Tel Rehov, Archaeological Science, and the Hebrew Bible: A Scholarly Interview with Prof. Amihai Mazar
Amihai Mazar and Željko Stanojević
Amihai Mazar
Eleazar Sukenik Professor of the Archaeology of Israel, Emeritus
Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Israel
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5468-9654
Željko Stanojević
Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature
Belgrade, Serbia
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0717-6184
Date of interview: 09 August 2026
Date of publication: 15 September 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22765743
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0
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Abstract
This scholarly interview presents Professor Amihai Mazar’s reflections on the archaeology of ancient Israel, the excavations at Tel Rehov, the application of archaeological science to the study of the Iron Age, and the relationship between archaeology and the historical traditions of the Hebrew Bible.
Particular attention is devoted to the five-volume final publication of the Tel Rehov excavations, with special emphasis on Volume V, Various Objects and Natural-Science Studies. Mazar situates Tel Rehov within a long archaeological career that includes Tell Qasile, Tel Batash (biblical Timnah), Tel Beth-Shean, Tel Rehov, and several smaller sites, while emphasizing the scholarly importance of complete final excavation reports in a discipline in which excavation itself is inherently destructive.
The discussion examines the stratigraphy and architecture of Tel Rehov, pottery, inscriptions, figurative art, cult objects, small finds, zooarchaeology, fish remains, archaeometallurgy, radiocarbon dating, archaeomagnetism, and the exceptional Iron Age apiary discovered at the site.
Mazar discusses evidence for elite consumption in Area C, occasional wild-boar consumption, long-distance fish trade, copper and metallurgical connections with the Arabah and Faynan region, and the extensive radiocarbon dataset used to refine the chronology of the Iron Age. The interview also addresses paleomagnetic research on tilted mudbrick walls and the possibility that seismic destruction may have affected parts of the site.
Several discoveries from Tel Rehov receive particular attention, including the extraordinary industrial apiary, its associated cultic material, the identification of Anatolian honeybees, inscriptions bearing the name Nimshi, and an inscription interpreted as containing the name Elisha from a ninth-century BCE archaeological context.
The interview further explores the relationship between archaeology and the historical traditions preserved in the Hebrew Bible. Mazar distinguishes between periods for which archaeological and external textual evidence is extensive and earlier periods for which historical reconstruction remains more contested. Topics include Sennacherib’s campaign, Assyrian and Babylonian destructions, Philistine cities and material culture, the conquest traditions in Joshua, David and Solomon, the United Monarchy, and the ninth-century kingdom of Israel.
The conversation concludes with Mazar’s reflections on the future of archaeological research, his planned synthesis of the Tel Beth-Shean and Tel Rehov projects, his continuing work on Tell Qasile, and the role of the European Hebrew Journal in biblical, archaeological, Hebrew, historical-geographical, and Jewish Studies.
Keywords
Amihai Mazar; Željko Stanojević; Tel Rehov; Beth-Shean Valley; biblical archaeology; archaeology of ancient Israel; archaeology of Israel; Bronze Age; Iron Age; Iron Age I; Iron Age IIA; Hebrew Bible; Old Testament; archaeology and biblical history; Qedem; Tel Rehov excavations; final excavation reports; stratigraphy; pottery; inscriptions; figurative art; cult objects; natural-science archaeology; archaeological science; zooarchaeology; radiocarbon dating; archaeomagnetism; paleomagnetism; Iron Age chronology; apiary; ancient beekeeping; Anatolian honeybee; Nimshi; Elisha; archaeometallurgy; ancient copper trade; Faynan; Arabah; fish trade; Philistines; Tell Qasile; Tel Batash; Timnah; Tel Beth-Shean; David and Solomon; United Monarchy; Kingdom of Israel; Assyria; Sennacherib; archaeology and the Bible
How to Cite This Work
Mazar, A. and Stanojević, Ž. (2026). Tel Rehov, Archaeological Science, and the Hebrew Bible: A Scholarly Interview with Prof. Amihai Mazar. Scholarly Interviews in Hebrew, Biblical, Religious, and Jewish Studies. Belgrade: Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22765743
Published: 15 September 2026.
Description
This open-access scholarly publication forms part of the series Scholarly Interviews in Hebrew, Biblical, Religious, and Jewish Studies, published by the Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature in cooperation with the European Hebrew Journal.
The publication presents an extended scholarly conversation with Professor Amihai Mazar, Eleazar Sukenik Professor of the Archaeology of Israel, Emeritus, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and one of the leading archaeologists of ancient Israel.
The interview was conducted online by Professor Željko Stanojević on 09 August 2026 on behalf of the Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, the European Hebrew Journal, and the New Books Network. The edited transcript was prepared as a citable scholarly resource and published on 15 September 2026.
