April 12, 2019
Since 1996, Prof. Aren Maeir of Bar Ilan University has been the director of the Tell es-Safi/Gath excavation. Among the remarkable findings dug up by Professor Maeir and his team are a Philistine Temple, the remains of a Crusader-era castle, and myriad ritual items dating back to the Iron Age.
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April 12, 2019
Prof. Aren Maeir has dug up some remarkable findings from the home of Goliath, and this archaeologist is pretty remarkable himself.
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October 2016
After an ancient clay jug found in the biblical Sha’arayim — where David fought Goliath — was painstakingly pieced together, a noted BIU Bible scholar sheds light on the inscription “Eshbaal son of Beda.” Prof. Emeritus Moshe Garsiel, an authority on King David’s history, believes the mysterious persona was the Sha’arayim fortress commander and co-founder of an elite military unit in the Kingdom of Judah.
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October 2016
Taking time out from their intensive BIU lab internships, over two dozen undergrads from YU, Cornell, and other American universities join the Tell es-Safi/Gath dig (directed by BIU’s Prof. Aren Maeir) for a day. The science majors enthuse about the seven-week joint BIU-Yeshiva University (YU) program which enables them to engage in cutting edge research while being mentored by top Israeli scientists in nanotechnology, brain research, engineering, life sciences, math, chemistry and psychology.
While honing research skills, they strengthen ties with Israel and become acquainted with creative advancements via field trips to Israel Aerospace Industries, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and the Agriculture Research Organization (Volcani Center).
The program, directed by Prof. Ari Zivotofsky (far left) of BIU’s Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, benefits from the generosity of Dr. Mordecai D. Katz, Honorary Chairman of the BIU Board of Trustees, and from the J. Samuel Harwit Z”L and Manya Harwit-Aviv Charitable Trust.
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April 2016
Unearthing one of the top ten archaeological discoveries of 2015, BIU Land of Israel Studies & Archaeology faculty have also made some spicy discoveries about the Philistine impact on Israeli flora in antiquity.
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August 2015
A large contingent of Americans took part in an historic experience as part of the volunteer team that discovered the fortifications and entrance gate of the biblical city of Gath of the Philistines, home of Goliath and the largest city in the land during the 10th-9th century BCE.
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