I received my BA in archaeology of the Levant, which today comprises the modern states of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Cyprus, as well as the West Bank, Gaza strip, and the Sinai Peninsula and my Masters in Near Eastern archaeology (Egypt, Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia) from Leiden University in the Netherlands.
I have had the privilege to work as a professional archaeologist on a vast number of archaeological sites in the Middle East, Sahel and North Africa for over twenty-two years.
You can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and of course, here on my blog.
My research interests lie in archaeobotany, ancient environments, the origins of urbanism, conflict archaeology, osteology, physical anthropology, the ritual use of the body, and funerary archaeology. With additional research interests in ancient textiles.
I write about Jewish history, culture and heritage, from ancient texts to modern politics. I have given lectures and talks on a range of historical topics to a wide variety of audiences.
Other professional interests lie in Old Testament Studies, Hebrew Bible, ancient Judaism, (ancient) religion, Jewish studies, early Christianity, the early Islamic periods, and environmental archaeology.
The Near East was, and is, a multicultural region with a great variety of social, linguistic, ethnic and religious groups. I study religiously framed (armed) conflict in wider social, economic and political contexts, especially within the formation of religious, cultural and ethnic identities. With a special focus on the cultural, social and literary histories of religion and ancient religions.
My research interests involve the historical, archaeological, and contextual aspects of ancient Israel during its formative period in the Bronze and Iron Age and their interaction with the other major cultures of the ancient Near East.
I research the archaeology of religion in the ancient Levant and the archaeology of the Phoenicians, Philistines and Canaanites .
My research is at the interface where archaeology, religious studies, history, cultural heritage, and living culture meet.
I focus on the processes related to the movement of concepts, objects and people across geographic, social and cultural borders.
My professional career has spanned a wide spectrum of activities, including entrepreneurship, raising awareness on maternal mortality as a public-health concern, advovate for women's access to education and health services to battle extremism, the promotion of women's empowerment to halt the spread of violent extremism, radicalization, counterterrorism, and advanced aviation security.
