Megiddo (1925–1939), and Yale University at Jerash (1928–1934).

The Beginnings of a National School

It was during the period between the two world wars that Jewish scholars began to do firsthand work on the historical topography and archaeology of Palestine, then undergoing several waves of Jewish settlement from abroad. The Jewish Palestine Exploration Society had been founded in 1914 and was succeeded by the Israel Exploration Society after 1948.

The former society conducted the first Jewish excavations at the Hammath Tiberias Synagogue in 1921–1922, but the real pioneer of Jewish archaeology in Palestine was Eliezer Lipa Sukenik, who founded the Department (now the Institute) of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem shortly after its opening in 1925. Sukenik excavated the synagogue at Beth Alfa (1929) as well as many Jewish burials in Jerusalem and at Tel Gerisa (Tell el-Jerisheh, 1927). He also participated in the joint expedition to Samaria led by J.W. Crowfoot (1930– 1935) alongside another pioneer of Jewish archaeology, Nahman Avigad. Another distinguished Jewish archaeologist and historian of the formative era was Benjamin Mazar (Maisler), who together with Avigad carried out extensive excavations in the Jewish necropolis at Beth Shearim (1936–1960). After joining the faculty of the Hebrew University, Mazar became the doyen of Jewish and later Israeli archaeology, training most of the next generation.

Other pioneer Jewish archaeologists of the British Mandate period were the prehistorian Moshe Stekelis; the classical archaeologist and art historian Michael Avi-Yonah; Ludwig A. Mayer, in Islamic art and archaeology; Immanuel Ben-Tor, Ruth Amiran, later chief archaeologist of the Israel Museum; and Shmuel Yeivin, later first director of the Israel Department of Antiquities. Other Jewish scholars in related fields of ancient Near Eastern, classical, and biblical studies were also active at this time, both at the Hebrew University and in the British-directed Department of Antiquities.

Although many publications appeared and interest in popular circles, especially among Jewish settlers in Palestine, grew enormously, no distinctive “Jewish school” emerged. Thus, foreign archaeologists continued to dominate the field under the colonialist regime in Palestine, as elsewhere in Transjordan, Syria, and Iraq. Nevertheless, by the eve of World War II, when all fieldwork came temporarily to an end, Jewish archaeologists were poised to come into their own. This pioneer generation—“the fathers of Israeli archaeology”—were deeply imbued with a love and firsthand knowledge of “the land of Israel” (Eretz-Israel), steeped in the classical academic tradition of European universities, influenced by the best of foreign scholarship and research (especially that of the Albright school), and experienced in field excavation.

Archaeology in the State of Israel

Almost immediately after the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948, Israeli archaeologists began work on their own even though they were now restricted to parts of western Palestine and even excluded from the Old City of Jerusalem. Israelis were also isolated from most foreign archaeologists, both archaeologists in Syria and jordan and archaeologists from the United States, Great Britain, france, Germany, and other countries, as nearly all of them now chose to work in the West Bank or Transjordan. All the foreign institutes of archaeology, as well as the Rockefeller Museum and its facilities and publications, and even the Hebrew University of Israel were beset by enormous difficulties, including the war of independence, the absorption of a massive influx of immigrants, and severe economic and social difficulties. Archaeology was accorded a low priority.

Despite overwhelming odds, Israel quickly established a Department of Antiquities, on the old British model, and continued the tradition of the quarterly publication of the Department of Antiquities in Palestine with the launching of the Israel Exploration Journal in 1950. Limited salvage and excavation projects began, including Yeivin’s work on many salvage projects, Mazar’s excavations at Tel Qasile near Tel Aviv (1949–1950), and soon after the discovery and acquisition of some of the dead sea scrolls, pioneer work in the publication of those manuscripts.