At the 2018 ASOR Annual Meeting, the P. E. MacAllister Field Archaeology Award was presented to Aren M. Maeir, Professor, The Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, Bar-Ilan University, for his outstanding career contributions to both ancient Near Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean archaeology.
As Director of the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project in Israel, one of the largest and longest-running archaeological field projects (1997-present), Aren brings together an international team of over 100 volunteers and has created a model 鈥渢eaching dig鈥 for instruction in modern field techniques and archaeological sciences. Philistine Gath bears the legacy of Eastern Mediterranean migration and cultural transfer to Canaan during the Iron Age I and embodies the entanglement of those many heritages into the Iron Age II. Aren鈥檚 long-time excavations at Gath have resulted in much broader understanding of many aspects of both ancient Near Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean archaeology. Aren also codirects the Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram in Biblical Times (RIAB; aramisrael.org) and is co-editor of the Israel Exploration Journal. He has over 100 publications, many co-authored with the students he has mentored. For his commitment to his role as teacher and mentor for generations of archaeology students, he is honored with the P. E. MacAllister Field Archaeology Award.
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