Our international team includes senior scholars, PhD candidates, MA and BA students. We all share our passion to archaeology and history of the land.
Yuval Amir
Area Supervisor
Yuval Amir has recently submitted his M.A. thesis on Iron Age zoomorphic libation vessels from the Southern Levant at the Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures in Tel Aviv University, under the supervision of Prof. Ido Koch. In his thesis, Yuval focused on the functional aspects of the vessels, their symbolic importance, and their unique ritualistic agency. Yuval also holds a B.A. degree in Art History and aims to begin his PhD journey in the near future. Born in Jerusalem, but currently living in Tel Aviv, Yuval has been a member of the Tel Hadid expedition since 2019.
Stav Bartel
Assistant Spatial Archaeology Analyst
Stav Bartel is currently a Master’s student in Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, where he also holds a bachelor’s degree in both Archaeology and Geography. His research utilizes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to conduct spatial analysis, landscape studies, and archaeological mapping. Stav’s work primarily focuses on Tel Hadid and its surrounding areas during Late Antiquity and Modern times.
Dennis Cole
Administration
Dennis Cole is a Professor of Old Testament and Archaeology occupying the Mcfarland Chair of Archaeology, Chairman of the Division of Biblical Studies, Co-Director of the Michael and Sara Moskau Institute of Archaeology, NOBTS, and Co-Director of Tel Hadid Expedition. Upon the completion of a commentary on Numbers (The Evangelical Exegetical Commentary for Logos), Dennis plans to initiate a new project, The Vineyard and the Cultus: A Study in the Socio-Cultic Implications of Bronze and Iron Age Viticulture and Vinification
Ammit Etya
Area Supervisor
Amit Etya has recently submitted his M.A. Thesis about the Hasmonean and Early Roman Periods at Tel Hadid and The Lydda Valley under the supervision of Prof. Ido Koch. He intends to pursue a PhD focusing on the Hellenistic and Roman Remains from Tel Beer Sheva. Currently living in Rishon LeZion, Amit took part in the Tel Azekah Expedition and the Beit Shemesh salvage excavation.
Renate Fahrni
Assistant Area Supervisor (2020-2023)
Renate Fahrni, currently living in Zurich, is the project manager and editorial assistant in an interdisciplinary project between the Universities of Zurich, Bern and Tel Aviv about ancient glyptics in the southern Levant. Last year, she completed her M.A. studies in Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University. Her research focused on Egyptian stamp-seals from the late Iron Age in Judah, Philistia and southern Phoenicia under the supervision of Prof. Deborah Sweeney and Prof. Ido Koch.
Sagi Freiman
Associate spatial assistant and area co-supervisor
Sagi Freiman is an M.A. student in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University. His thesis focuses on archaeoseismology—the study of ancient earthquakes. Currently residing in Tel Aviv, Sagi pursued archaeology due to his deep passion for the past and his desire to explore how ancient cultures and archaeological finds continue to influence modern society. He has participated in the Tel Azekah Expedition and the Yavne East salvage excavation. In addition, Sagi is responsible for overseeing the archaeological survey at the Tel.
Elana Gerber
Assistant Area Supervisor
Elana Gerber is currently pursuing her M.A. at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University. Her research focuses on the zooarchaeological assemblage from the Givati parking lot during the late Hellenistic period. She conducts her research under the supervision of Professors Lidar Sapir Hen and Yuval Gadot. In addition, she is actively involved in the survey at Tel Hadid and has been part of the staff for two seasons.
Mor Goldenberg
Area Supervisor
Mor Goldenberg is a PhD student at Tel Aviv University, supervised by Prof. Ido Koch and Prof. Yuval Gadot. After completing an MSc in Biochemistry, she returned to Archaeology, focusing on “Visual Language in the Kingdom of Israel.” She is part of the Tel Hadid team and has participated in excavations at Kfar HaHoresh and Ein el-Jarba.
Ido Koch
Co-Director
Ido Koch is an Associate Professor at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University, and co-director of the Tel Hadid Expedition. He studies the archaeology of Bronze and Iron Ages Southern Levant. Co-PI of the Swiss National Fund project Stamp Seals from the Southern Levant, and co-PI of the White-Levy funded project Final Publication of Aharoni’s Excavations at Tel Arad. He participated as an area supervisor at Ramat Rahel (2007–2010) and Tel Azekah (2012–2016).
Ruthy Lewis
Glass Specialist
Originally from San Diego, California, Ruthy’s approved M.A. from Tel Aviv University was on Roman and Byzantine period glass from Tel Hadid, retrieved from the salvage excavations in the 1990s. She has participated in a variety of excavations in Israel, including most recently as a staff member at the salvage excavations at Beit Shemesh and an Area Supervisor at Tel Hadid Archaeological Project (2019–2022).
