer and on finds in numerous private collections to which he has had access. His coauthor for three of the books is André Lemaire, an internationally recognized scholar who teaches at the Sorbonne in Paris. A coauthor for four of his books is Michael Heltzer, a highly regarded professor at Haifa University with whom he has studied.
Deutsch has also participated in a number of archaeological excavations. At the Tel Aviv University excavation at Megiddo, he has served as an area supervisor.
For seven years he taught at Haifa University, specializing in ancient inscriptions. Since 2000 he has been a member of the board of the Israel Numismatic Journal.
In 2004 he was named as a defendant in the forgery case. With the filing of the criminal indictment, his scholarly career came to an abrupt end. His contract to teach at the University of Haifa was not renewed. He was no longer welcome at the Megiddo excavation. His doctoral studies have been interrupted (he has terminated his effort to obtain a separate Ph.D. from the University of Haifa). And of course he has incurred an enormous legal bill.
After three years the government has rested its case. So far as we have been able to learn, there is no evidence that Robert Deutsch forged any artifact or inscription or that he knowingly sold or attempted to sell any such artifact or inscription.
In January 2007 the Biblical Archaeology Society convened a private scholarly conference in Jerusalem to consider the issues involved in the alleged forgeries. Scholars came from Germany, France, England, the United States and of course Israel. We considered inviting Deutsch, who was surely qualified, but a couple of those who were scheduled to attend indicated that they would not come if we invited someone indicted for forgery. So we did not invite him. A group of scholars at the conference nevertheless made a trip to Tel Aviv to see Deutsch.
Now it is time to apply the rule that a man is considered innocent until proven guilty. Not only has Robert Deutsch not been proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that he is guilty. In these circumstances we thought it appropriate to publish this article.
A final word about looting, which often arises in these discussions. We are all against looting. The looters should be captured and put in jail. But refusing to study looted objects that may contain significant information is not the way to stop looting. If it were, we would have a different question. But all admit that refusing to open our eyes to important 062objects because they are looted has had no depressing effect whatever on looting—and will not. It simply sends the trade underground. And, as Robert Deutsch’s article illustrates, an unprovenanced object that comes on the market can sometimes even solve a puzzle about a provenanced object.
Robert Deutsch, the author of “Tracking Down Shebnayahu, Servant of the King”, is perhaps best known, unfortunately, as one of two remaining defendants in the so-called “forgery trial of the century,” now entering its fourth year in a Jerusalem courtroom. Some explanation seems required as to why BAR should be publishing an article by a person who has been indicted for forgery: Deutsch immigrated to Israel from Romania with his family in 1963, when he was 12 years old. He later served as an officer in the Israeli army. Eventually he decided to earn his living by becoming an […]
You have already read your free article for this month. Please join the BAS Library or become an All Access member of BAS to gain full access to this article and so much more.