Ephraim Stern
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Ephraim Stern ('','' January 15, 1934 – March 23, 2018) was an Israeli
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
and professor at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
. He specialized in the archaeology of
ancient Israel and Judah The history of ancient Israel and Judah begins in the Southern Levant during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. "Israel" as a people or tribal confederation (see Israelites) appears for the first time in the Merneptah Stele, an inscripti ...
and
Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...
,http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
and was known for his excavations at
Tel Dor Tel Dor ( he, דוֹר or , meaning "generation", "habitation") or Tell el-Burj, also Khirbet el-Burj in Arabic (lit. Tell, or Ruin, of the Tower), is an archaeological site located on the Israeli coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea next to ...
(1980–2000). He received the
EMET Prize The EMET Prize for Art, Science and Culture is an Israeli prize awarded annually for excellence in academic and professional achievements that have far-reaching influence and make a significant contribution to society. Prizes are awarded in the fol ...
in 2005.


Early life and family

Stern was born in
Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
in 1934. He graduated from the
Hebrew Reali School , motto_translation = ''Walk Humbly'' , address = Hertzel 16 , city = Haifa , zipcode = 3312103 , country = Israel , coordinates = , other_name ...
and joined the newly-established
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
in 1952. He served in the Second Arab–Israeli War (1956), the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
(1967) and the
Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...
(1973), rising to the rank of major. Stern's parents both died in 1953, leaving him to support his younger brother. He married Tamar Brutzkus in 1960 and settled in Jerusalem. They had two sons.


Academic career

Stern started his academic career at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
, where he studied in the Departments of Archaeology and History of the Jewish People. After completing an MA, he began teaching in the Department of Archaeology at
Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
, receiving a PhD in 1968. He returned to the Hebrew University as a professor in 1971, at the invitation of
Yigael Yadin Yigael Yadin ( he, יִגָּאֵל יָדִין ) (20 March 1917 – 28 June 1984) was an Israeli archeologist, soldier and politician. He was the second Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and Deputy Prime Minister from 1977 to 1981. B ...
. His academic expertise was the Late First Temple period, the Babylonian period and the
Persian period Yehud, also known as Yehud Medinata or Yehud Medinta (), was an administrative province of the Achaemenid Persian Empire in the region of Judea that functioned as a self-governing region under its local Jewish population. The province was a part ...
. He also studied the culture of the
Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...
ns. Stern served as the chairman of the Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology, the director of the Yad Ben Zvi Institute for the Research of the Land of Israel, the chairman of the Archaeological Committee of the State of Israel, and the chairman of the board of directors of the
Israel Exploration Society The Israel Exploration Society (''IES'') (Hebrew:החברה לחקירת ארץ ישראל ועתיקותיה - Hakhevra Lekhakirat Eretz Yisrael Va'atikoteha), originally the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, is a society devoted to historic ...
. Over the course of his career he also held visiting professorships at
London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...
,
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
,
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
,
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
, the Annenberg Institute, and the
Center for Advanced Judaic Studies The Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania—commonly called the Katz Center—is a postdoctoral research center devoted to the study of Jewish history and civilization. History The Katz Center is t ...
in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
.


Excavations

Stern led a excavations at a number of sites, including Gilam, Tel Kadesh and
Tel Mevorakh Tel Mevorakh ( he, תל מבורך) is a small mound situated on the southern bank of Nahal Taninim (River of the Crocodiles) in Israel. The tel does not exceed but rises to a height of above its surrounding plain. The site contains some fifteen ...
. He also worked at Massadah and Hazor,
Tel Be'er Sheva Tel Sheva ( he, תל שבע, translit=) or Tel Be'er Sheva (), also known as Tell es-Seba (), is an archaeological site in the Southern District of Israel, believed to be the site of the ancient biblical town of Beer-sheba. The site lies east o ...
, and
En Gedi Ein Gedi ( he, עֵין גֶּדִי‎, ), also spelled En Gedi, meaning "spring of the kid", is an oasis, an archeological site and a nature reserve in Israel, located west of the Dead Sea, near Masada and the Qumran Caves. Ein Gedi, a ki ...
. His most notable work was at
Tel Dor Tel Dor ( he, דוֹר or , meaning "generation", "habitation") or Tell el-Burj, also Khirbet el-Burj in Arabic (lit. Tell, or Ruin, of the Tower), is an archaeological site located on the Israeli coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea next to ...
, where he directed twenty seasons of excavation between 1980 and 2000, in collaboration with American archaeologists Andrew Stewart and Rainer Mack.


