معرفی
Dr. Jill Katz serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at Yeshiva University, specializing in Bronze Age Canaanite religious practices and Philistine archaeology. She directs field operations as Area Supervisor at the Tell es-Safi/Gath excavation site, contributing to major discoveries about ancient urban centers in the Levant.
- Harvard University (A.B.)
- University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D.)
Her research integrates material culture analysis with textual studies to reconstruct ritual spaces and societal structures in ancient Israel. Katz focuses on cultic installations at Tel Haror and Gath, examining how religious practices shaped Bronze Age Canaanite communities. Her methodological approach bridges archaeological fieldwork with anthropological theory to interpret sacrificial systems and temple architecture.
Katz's excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath have revealed critical evidence about Philistine settlement patterns and cultural interactions with neighboring Canaanite populations. Her work demonstrates how ritual spaces functioned as social and political hubs in ancient urban environments, with particular emphasis on Middle Bronze Age cultic continuity.
As field director at Gath, Katz trains students in stratigraphic excavation techniques and artifact analysis while managing international research teams. Her leadership has produced significant stratigraphic sequences documenting the site's evolution from Early Bronze Age settlement to Iron Age Philistine city-state.
