20 Bc-IWEENlEXI'ANDAWnFACrtermasdireClOroftheAmericanSchoolofOrientalResearchinJenlsalemin
the19205,EleazarL.Sukenik,ayoungscholarandoneoftheearlyJewish
archaeologistsinPalestine,wascloselyassociatedwiththeAmericanSchool
anddevelopeda closefriendshipwithAlbright.In 1927 hewasappointed
"archaeologist"onthefacultyofthenewlyestablishedHebrewUniversityof
JerusalemandlaterfoundeditsInstituteofArchaeology.2SHowever,itwas
Sukenik'sson,YigaelYadin,whowasmostinstrumentalindevelopinga
uniquely Israeli version of"biblical archaeology."26 Yadin wasthe first
Israeli archaeologist to mount large-scale excavations on a biblical lei,
Hawr,from 1955 (01958. I-lazarprovedtobethetrdininggroundsforan
entiregenerationofarchaeologists,similartotheimpactofShechemand
laterGezeron American biblicalarchaeology. However,Israeli biblical
archaeologydifferedsignificantlyfromtheAlbrightianAmericanversion.In
Israel,archaeologynotonlydeserveditsowndepartmentbutalsomerited
itsownresearchinslitute.Yadinandthefollowinggenerationsofarchaeol-
ogistsdefined(hebiblicalinbiblicalarchaeologyasachronologicalterm
referring(0theperiodsbroadlyrelatedtotheBible(EarlyBronzethrough
IronAges,ca.300o-sixthcenttllYH.C.E.). Emotional,nationalist,and,toa
lesserdegree,religiousideologiesth:.ltreinforcedJewishclaimstotheland
ofIsmeldistinguishedtheIsraeliversionofbiblicalarchaeologyfromthe
AmericanandEuropeancounterparts,AsexpressedbyIsraeliarchaeologist
AmihaiMazar, thereW;lSandremainsa consciousoruprobnblysubcon-
sciousmotivationtorelatemodern Israeliculturetoitsancient rootS."27
Yadinwasoneofthelastofthetraditionalbiblicalarchaeologists,whoas
lateas 1984 andshortlybeforehisdeathpromotedanapproach(0ubiblical
archaeology"lhatfollowedcloselyinAlbright'sfool,>teps.28
However, whatislessnotedintheliler.Jlureisthat archaeologyin
IsraeliuniversitycurriculawasmuchcloscrtotheBritishexample.The
Israeliacadcmicapproachcreateddepal1mentsorinstitutesofarchaeology
atthemajorIsraeliuniversitiesthatteacharchaeologyasthefocalpoinl,
withcross-disciplinaryconnectionstobiblical,NcarEastern,Egyptological,
andclassicalstudies.FromthedaysofYadinuntilthepresent,thecurricu-
lum inthesedepartmentshaschanged littleinitsgeneral approachto
2'5Forashorthiogr.lphyofSukt:nik.set:NeilA.Silbernl:ln,APropbetfromtllI/Ollgst)'011
UNlifeofHgaelt'adill:Sv/dier;Sebo/tlr,(llIdA~I'/bmakcrofMotlernIsrael(NewYurk:
Addison-Wesley,1')93),7-23.
26 For;1delailedbiogmphyofYigaelYadin,secibid.
27 Amih;liM;lz:lr,"br.leliArchaeologists:inDrinkard,M:mhingly,androHller,Bencb-
marksillJi'",ealldGill/lire.127.
28 Sec,t:.g.,Yig:lelYadin,"BiblicilArchaeologyTocby:TheArch:1CologicalAspect,"in
lJilJli(:(I/Arcb(I('Q/op,ynxl(ly:ProceedingsoftheIII/el"lmIiO//(i/COIlp,rY..'SS 011 IJibliw/Arcbtl('f)/-
o,g)',.!el1lsa/em,Apri//984k'd,J-Amiwi:JCOls:t1ern:IsmclExplorationSuciCly,1985).21-27.