Awards

Prof. Stern received the
Israel Museum The Israel Museum ( he, מוזיאון ישראל, ''Muze'on Yisrael'') is an art and archaeological museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world’s leading encyclopa ...
's Percia Schiemmel Award for his contributions to the archaeology of Israel. He was also awarded prizes for his various publications from Yad Ben Zvi Institute, The American
Society of Biblical Archaeology The Society of Biblical Archaeology was founded in London in 1870 by Samuel Birch to further Biblical archaeology. It published a series of ''Proceedings'' in which some important papers read before the Society were preserved. In 1919 the Societ ...
and Levi Sala prize on behalf of the
Ben-Gurion University Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...
in the
Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...
. *The EMET Prize In 2005, Prof. Ephraim Stern was awarded with the EMET Prize for his research and professional work, which have placed him in the forefront of Israeli archaeology; for ''"disseminating archaeological knowledge through scientific editing and publishing; for the extensive excavations in which he has been involved as team member and director; and for his broad and in-depth knowledge of the Land of Israel and its material culture between the First Temple Period
Solomon's Temple Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple (, , ), was the Temple in Jerusalem between the 10th century BC and . According to the Hebrew Bible, it was commissioned by Solomon in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited by th ...
and
Second Temple period The Second Temple period in Jewish history lasted approximately 600 years (516 BCE - 70 CE), during which the Second Temple existed. It started with the return to Zion and the construction of the Second Temple, while it ended with the First Jewis ...
s". '' http://www.emetprize.org


Books and other publications

Stern published several books based on his research and field work. Further, he served as editor of the journal ''Qadmoniot'', published by the ''Israel Exploration Society'', and was co-editor of ''
Cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...
'', published by the ''Yad Ben-Zvi Institute''.


Books

* ''New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land'' (1993, four volumes with a Supplement published in 2008) * ''The material culture of the land of the Bible in the Persian period'' (Hebrew edition 1978, English edition 1982) * ''Dor – Ruler of the Seas'' (Hebrew edition 1992, English editions 1994 and 1999) * ''Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, Volume II: The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian Periods'' * ''Eretz Israel'' (Volume 29: the Ephraim Stern Volume)


Archeological reports

# ''The excavations at Tel Mevorakh'' (2 volumes, Qedem Publications, no. 9 and 18; 1978 and 1984), Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. # ''Tel Dor excavations'' (2 volumes, Quedem Reports Ia-b, 1995), Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Exploration Society. # ''En-Gedi excavations'' (2007), Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Exploration Society. # ''Figurines and cult objects from Dor'' (2010), Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and The Israel Exploration Society.


Notes


External links


Israel Prime Minister EMET Prize

Hebrew University, the Department of Archeology

Israel Exploration Society

Yad Ben Zvi Institute

The Hebrew Reali School in Haifa, Israel


References




EMET Prize Laureate Profile

''Yale University Review'' of the book ''Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, Volume II''

Biblical Archeology Review of ''The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, Supplementary Volume 5''

''The Shelby White-Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications Harvard University '' (re Tel Dor)

''The Shelby White-Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications Harvard University ''(re En Gedi)

''Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society'' review of ''Archaeology of the Land of the Bible. Vol. 2: The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian Periods, 732-332 BCE''

''Bible Books & Maps, Author Profile''

''Carta Jerusalem, Author Biography''

''IsraCast, Profiles''


{{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Ephraim 1934 births 2018 deaths 20th-century archaeologists 21st-century archaeologists Israeli archaeologists Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni People from Haifa