Student Grants
The Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society provides a limited number of grants per year for students of archaeology and related subjects. In 2010 the Society will offer either a grant of up to £1,000 to assist a postgraduate student of archaeology with his or her research in Israel and/or a limited number of travel grants to students of archaeology who wish to excavate in Israel.
Beneficiaries of AIAS grants are expected to write a short report on how their award assisted them, to be published in the AIAS Bulletin. Some examples can be found below. Grants are normally considered by the committee once a year in early March.
The closing date for applications is 19 February 2010.
This link has an Application form in Acrobat format that can be printed out. If this is not possible please e-mail your request to secretary@aias.org.uk or write for a copy to:
The Secretary
The Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society
2nd floor,
Supreme House
300 Regents Park Road
London N3 2JX
A free Acrobat reader can be downloaded from Adobe.
Research Trip to Israel
by Mary Ownby
My trip to Israel in June of 2008 had the goal of furthering my PhD research on storage jars imported to Egypt from Canaan between 1750 and 1550 B.C.E. Specifically, I am studying jars known as Canaanite jars in order to better understand the trade and political relationships between Egypt and Canaan during the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1550 B.C.E.) and Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 B.C.E.). Canaanite jars have been found throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, including Crete, suggesting their importance in international trade. The study of the jars is accomplished through making thin sections of the ceramics and examining them under a microscope, called ceramic petrography. Through this analysis the minerals in the pottery can be identified that will assist in suggesting possible localities for production. By utilizing detailed geological maps of Canaan, areas that contain the correct outcrops to produce all of the inclusions in the pottery can be identified. The visit to Israel was undertaken in order that I might work with Prof. Yuval Goren of Tel Aviv University. Prof. Goren is widely known for his work examining the ancient ceramics of Eastern Mediterranean cultures. His previous work on the Late Bronze Age Canaanite jars and the Amarna tablets produced in Canaan meant his expertise was invaluable for discussing the possible areas of manufacture for the material I am studying. Additionally, Prof. Goren has a large collection of comparative material from all over Canaan that I utilized to locate any ceramics made of similar material to the MBA Canaanite jars. The results of our collaboration suggest the jars were being produced mostly along the coast of Lebanon and northern Israel where there are several important MBA sites that must have had political connections to Egypt.
Prof. Goren ensured my first trip to Israel was a wonderful and unique experience. Not only did I spend much time in his laboratory learning more about methods for conducting ceramic petrography and having fruitful discussions with his students, but he also planned trips for me to see more of Israel. Our first adventure was to visit the underwater excavations being carried out in Haifa Bay. We snorkeled over a shipwreck that is being excavated to determine if it was a part of Napoleon's fleet. Although little could be seen due to the turbulent water, we did examine some of the artefacts and pieces of wood brought to the surface. As we returned to Tel Aviv, Prof. Goren and I collected sand at several beaches to help us in studying pottery that was manufactured from coastal sands. Shortly before I left, I had the chance to spend a day in the Old City of Jerusalem to see the West Wall of the Second Temple, the Temple Mount, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. I also spent time in the archaeological park and of course the bazaar. Thus, my research trip to Israel was an educational experience all around in that I learned a great deal that has contributed to my dissertation and had the opportunity to experience the culture and history of Israel.
Excavations at Megiddo 2008 - Area Q
by Naomi Farrington, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Cambridge
The excavations at Megiddo in northern Israel's Jezreel Valley are being carried out by the Megiddo Expedition of Tel Aviv University under the directorship of Israel Finkelstein and David Ussishkin of Tel Aviv University, and Eric Cline of the George Washington University, USA. During the 2008 season at Megiddo, four areas are being excavated: J, an Early Bronze Age cultic area; K, a Middle Bronze Age domestic area; H, a Late Bronze-Early Iron Age palace area; Q, a new area which aims to investigate the Late Iron Age. The main reason to excavate in Area Q was to investigate different problems and different levels than those encountered elsewhere on the mound. The Late Iron Age has been somewhat neglected by the recent excavations, and the excavation of Area Q helps to rectify this. This area had been partially and superficially excavated by the Oriental Institute of Chicago team in 1926, but it was felt that there were many unanswered questions, for example concerning the positioning of the Iron Age city walls. The uppermost levels excavated in the first session of the 2008 season were those from the 1948 war, including gun emplacements. A number of cartridges were found littering the area, both live and spent. During this conflict, there were two battles at Megiddo itself. In the first battle, the Israelis took over the mound that had previously been held by the Arab armies. In the second battle, the Iraqi army attacked, but the Israelis held the position. The level beneath this would appear to be the OIC stratum 4 level, which had been exposed by the OIC, meaning that there were hardly any floors to be found in the current excavations, and nothing sitting on the floors. A number of buildings were found, some of which had later been partly modified. Beneath this lay Stratum 5, which included pottery and some floors. It had been hoped that the last Iron Age city wall would be found, as seen in Areas K and H, but it appears that the wall has been destroyed completely and is therefore no longer visible. The future of the area will be to concentrate on investigating the upper layers (OIC layers 4 and 5), and possibly OIC level 6. When this level is reached in all squares, the excavation will spread out sideways rather than going deeper, in order to investigate this level more intensively.
I began excavating under the supervision of Norma Franklin and Eric Cline in Square G6 in Area Q. We encountered a number of interesting finds in the 1948 level, including ammunition and an Ottoman coin. Most exciting, however, was the find of part of a Late Bronze Age anthropomorphic figurine (although the presence of this in what was otherwise an Iron Age level can probably be attributed to the digging activities of the square's resident gopher!). During my three weeks at Megiddo I learnt a great deal about the current excavations at the site, as well as the history of excavations, and these subjects form a prominent part of my PhD research. I am very grateful to the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society and to the Megiddo Expedition of Tel Aviv University for giving me the opportunity to excavate at Megiddo.