The publication is not a research article, is not part of the numbered issues of the European Hebrew Journal, and has not undergone external peer review. The video and audio recording remain the primary record of the spoken interview.
Tel Rehov and the Archaeology of Ancient Israel
A central subject of the conversation is Tel Rehov, one of the largest Iron Age archaeological sites in the Land of Israel. Mazar excavated the site for twelve seasons beginning in 1997, following extensive archaeological work at Tell Qasile, Tel Batash and Tel Beth-Shean.
The discussion places Tel Rehov within Mazar’s broader archaeological career and explains why the publication of complete excavation reports represents an essential obligation of archaeological fieldwork. Because excavation permanently removes archaeological contexts, detailed publication provides the principal scholarly record through which future researchers can reconstruct and reassess the evidence.
Mazar discusses the five-volume final report of the Tel Rehov excavations, published as Qedem 59–63. The first volumes document the stratigraphy and architecture of the site, while subsequent volumes examine pottery, inscriptions, figurative art, cult objects, small finds and an extensive range of scientific analyses.
Archaeological Science
The interview demonstrates how modern archaeological science can transform the interpretation of an ancient city.
Scientific studies from Tel Rehov include zooarchaeology, analysis of fish remains, archaeometallurgy, radiocarbon dating, archaeomagnetic and paleomagnetic research, and the scientific investigation of ancient beehives.
The large radiocarbon dataset from Tel Rehov became particularly important for debates concerning the chronology of the Iron Age and the dating of archaeological strata associated with the tenth and ninth centuries BCE.
A paleomagnetic investigation of tilted mudbrick walls in Area C raised the possibility that an earthquake contributed to the destruction represented in one archaeological stratum, illustrating the potential of archaeomagnetic methods for reconstructing ancient destructive events.
The Tel Rehov Apiary
One of the most extraordinary discoveries discussed in the interview is the industrial apiary uncovered at Tel Rehov.
Approximately thirty beehives were excavated in a systematically organized installation inside the ancient city. The archaeological context also produced evidence of cultic activity, including an altar, an incense burner and other objects suggesting that ritual practices took place in association with the apiary.
Scientific analysis of bee remains identified them as Apis mellifera anatoliaca, the Anatolian honeybee, rather than the local Syrian honeybee. This finding raises important questions concerning ancient apiculture, specialized economic production and long-distance movement of bee populations.
Mazar also considers the possible economic importance of beeswax, particularly in relation to metallurgical production and the circulation of copper from the Arabah and Faynan mining regions.
Nimshi and Elisha
The inscriptions discovered at Tel Rehov provide another important focus of the conversation.
A jar from the site bears the inscription l-Nimshi, “belonging to Nimshi.” The name Nimshi is known from the Hebrew Bible in connection with the dynasty of Jehu, and its repeated appearance in the region raises questions concerning local families and social organization during the Iron Age.
Another inscription from Area C has been read as the name Elisha. The archaeological level belongs to the second half of the ninth century BCE, approximately the historical period in which the biblical prophet Elisha is placed.
Mazar treats these inscriptions within their archaeological context and discusses both their importance and the caution required when archaeological names appear to correspond with names known from biblical literature.
Archaeology and the Hebrew Bible
A substantial portion of the interview addresses one of the most important methodological questions in biblical archaeology: how archaeological evidence should be related to historical traditions preserved in the Hebrew Bible.
Mazar distinguishes between historical periods for which abundant archaeological evidence and external written documentation survive and periods for which reconstruction remains considerably more difficult.
The Neo-Assyrian period provides especially strong possibilities for comparison. Archaeological destruction layers, Assyrian royal inscriptions and biblical texts can in some cases be examined together, including evidence relating to Sennacherib’s campaign against Judah and the destruction of Lachish.
The Assyrian and Babylonian destructions of cities in the southern Levant provide further examples in which archaeological and textual evidence can be correlated.
The conversation also considers Philistine archaeology. Excavations at Philistine cities and related sites have produced distinctive architecture, pottery and other material remains that can be compared with historical and biblical traditions concerning the Philistines.
Joshua and the Conquest Traditions
The archaeological background of the conquest traditions in the Book of Joshua is discussed as a substantially more difficult historical problem.
Mazar explains that the archaeological evidence does not support a simple model in which all of the cities mentioned in the biblical conquest account were destroyed simultaneously in a single military campaign.
Instead, the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age represents a complex historical process involving regional differences, destruction, continuity, settlement change and the emergence of new populations and identities.
David, Solomon and the United Monarchy
The interview also addresses the continuing archaeological debate concerning David, Solomon and the United Monarchy.
