Lipscomb University, United States
Prof. Dr. Steven M. Ortiz
Professor of Archaeology and Biblical Studies
Director, Lanier Center for Archaeology
Official University Profile: Lipscomb University – Steven M. Ortiz
Expertise: Biblical Archaeology; Archaeology of Ancient Israel; Hebrew Bible; Iron Age Archaeology; Historical Geography of the Southern Levant; Archaeology of David and Solomon; State Formation; Philistine Studies; Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Academic Profile
Prof. Dr. Steven M. Ortiz is Professor of Archaeology and Biblical Studies and Director of the Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University. He is internationally recognized as one of the leading specialists in the archaeology of ancient Israel, with more than three decades of archaeological field experience in the southern Levant. His research combines archaeology, historical geography, and biblical studies to investigate the history and material culture of ancient Israel and its neighboring societies.
Before joining Lipscomb University in 2020, Prof. Ortiz served as Director of the Charles D. Tandy Institute for Archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the internationally renowned Tel Gezer Excavation Project, Co-Director of the Tel Burna Excavations, and one of the directors of the Ilibalyk Project in Kazakhstan. His work has made significant contributions to understanding the archaeology of the United Monarchy, the Iron Age transition, and the relationship between Judah and Philistia.
QUALIFICATIONS
Ph.D. in Near Eastern Archaeology, University of Arizona.
M.A. in Near Eastern Archaeology and Biblical Studies, University of Arizona.
M.A. in Bible History, Jerusalem University College.
B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology, California State University, Los Angeles.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
Professor of Archaeology and Biblical Studies, Lipscomb University.
Director, Lanier Center for Archaeology.
Former Director, Charles D. Tandy Institute for Archaeology, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Former Director, Charles D. Tandy Archaeology Museum.
Principal Investigator and Co-Director, Tel Gezer Excavation Project.
Co-Director, Tel Burna Archaeological Project.
Board Member, W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem.
Member of the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) leadership and committees.
RESEARCH
Prof. Ortiz specializes in the archaeology of the southern Levant during the Bronze and Iron Ages, with particular emphasis on the formation of ancient Israel and Judah. His research integrates archaeological excavation, ceramic analysis, historical geography, and biblical history to reconstruct political, economic, and cultural developments in the ancient Near East.
His work at Tel Gezer has significantly advanced scholarship on Iron Age chronology, urbanization, state formation, and the archaeology of David and Solomon. He has also published extensively on Philistine archaeology, border relations between Judah and Philistia, archaeological methodology, and the interpretation of archaeological evidence within biblical studies.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Biblical Archaeology
Archaeology of Ancient Israel
Hebrew Bible
Iron Age Archaeology
Historical Geography of the Southern Levant
State Formation in Ancient Israel
Archaeology of David and Solomon
Philistine Archaeology
Ceramic Typology
Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology
Tel Gezer
ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP
Director, Lanier Center for Archaeology.
Principal Investigator and Co-Director, Tel Gezer Excavation Project.
Co-Director, Tel Burna Archaeological Project.
Board Member, Albright Institute of Archaeological Research.
Former Director, Charles D. Tandy Institute for Archaeology.
Leader of numerous international archaeological expeditions and collaborative research initiatives.
PRIZES AND AWARDS
Ernest S. Frerichs Annual Professor, Albright Institute for Archaeological Research (2016–2017).
Outstanding Research Professor, Marvin Jones Faculty Award, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Recipient of numerous research grants supporting archaeological excavation and biblical archaeology.
PUBLICATIONS
Selected Publications
Tel Miqne-Ekron Excavations 1994–1996: Field IV Upper and Field V: The Elite Zone. (with Seymour Gitin and Trude Dothan), Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, 2022.
The United Monarchy. In Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament. Baker Academic, 2018.
Tel Gezer Excavations 2006–2015: The Transformation of a Border City. (with Samuel Wolff), 2017.
The Archaeology of David and Solomon: Navigating the New Methods and Madness. 2012.
Rewriting Philistine History: Recent Trends in Philistine Archaeology and Biblical Studies. 2008.
Author of numerous books, excavation reports, book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles on biblical archaeology, Iron Age chronology, the archaeology of ancient Israel, Philistine studies, and the historical geography of the southern Levant.