Aren Maeir is a Professor at Bar Ilan University and Director of the Tel esSafi/Gath Archaeological Project ([1]). Born in 1958 in Rochester, NY, USA, he moved to Israel in 1969 and has lived there since. He did his studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (PhD 1997 summa cum lauda). He has participated in and directed numerous archaeological excavations in Israel. Bar-Ilan University (BIU, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן) is a university in Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv, Israel. ... The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים) is one of Israels biggest and most important institutes of higher learning and research. ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ...

His expertise lies in the Bronze and Iron Age cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean, with special emphasis on those of the Ancient Levant. Since 2006 he has served as the Chairman of the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology ([2]) at Bar-Ilan University. Bar-Ilan University (BIU, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן) is a university in Ramat Gan, Israel. ...

Since 1996 he has directed the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project, excavating the ancient site of Tell es-Safi, which is idenfitied as Canaanite and Philistine Gath (Philistine Gath is one of the five cities of the Philistine mentioned in the Bible, the home of Goliath). Canaanite can describe anything pertaining to Canaan: in particular, its languages and inhabitants. ... The historic Philistines (see note Philistines below) were a people that inhabited the southern coast of Canaan around the time of the arrival of the Israelites, their territory being named Philistia in later contexts. ... Gath (גת Hebrew: winepress), a common place name in ancient Israel and the surrounding regions. ... The historic Philistines (see note Philistines below) were a people that inhabited the southern coast of Canaan around the time of the arrival of the Israelites, their territory being named Philistia in later contexts. ...

Publications:

Professor Maeir has more than 90 scholarly publications, including:

The Rural Landscape of Ancient Israel (BAR International Series), edited by Aren M. Maeir, Shimon Dar, and Zeev Safrai, 2003. Archaeopress, Oxford.

I Will Speak the Riddles of Ancient Times: Archaeological and Historical Studies in Honor of Amihai Mazar on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday, edited by Aren M. Maeir and Pierre de Miroschedji, Eisenbrauns, Winona Lake, 2006

Bronze and Iron Age Tombs at Tel Gezer, Israel: Finds from Raymond-Charles Weill's Excavations in 1914 and 1921 (BAR International Series) by Aren M. Maeir , 2004. Archaeopress, Oxford

The material culture of the Central Jordan Valley during the Middle Bronze II period: Pottery and settlement pattern by Aren M Maeir, 1997 (PhD Dissertation, Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Links: Home Page: Aren Maeir ([3]) Website: Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project ([4]). Weblog: Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project ([5]).