
Workshop organized by the Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, funded by the Bina and Moshe Stekelis Fund for Prehistoric Research and with the collaboration of the CRFJ. Workshop organizers: Chloe Rosner & Sveta Matskevich
Abstract
The history of archaeology in Palestine and Israel has been the object of numerous research projects and publications over the past fifty years. Scholars from various disciplines observed from historical, anthropological, archaeological perspectives the establishment and development of archaeology on local, regional, and sometimes global scales. Lately, a more systematic use of archives deepened our understanding of the multiple institutions and actors (offering greater visibility to local figures) involved in the practice of archaeology and knowledge it produces, therefore renewing this field of research.
Within this rich historiography, prehistoric archaeology in Palestine and Israel is still overlooked. Yet it is an integral part of the first scientific explorations of Palestine which began in the 19th century. Conducted by foreign scholars, diplomats, religious and laymen and women, engineers of the army, amateurs of antiquities and natural history, these expeditions played a major role in the shaping of the discipline as a whole and therefore of prehistoric archaeology. Over time, the establishment of national, religious, or academic institutions specialized in the field of archaeology in Jerusalem encouraged the development of prehistoric research in the region.
Our workshop aims to shed a light on the various actors and institutions who shaped the field of prehistory from the 19th century until our days. They will allow us to grasp the establishment and development of prehistoric international and local networks on the longue durée. We encourage participants to address the socio-political and cultural contexts in which prehistory was practiced and knowledge produced.
Many answers to the above questions and topics of research may be uncovered in personal, institutional, and administrative archives, while others are revealed in excavation reports. This brings us to the last section of our workshop: what sources for the history of Prehistory and how can they be used? Has the writing of a renewed history of the discipline affected today’s research and how? Our workshop is conceived as a space to present different records, their nature and story, which shed a light on the history of the discipline, its actors, and its institutions.
In conclusion, we seek to gather scholars, Ph.D., and M.A. students from Israel and abroad, who are interested and/or involved in the history of prehistory research and encourage transversal and international perspectives. We also welcome propositions on ongoing projects or publications, which could lead to rich discussions.
Participation
Presentation proposals will include the following:
- presentation title,
- names of the contributor(s),
- an abstract: maximum 300 words,
- short biography: maximum 45 words.
Please send your proposal, by April 30th, 2022, to rosner.chloe@gmail.com or s.matskev@gmail.com. Accepted presentations will be notified by mid-May 2022.
Length of presentations: 15 minutes.
Language: English (French can be accepted after discussion with the organizers).
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
histarcheo (April 20, 2022). CfP: Workshop “History of Prehistory in Palestine – Israel”, October 25th – 26th, 2022. Historical Studies of Pre & Protohistoric Archaeology. Retrieved July 20, 2025 from https://doi.org/10.58079/pk93