About

Erez Ben-Yosef studied archaeology and geology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (B.A., B.Sc., M.Sc.) and archaeology and anthropology at the University of California, San Diego (M.A., Ph.D.). His doctoral dissertation, entitled Technology and Social Process: Oscillations in Iron Age Copper Production and Power in Southern Jordan was published in 2010 and presents results of six years of field and laboratory research on the copper mines of the southern Levant (Jordan and Israel). During 2010-2011 he carried out postdoctoral research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, focusing on the ancient copper mines of Cyprus and the application of slag material in geomagnetic research. Since 2011 he teaches at the graduate program in archaeology and archaeomaterials at Tel Aviv University.

Ben-Yosef has authored multiple research papers on archaeometallurgy, archaeomagnetism and Iron Age archaeology. He is currently directing the Central Timna Valley (CTV) Project – a multidisciplinary research into Iron Age copper production in the southern Levant. The project, supported by the Rotschild’s Yad Hanadiv Foundation and the Marie Curie PEOPLE grant, includes new excavations and surveys, as well as laboratory analyses at TAU and abroad, aimed at elucidating various aspects of ancient human exploitation of a limited natural resource. 


CV

(2011- ) Lecturer in Archaeology

Education and professional appointments

  • 2010-2011 Post Doc researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO)
  • 2010 Ph.D. in anthropology (archaeology), University of California, San Diego (dissertation)
  • 2008 M.A. in anthropology (archaeology), University of California, San Diego 
  • 2006 M.Sc. in geology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (summa cum laude)
  • 2004 B.A. in archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (magna cum laude)
  • 2003 B.Sc. in geology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Research Interests

  • Archaeometallurgy: metal production in the Ancient Near East
  • Geoarchaeology: application of geological techniques and methodologies in archaeology
  • Iron Age Archaeology of the southern Levant
  • Ancient technology and social change
  • Landscape archaeology
  • Archaeology and history of Jordan

Professional Memberships

  • World Archaeological Congress (WAC)
  • Society of American Archaeology (SAA)
  • Society of Biblical Literature (SBL)
  • American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR)
  • Israel Exploration Society (IES)
  • Israel Geological Society (IGS)
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Current Archaeological Projects

  • The Central Timna Valley (CTV) Project (Director)
  • The Cyprus Archaeomagnetic Project (CAMP)
  • Edom Lowland Regional Archaeology Project (ELRAP)

Courses

Current courses (TAU)

  • Archaeometallurgy of the Ancient Near East (0671-2509)
  • Principles of Geoarchaeology (0671-2420)
  • What is Archaeology? (0671-1001)
  • Inquests in Geoarchaeology (0671-5002)
  • Study Excavation (0671-1216)
  • Field Laboratory in Archaeological Excavations (0671-5000)
  • Critical Reading in Archaeological Science (0671-4098)
  • Advanced Methods in Microarchaeology (0671-4423)

Previously taught

  • Archaeomagnetism (co-teaching with Professor Lisa Tauxe) (graduate + senior students) (SIO)
  • Intro to Field Geology, TA of Professor Lisa Tauxe (SIO)
  • Basic Methods in Field Archaeology, TA of Professor Tom Levy (ELRAP Field School in Faynan, Jordan, Fall 2009) (UCSD)
  • The Medieval Heritage (MMW3), TA of Professor Charles Chamberlain (UCSD)
  • The Great Classical Traditions (MMW2), TA of Dr. David Miano (UCSD)
  • Prehistory and the Birth of Civilization (MMW1), TA of Professor David K. Jordan (UCSD)
  • Foundation of Archaeology (previously: Anthropological Archaeology: Method and Theory), TA of Professor Thomas E. Levy (UCSD)
  • Human Origins, TA of Professor Katerina Semendeferi (UCSD)
  • Field Archaeology and Desert Ecology, TA of Professor Thomas E. Levy (UCSD)
  • Underwater and Bathymetric Mapping, TA of Professor Amotz Agnon (HUJI)
  • Advanced Field Geology and Geological Mapping, TA of Professor Amotz Agnon (HUJI)
  • Northern Negev Geological Field Trip, TA of Professor Amotz Agnon (HUJI)
  • Sedimentary Petrology, TA of Professor Harvey Blatt (HUJI)
  • The Physics of Earthquakes, TA of Professor Amotz Agnon (HUJI)
  • Introduction to Geomorphology, TA of Professor Yhouda Enzel (HUJI)
  • Dynamic Earth (Introduction to Geology for Geologists), TA of Professor Zvi Garfunkel (HUJI)

Resources (links)

Last updated: 23.05.2013