Aren Maeir

Prof. Aren Maeir is a professor at Bar Ilan University and serves as the director of the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project, one of the most significant ongoing excavations of a Philistine city in Israel.

His academic background includes undergraduate and graduate studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology at MIT.

Prof. Maeir specializes in the intersection of archaeological evidence with biblical narratives, with particular expertise in Philistine culture and ancient Israelite society. His research has significantly contributed to understanding how material culture informs biblical history, especially regarding sites mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.

With over one hundred scholarly and popular publications to his name, Prof. Maeir is recognized for making archaeological findings accessible to both academic and general audiences. His work on the Tell es-Safi site, believed to be the biblical city of Gath (home of Goliath), represents a major contribution to biblical archaeology.

Among his notable works is 'An Archaeological Perspective on Shavuot,' which examines this biblical festival through material evidence and archaeological context, demonstrating his approach to connecting physical findings with religious traditions.