User:Bolter21/Tel Aviv University Institute of Archaeology

The Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology, known also as The Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, is a research facility at the Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities. Founded in 1968 by Yohanan Aharoni, the institute sponsors interdisciplinary and international fieldwork and research projects on ancient human societies of the Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean Sea. Fieldwork includes archaeological excavation and survey in key sites scattered all over Israel from prehistoric, biblical and classical periods. It is currently headed by Yuval Gadot.

The institute operates a library and a number of labs and studios for documentation, restoration and conservation of archaeological material as well specialized research labs such as zooarchaeology, archaeometallurgy, archaeomagnetism, paleoethnobotany, paleoecology, Archaeoparasitology ceramic petrography and computational archaeology.

The Publication Department of the Institute provides printed and online framework for the publication of excavation reports and research, through four book series and through Tel Aviv: The Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University.

The Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures offers BA, MA and Ph.D. programs in Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Archaeological Materials, and Ancient Israel Studies (also an international program). The current chair is Yuval Gadot.

History and research
In 1962, Shemuel Yeivin established the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University. Yeivin was succeeded by Yohanan Aharoni of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1968. Upon assuming the role as chair of the Department, Aharoni, together with his student Moshe Kochavi and his academic staff from his archaeological projects, established the Institute of Archaeology with the purpose of conducting archaeological fieldwork and research. The teaching staff of the Department was incorporated into the newly formed institute. Throughout its history, the institute has sponsered archaeological excavation at biblical, classical and prehistoric sites such as Aphek-Antipatris, Tel Be'er Sheva, Bet Shemesh, En HaBesor, Horashim East, Horvat Uza, Tel Ira, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Tel Jezreel, Tel Kabri, Kiriath-Jearim, Tel Lachish, Tel Malhata, Wadi Qana, Nahal Zehora, Tel Kedesh, Ramat Raḥel and Yavne-Yam. Currently the institute sponsers excavations in various sites all over Israel, ranging from prehistoric to contemporary periods.

Facilities
The Tel Aviv Institute of Archaeology operates a number of research facilities including laboratories, studios and collections. The Institute and Department of Archaeology Library was established in 1968 by Gabriella Bachi and today stores thousands of printed books and offers access to sources in electronic form, mostly on subjects of archaeology and the Ancient Near East.

Laboratories and Studios

 * Laboratory of Zooarchaeology, headed by Dr. Lidar Sapir-Hen. Located in the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History. Analyzes ancient animal remains from archaeological excavations on prehistoric and historic sites.
 * The Laboratory of Archaeometallurgy and Archaeomagnetic Research, headed by Prof. Erez Ben-Yosef. Collects and analyzes metallic materials from excavations and studies ancient mining and metalworking technologies, as well as archaeomagnetic dating studies.
 * The Laboratory of Archaeobotany & Ancient Environments, headed by Dr. Dafna Langgut. Located in the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History. Focuses on the reconstruction of ancient vegetation and climates and their interrelation with humans, analysis of botanical material and parasite remains from archaeological excavations.
 * Laboratory for Conservation of Metallic Artifacts. The lab specializes in conservation treatments for metallic objects such as coins, jewelry, weapons etc, for further research and for the conservation of cultural heritage.
 * The Ceramic Petrography Laboratory, headed by Dr. Paula Waiman-Barak. Analyses the composition of clay artifects in order to study production technology and the geographical origin of their materials.
 * The Computational Archaeology Laboratory (CompArchTAU). Specializes in 3D modeling of archaeological objects and computer-based analysis.


 * Archaeological Graphic Documentation Studio. The studio specializes in illustrating finds and drawing architectural elements for research and publication purposes, as well as other graphic services for the institute.
 * Restoration Laboratory, headed. Specializes in restoring broken vessels made of clay, marble, glass and other materials.

Publications
The Publication Department of the Tel Aviv Institute of Archaeology has four book series and one peer-reviewed periodical. The Institute's publications are accesible online through EBSCO Information Services.

The Monograph Series of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University (co-published with Eisenbrauns) is a platform mostly for the publication of final reports from excavations conducted by the institute. The platform has published 40 books between 1973 and 2021. As of 2022 the executive editors are Oded Lipschits and Oren Tal. Final reports on trial, salvage and rescue excavations are published in the Salvage Excavation Reports platform, which published 10 volumes between 2004 and 2017. As of 2022 the executive editor is Oren Tal. Occasional Publications has published five volumes between 1993 and 2021. Mosaics: Studies on Ancient Israel (co-published with Eisenbrauns) is a book series for thematic studies and collections of articles. It has published two volumes since 2021 and its executive editor is Oded Lipschits.

The Tel Aviv: The Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University is a bi-annual peer-reviewed periodical with articles on archaeological research in the Southern Levant and Ancient Near East. Its primary focus is on Biblical archaeology and Protohistory but it also publishes articles on Prehistory and Classical antiquity. Its first volume was published in 1974 and its first editor was Yohanan Aharoni. Since 2022, its editor-in-chief is Ido Koch.

Teaching and staff
The Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures is part of The Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities at Tel Aviv University. The department teaches students for a Bachelor's degree in Archaeology of the Land of Israel and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures; Master's degree in these fields as well as Archaeology, Archaeological Materials (with a scientific-technologic focus) and Ancient Israel studies which combines archaeological, biblical and historical studies and focuses on the ancient history of the Jewish people. Since 2011 the Department has also operated the International MA program for foreign students. Ph.D. studies in the Department are conducted under The Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies and Archaeology. The current chair of the Department is Prof. Yuval Gadot (as of 2022). The academic staff is comprised of 16 faculty members, including professors and senior lecturers in prehistoric, biblical, classical and historic archaeology, Egyptology, Hittitology and Assyriology.

Notable past members

 * Yohanan Aharoni
 * Pirhiya Beck
 * Shlomo Bunimovich
 * Israel Finkelstein
 * Moshe Fischer
 * Avi Gopher
 * Ze'ev Herzog
 * Moshe Kochavi
 * Nadav Na'aman
 * Anson Rainey
 * Israel Roll
 * Itamar Singer
 * David Ussishkin