معرفی
Erez Ben-Yosef serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University and leads the Timna Valley Archaeological Expedition. His academic foundation includes degrees in archaeology and geology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (B.A., B.Sc., M.Sc.) and archaeology/anthropology from UC San Diego (M.A., Ph.D.).
His research centers on archaeometallurgy, archaeomagnetism, and Iron Age archaeology of the Southern Levant, with particular focus on copper production systems in ancient Edom. His work challenges traditional biblical chronologies through material evidence from the Timna Valley, where mining activity peaked during the 10th century BCE.
Analysis of his publications reveals a concentrated research trajectory on Edomite copper industry development, examining whether Edomites independently controlled metallurgical operations or operated under Israelite hegemony during the Davidic-Solomonic period. His methodological integration of archaeometallurgical analysis with regional chronology reshapes understanding of early complex societies in the Southern Levant.
As editor of Mining for Ancient Copper: Essays in Memory of Beno Rothenberg (2018), he advanced scholarly discourse on ancient mining techniques. His current fieldwork at Timna continues to generate critical data on ancient technological organization and intercultural exchange in the biblical-era Near East.
