- Benjamin Mazar
Benjamin Mazar (
June 28 ,1906 -September 9 ,1995 ) was a pioneeringIsraeli archaeologist who shared the national passion for the archaeology ofIsrael that also attracts considerable international interest due to the region's Biblical links.Background
Born Binyamen Maisler in
Ciechanowiec ,Poland , he was educated at Berlin and Giessen universities inGermany . At age 23 he emigrated toPalestine (then under the British Mandate) and in 1943 joined the faculty ofHebrew University inJerusalem whose original campus atMount Scopus became isolated in theJordanian sector of Jerusalem following the1948 Arab-Israeli War . Originally he also served as secretary of theJewish Palestine Exploration Society , later renamedIsrael Exploration Society . SeeArchaeology of Israel .Between 1951 and 1977 Benjamim Mazar served as Professor of Biblical History and Archaeology of Palestine at the new campus of
Hebrew University in West Jerusalem. In 1952 he became Rector of the University in 1952 and its president for eight years commencing in 1953. Between 1968 and 1978 Professor Mazar directed extensive excavations in theOphel and the southwestern corner of theTemple Mount . The site had been inaccessible to Israeli archaeologists until it was captured in 1967 during theSix Day War .Mazar family
Benjamin Mazar, his son Ory and his granddaughter
Eilat Mazar and nephewAmihai Mazar all shared the same interests in Israeli archaeology. Eilat Mazar has been a frequent spokesperson for concerns regarding the archaeology of theTemple Mount inJerusalem .ee also
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Archaeology of Israel "This entry discusses the archaeology of Israel as an academic and scientific discipline, an important aspect of the country's cultural life and national identity."
*Biblical archaeology
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