Prof. Erez Ben-Yosef

Archaeology
ארכיאולוגיה סגל אקדמי בכיר
Prof. Erez Ben-Yosef
Phone: 03-6406055
Fax: 03-6406883
Office: Gilman-humanities, 311א

About

Erez Ben-Yosef studied archaeology and geology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (B.A., B.Sc., M.Sc.) and archaeology and anthropology at the University of California, San Diego (M.A., Ph.D.). His doctoral dissertation, entitled Technology and Social Process: Oscillations in Iron Age Copper Production and Power in Southern Jordan was published in 2010 and presents results of six years of field and laboratory research on the copper mines of the southern Levant (Jordan and Israel). During 2010-2011 he carried out postdoctoral research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, focusing on the ancient copper mines of Cyprus and the application of slag material in geomagnetic research. Since 2011 he teaches at the department of archaeology and the graduate program in archaeology and archaeomaterials at Tel Aviv University.

Ben-Yosef has authored multiple research papers on archaeometallurgy, archaeomagnetism and Iron Age archaeology. He is currently directing the Central Timna Valley (CTV) Project – a multidisciplinary research into Iron Age copper production in the southern Levant. The project, supported by the Yad Hanadiv Foundation's Yizhar Hirschfeld Memorial Fellowship in Archaeology and the Marie Curie PEOPLE grant, includes new excavations and surveys, as well as laboratory analyses at TAU and abroad, aimed at elucidating various aspects of ancient human exploitation of a limited natural resource. 

 

CV

Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology and ANE Cultures, Tel Aviv University

Member of the Academic Board of the Journal Tel Aviv (2013-)

Member of the Executive Board of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University (2013-2021)

Member of the Teaching Committee of the Department of Archaeology and ANE Cultures, TAU (2013-2018)

Member of the Scientific Commission on Archaeometry, Union Internationale des Sciences Préhistoriques et Protohistoriques (UISPP) (2015-)

Member of the Acaemic Board of Mosaics - monograph series of the Institute of Archaeology (TAU) (2020-)

Member of the Academic Committee on Archaeology and Land of Israel Studies, Israel Ministry of Education (ועדת מקצוע, משרד החינוך) (2019-)

Member of the Archaeological Advisory Board, Israel's Ministry of Culture (המועצה לארכיאולוגיה, משרד התרבות) (2020-)

Member of TAU’s Senate ("סנאט קטן") (2021-)

Member of the Israel Young Academy (2022-2026)

 

Education and professional appointments

  • 2010-2011 Post Doc researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO)
  • 2010 Ph.D. in anthropology (archaeology), University of California, San Diego (dissertation)
  • 2008 M.A. in anthropology (archaeology), University of California, San Diego (thesis)
  • 2006 M.Sc. in geology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (summa cum laude) (thesis)
  • 2004 B.A. in archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (magna cum laude)
  • 2003 B.Sc. in geology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Research Interests

  • Archaeometallurgy: metal production in the Ancient Near East
  • Archaeomagnetism: establishing dating references and other magnetic applications in archaeology 
  • Geoarchaeology: application of geological techniques and methodologies in archaeology
  • Iron Age Archaeology of the southern Levant
  • Ancient technology and social change
  • Landscape archaeology
  • Archaeology and history of Jordan

Professional Memberships

  • World Archaeological Congress (WAC)
  • Society of American Archaeology (SAA)
  • Society of Biblical Literature (SBL)
  • American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR)
  • Israel Exploration Society (IES)
  • Israel Geological Society (IGS)
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • Union Internationale des Sciences Préhistoriques et Protohistoriques (UISPP) (Member of the Scientific Commission on Archaeometry)
  • Society for Archaeological Sciences (SAS)
  • Israel Archaeological Association (ILAA)
  • European Association of Archaeologists (EAA)

Current Archaeological Projects

  • The Central Timna Valley (CTV) Project (Director)
  • The Levantine Archaeomagnetic Compilation 

Grants, Scholarships and Awards (main)

  • Gerda Henkel Foundation (Archaeomagnetism and early use of fire, 2021-2022)
  • United States – Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) (Archaeomagnetic Project: 2019-2023)
  • Kadar Family Award for Outstanding Research (2018)
  • Israel Science Foundation (ISF) (Timna Project: 2017-2021, 2022-2026)
  • United States – Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) (Archaeomagnetic Project: 2013-2016)
  • ERC - Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (CIG) (Timna Project: 2013-2017)
  • The Rothschild Foundation - Yad Hanadiv - The Yizhar Hirschfeld Memorial Fellowships in Archaeology (Timna Project: 2012-2017)
  • F.G. Bailey Fellowship, UCSD Department of Anthropology (dissertation improvement award, 2010)
  • Fulbright grant for excellent foreign doctoral students in the USA (2006-2008)

Research Students

Michael Millman (MA), (together with Prof. Oded Liphschits), ‘Archaeomagnetic Constraints on the Chronology of the Judean Stamped Jar Handles

Ilana Peters (MA), ‘Determining Temporal Contexts of Technological Records: The Application of Archaeomagnetic Dating to Copper Slag Deposits in Timna

Craig Smitheram (MA), ‘OSL dating of Timna’s copper mines: insights on technological evolution and social organization

Mark Cavanagh (MA), (together with Dr. Dafna Langgut), ‘Sustainability of an industry on the fringe: A dendroarchaeological investigation into fuel sources at the Iron Age copper smelting sites of the Timna Valley

Vanessa Workman (MA), (together with Dr. Orit Shamir), ‘The fabric of copper production: The textile and cordage artifacts from Iron Age Timna

Omri Yagel (MA), ‘Late Bronze Age copper smelting technology at Timna: Site 3 as a Case Study

Yitzhak Vassal (MA), (together with Prof. Yuval Goren and Dr. Ron Shaar), ‘Archaeomagnetic research of Ancient Near Eastern fired clay tablets: the Hattusha Archive as a case study

Nitsan Ben-Melekh (MA), (together with Dr. Yuval Gadot), ‘OSL dating of lime kilns in the Judean Hills and Foothills

Yoav Weingarten (MA), (together with Prof. Israel Finkelstein), ‘Synchronic and Diachronic Analysis of Ground Stones from Tell Megiddo

Li Mengmeng (MA), (together with Prof. Oded Lipschits), ‘Archaeomagnetic Dating of the Judean Pillar Figurines

Jenna Hockama (MA), (together with Prof. Oded Lipschits), ‘Archaeomagnetism of Rhodian Amphorae Stamped Jar Handles: Contribution to the Study of Hellenistic Jerusalem

Benjamin Douglas (MA), (together with Dr. Guy Stiebel), ‘The Provenance of Nabatean Copper: Chemical Analysis of Nabatean Bronze Coins Set in a Regional Context

Meir Finkel (PhD), (together with Professor Ran Barkai and Professor Avi Gopher), ‘Prehistoric Flint Extraction Sites and Workshops in the Eastern Galilee

Omri Yagel (PhD), ‘Copper Production Technologies: Evolution, Innovation and Social Impact in Late Bronze – Iron Age Timna

Dr. Aaron Greener (Post Doc / through Albright Institute of Archaeological Research), ‘The goundstone tool kit of metalworkers: Iron Age Timna as a case study

Dr. Lente Van Brempt (Post Doc), ‘Metallurgical technologies in Iron Age Cyprus and Timna: A comparative study

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