Gary D. Myers
Area Supervisor
Gary earned his M.A. in Biblical Archaeology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 2018. His master’s thesis, “At the Threshold of the City: The Excavation and Interpretation of the Middle Bronze Age Gate at Tel Gezer,” was developed during Gary’s work as area supervisor with Tel Gezer Water System Expedition (2016–2017). After seven seasons of excavation at Tel Gezer, Gary joined the Tel Hadid Expedition as an area supervisor in 2018. His areas of interest in archaeology and anthropology include: city gates/boundaries, funerary/burial customs, Middle Bronze Age culture, Iron Age culture, the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and liminal space.
James Parker
Co-Director
James Parker is a Professor of Biblical Interpretation and Archaeology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He serves as Co-Director of Tel Hadid Expedition, the Executive Director of the Michael and Sara Moskau Institute of Archaeology and Associate Vice President of Facilities, NOTBS. Specialized in Hebrew and Old Testament Studies, Greek and New Testament Studies, and Church History, James authored The War Scroll: Genre & Origin (Borderstone Press, 2012), which investigates the various literary forms that are contained within the War Scroll, 1QM.
Noa Ranzer
Area Supervisor (2018–2023)
Noa Ranzer is a PhD student in Tel Aviv University and the University of Zurich. She wrote her M.A. thesis on the production and function of Middle and Late Bronze Age scarabs, and currently writing on “The Functions of Stamp-Seals in the Southern Levant: A Systematic Examination of the Objects and their Archaeological Contexts in the Iron Age”. Her advisers are Prof. Ido Koch and prof. Yuval Gadot from Tel Aviv University, and prof. Christoph Uehlinger from the University of Zurich. An area supervisor at Tel Hadid, Noa has participated at the expeditions of Tel Azekah, Tel Shimron, Beth-Shemesh and at ‘En Esur.
Netanel Rinon
Area Supervisor
Netanel Rinon (Nate) is an M.A. student at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University, under the supervision of Prof. Ido Koch. His thesis focuses on the role of cultic vessels in the Iron Age, employing experimental archaeology and the recreation of ancient artifacts.
Israa Shekh Yosef
Assistant Spatial Archaeology Analyst
Israa Shekh Yosef is completing her B.A. in the Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University. She pursued this field to explore the ancient environment, plant life, and cultures, with a particular focus on the Israelite people. In 2023, she joined the Tel Hadid Expedition to further develop ideas for her M.A. research. This season, she is part of the team specializing in the spatial analysis of the Tel
Dana Shraga
Assistant Area Supervisor
Dana Shraga is a double major B.A. student in Archaeology and in Communication at Tel Aviv University. Currently living in Giv’atayim, Dana participated in the Tel Azekah excavation. She is also a member of the Digital Media team of the Institute of Archaeology at TAU, and manages the Digital Media for the Tel Hadid Expedition.
Amy Williams
Assistant Area Supervisor
Amy Williams is a M.A. student in Bibilcal Archaeology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She is also the Director of the Museum of the Bible and Archaeology in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her enthusiasm for archaeology began while excavating at Tel Gezer. Amy will return to the Tel Hadid Expedition this season as an assistant area supervisor.
Alexandra Wrathall
Ceramics Specialist
A graduate of Tel Aviv University, Alex is a field archaeologist and Iron Age II ceramic specialist. Originally from Australia, she has a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Research (specializing in Ancient Near Eastern narrative and narratology) from Macquarie University, Sydney, and M.A. in archaeology from Tel Aviv University. An area supervisor at Tel Hadid during the years 2018–2023, Alex has enjoyed working at a number of sites across the Southern Levant, including Tel Azekah, Masada, Tel Aphek, City of David/Silwan, and Naḥal Nitsana.
Eli Yannai
Eli Yannai was the scientific advisor of the Tel Hadid Expedition in its early seasons. As a former IAA senior archaeologist, Eli excavated hundreds of sites across Israel and published numerous excavation reports and articles dealing with the archaeology of country.
Omer Ze’evi-Berger
Supervisor of Spatial Archaeology Analysis, Late Islamic Ceramic Specialist
Currently residing in Tel Aviv, Omer Ze’evi is a field archaeologist. His PhD focuses on rural landscape interactions around Jerusalem and the Shephelah during the middle and late Islamic periods. Further to this, Omer specializes in digital and landscape archaeology. Beginning in 2012, Omer has had the pleasure of being part of archaeological expeditions to Tel Beth Shemesh, Kiryath Jearim and Masada. He was an area supervisor at Tel Hadid Archaeological Project during the years 2018–2020.
Sharon Zuhovitzky
Administration
Sharon Zuhovitzky is a Ph.D. student at Tel Aviv University. Her M.A. thesis focused on a specific type of Chalcolithic (5th–4th millennium BCE) ceramic vessel, examined through petrography and experimental archaeology. Her current research explores ceramic production and the function of vessels used in popular ritual ceremonies during the Bronze and Iron Ages in the Southern Levant. Sharon created and manages the excavation’s data system. In the upcoming season, she will be responsible for metal-detecting in the field and office administration.
Tel Hadid Expedition 