Israeli archaeologist Amnon Ben-Tor presently directs a wide-ranging project in the Western Jezreel Valley, a region in central Israel famous for its Biblical history, fertility and beauty. In his most recent report on the progress of this regional study, “A New Approach to Archaeological Investigation,” Ben-Tor describes how excavating and comparing several sites within one geographical-historical area can provide new insights into ancient societies.
Born in Jerusalem, Ben-Tor studied archaeology and Jewish history at Hebrew University. After completing his doctoral studies, he joined the archaeology faculty of his alma mater and has taught there ever since, serving as department chairman from 1974–1977. His tenure at Hebrew University has been interrupted twice by sabbaticals at American universities: Harvard in 1974 and the University of Pennsylvania this year.
Daphna Ben-Tor, Amnon’s wife, works in the Egyptology section of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. This year she is pursuing her interest in that field at Johns Hopkins University. The Ben-Tor’s two young daughters, Anat and Tami, frequently join their father in his favorite form of relaxation—any outdoor activity.
Coincidentally, our second feature this month also employs evidence from a major site in the Western Jezreel Valley—Tel Megiddo. The focus of this article, however, is specific rather than broad and regional; it describes “How Water Tunnels Worked” by comparing ancient water tunnel design at five Israelite cities: Gezer, Gibeon, Hazor, Megiddo and Jerusalem. Dan Cole proposes a theory to explain how the ancient Israelites discovered that they could reach a safe supply of water inside their city walls by hewing rock shafts, tunnels, and stairways down to a water table beneath the city.
Just a year ago Cole’s picture appeared here as the author of an article advising volunteers on how to choose a dig. Cole is well able to give such advice because he is the director of the field school associated with the excavations of Tel Halif (Lahav). He has taught Near Eastern archaeology, classical culture and Biblical studies for the past 15 years at Lake Forest College in Illinois. In Greece this spring, leading an archaeological study program he created, Cole is currently enjoying one of his own “best three worlds: Illinois in the autumn, Greece in the spring, and Israel during the digging season.”
In “A Smithy in a Crusader Church,” Dan Bahat illustrates the spin-off from a popular Jerusalem pastime—archaeological speculation. Bahat tells us that through the “grapevine” he learned of a Crusader church inside a modern-day forge in the old Moslem quarter of the city.
Currently a “digging archaeologist” (his words) with the Israel Department of Antiquities while completing a Ph.D. dissertation on Crusader Jerusalem, Bahat is also constantly in demand to guide walking tours of Jerusalem. He has served as District Archaeologist for both Jerusalem and the Galilee area, and has directed excavations at sites such as Beth Shean, Tel Beit Mirsim, Caesarea and the Armenian Garden in Jerusalem. He has also been a field director at Tel Dan and Arad.
Israeli archaeologist Amnon Ben-Tor presently directs a wide-ranging project in the Western Jezreel Valley, a region in central Israel famous for its Biblical history, fertility and beauty. In his most recent report on the progress of this regional study, “A New Approach to Archaeological Investigation,” Ben-Tor describes how excavating and comparing several sites within one geographical-historical area can provide new insights into ancient societies. Born in Jerusalem, Ben-Tor studied archaeology and Jewish history at Hebrew University. After completing his doctoral studies, he joined the archaeology faculty of his alma mater and has taught there ever since, serving as department […]
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