Meet our alumni and explore their current careers, projects and research!

Vanessa Linares PhD candidate at Tel Aviv University   Dissertation Title: Organic Residue Analysis of Small Closed Containers from The Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages: Tel Azekah, Tel Shadud, and Tel Megiddo as a Case Study. The aim of this research is the application of organic residue analysis on the small closed containers from Tel Azekah, Tel Shadud, and Tel Megiddo during the Late Bronze and early Iron Ages. The goal is to better understand the cultural practices of the local inhabitants, and possible trade networks within the Levant. Supervisors: Oded Lipschits, Yuval Gadot, and Ronny Neumann.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amanda (Mandy) R. Morrow PhD candidate at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies   Dissertation Title: The Poetics of Violence in the Book of Jeremiah from the Perspective of Animal Imagery. Mandy’s research focuses on the way images of lions, horses, and scavenging animals function as a poetic (or language) for violence–particularly warfare–in the book of Jeremiah. Her approach to the text is anthropological, archaeological, linguistic, and literary, in that she combines analysis of texts through cognitive semantics and metaphor theory with an analysis of ancient Near Eastern artwork and artifacts. Supervisors: Jeremy Hutton.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gennadiy Shoykhedbrod Teacher and lecturer at Anne Arundel Community College, Maryland   Upon completing his MA with the International Program at Tel Aviv University, Gennadiy commenced his carrer as a field archaeologist for the Israeli Institute of Archaeology, followed by his current position as an adjunct faculty member for the Department of History and the Department of Anthropology at Anne Arundel Community College, in Maryland. Gennadiy teaches courses of Ancient Western Civilizations and Introduction to Archaeology, which are directly linked to the academic education and the unique fieldwork experience he gained while studying at TAU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lyndelle Webster PhD candidate at Tel Aviv University ​ Dissertation Title: Developing a Radiocarbon-Based Late Bronze Age Chronology for Southwest Israel, Using Tel Azekah as a Reference Site. This project seeks to establish a robust radiocarbon-based chronology for the Late Bronze Age in southwest Israel, which will contribute new data and Bayesian modeling from Tel Azekah. The project will also contribute fresh evidence to key debates, including the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition. Supervisors: Yuval Gadot, Oded Lipschits, and Yann Tristant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George Mavronanos PhD candidate at Haifa University   Dissertation Title: Kition in the Classical Period: A Ceramic Study. George is conducting a study on the pottery of Kition (Cyprus) during theClassical/Persian period. He will try to establish a new classification system for the localceramic typology and explore the cultural affinities of the local ceramic repertoire withthe Phoenician world and the Levant. The study is expected to contribute more to modernresearch around the Cypro-Phoenician culture and its connections with the PersianLevant. Supervisors: Prof. Ayelet Gilboa, Dr. Dan’el Kahn, Dr. Sabine Fourrier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zach Dunseth PhD candidate at Tel Aviv University   Dissertation Title: The Negev Highlands During the Intermediate Bronze Age (c. 2500 – 1950 BCE): A Geoarchaeological Perspective. Zach’s research is an integrated micro- and macro-archaeological study of settlement in the Negev Highlands during the Intermediate Bronze Age (c. 2500-1950 BCE). Using three sites as case studies, Zach applies various geoarchaeological methods including micromorphology, petrography, and radiocarbon dating, to reconstruct the subsistence practices, trade, and absolute chronology, of the southern Intermediate Bronze Age phenomenon. Supervisors: Israel Finkelstein and Ruth Shahack-Gross.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phillip Tobin Teacher and lecturer at Cardinal Gibbons High School, North Carolina.     After completing the MA program, Phillip returned to North Carolina to begin his career in teaching. He currently teaches Church History at Cardinal Gibbons High School, and draws upon his classwork at TAU to provide his students with an in-depth look at the material cultures of the Bible and the Catholic Church. Phillip finds that by drawing upon the various artifacts, architectures, and cultural landscapes within the archaeological record students come to learn how history is made, and come to better understand the rich faith tradition that has been passed down to them. He is also ecstatically enjoying his new life as the father of an energetic little boy and is pleased to report that he too loves digging in the dirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erin Hall PhD candidate at Tel Aviv University   Dissertation Title: Archaeology of Cult in the Northern Kingdom Erin deals with archaeological evidence of cult in the Northern Kingdom (Iron Age IIA-B). She will evaluate new and “old” material, to facilitate a fresh consideration of change and continuity in cult practices. The aim is to examine the organization of cult in the north in contrast to neighboring regions, alongside methodological issues such as, “what makes a cult place?” Supervisor: Israel Finkelstein.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sabine Kleiman PhD candidate at Tel Aviv University   Dissertation Title: “The Potters of the Shephelah: Between Tradition and Innovation”: Technology, Typology, and Symbolism of Pottery during the Bronze and Early Iron Ages The research aims to investigate the production, style, and movement of ceramic in the Shephelah during the Late Bronze and early Iron Ages, through a holistic and long-term study of pottery production. The project will utilize the methods of petrography, xeroradiography, and typology, which will provide information about the provenance, production technique, and tradition of the examined ceramics.  Supervisors: Oded Lipschits, Yuval Gadot, and Anat Cohen-Weinberger.