Mazar discusses the possibilities and limitations of archaeology for reconstructing the tenth century BCE and emphasizes the importance of integrating archaeological evidence, chronological analysis and textual traditions without forcing either archaeology or the biblical text to provide answers that the evidence cannot securely sustain.
Tel Rehov and other sites in the Beth-Shean Valley contribute important evidence concerning settlement, political organization and material culture during the tenth and ninth centuries BCE.
The Ninth-Century Kingdom of Israel
The ninth century BCE is particularly important for understanding Tel Rehov.
The city flourished during the period of the northern kingdom of Israel, and archaeological discoveries from this period provide information concerning urban organization, economy, cult, trade, elite consumption and political structures.
The inscriptions containing the name Nimshi and the possible Elisha inscription are especially significant because they belong to the cultural and chronological environment associated with the Omride and Jehu dynasties.
Tell Qasile, Tel Beth-Shean and Future Research
Professor Mazar also discusses his continuing scholarly work after his formal retirement.
He is preparing a synthetic study combining the results of the Tel Beth-Shean and Tel Rehov excavations. Together, the two archaeological projects have produced nine substantial final-report volumes. The planned synthesis is intended to present the larger archaeological and historical picture in a form accessible to scholars who may not be able to work through thousands of pages of detailed excavation documentation.
Mazar additionally reflects on Tell Qasile, the first major archaeological site he excavated and a site originally excavated by his uncle, Benjamin Mazar, beginning in 1948. A new final publication incorporates both earlier excavation material and the results of later fieldwork.
European Hebrew Journal
The interview also addresses the European Hebrew Journal.
Professor Mazar expresses the hope that the journal will develop into an important scholarly venue attracting contributions not only in biblical studies and Hebrew language, but also in archaeology, historical geography and related disciplines.
Professor Amihai Mazar is a member of the Editorial Board of the European Hebrew Journal.
Publication Status and Editorial Method
This publication is an edited scholarly interview issued within the series Scholarly Interviews in Hebrew, Biblical, Religious, and Jewish Studies, published by the Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature in cooperation with the European Hebrew Journal.
It is not a research article, is not part of the numbered issues of the European Hebrew Journal, and has not undergone external peer review.
The interview was conducted online on 09 August 2026 by Željko Stanojević on behalf of the Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, the European Hebrew Journal, and the New Books Network.
The transcript was prepared from an automatically generated subtitle file and edited on 11 September 2026. Verbal fillers, hesitation sounds, false starts, repeated fragments, throat-clearing and non-lexical sounds were removed. Sentences were regularized for grammar and syntax while preserving the substantive meaning of each question and response.
Obvious speech-recognition errors in personal names, place names, excavation terminology, archaeological periods, publication titles and technical vocabulary were corrected against the recorded context and authoritative scholarly sources. No substantive argument, example, explanation, question or response was intentionally removed.
Where a point required editorial clarification in order to avoid a misleading identification or to reconcile an obvious factual slip with the current official record, the intervention is identified in the Notes. The video and audio recording remain the primary record of the spoken interview.
Related Works
Mazar, A. and Panitz-Cohen, N. (eds) (2020). Tel Rehov: A Bronze and Iron Age City in the Beth-Shean Valley. Vols. I–V. Qedem 59–63. Jerusalem: Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Mazar, A. (2021). ‘The Beth Shean Valley and its Vicinity in the 10th Century BCE’, Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology, 1, pp. 241–271. https://doi.org/10.52486/01.00001.10
Mazar, A. (2022). ‘Tel Rehov: The Site and Its Excavation’, Near Eastern Archaeology, 85(2), pp. 84–89. https://doi.org/10.1086/719591
Yahalom-Mack, N. (2022). ‘Metalworking at Tel Rehov’, Near Eastern Archaeology, 85(2), pp. 159–163. https://doi.org/10.1086/719589
Lernau, O. (2022). ‘Fish Imported from a Distance and Consumed at Tel Rehov’, Near Eastern Archaeology, 85(2), pp. 170–171.
Panitz-Cohen, N. and Mazar, A. (2022). ‘The Exceptional Ninth-Century BCE Northwestern Quarter at Tel Rehov’, Near Eastern Archaeology, 85(2).
Vaknin, Y., Mazar, A., Shaar, R. and Ben-Yosef, E. (2023). ‘Tel Beth-Shean in the Tenth-Ninth Centuries BCE: A Chronological Query and Its Possible Archaeomagnetic Resolution’, in E. Ben-Yosef and I. W. N. Jones (eds), And in Length of Days Understanding (Job 12:12). Cham: Springer, pp. 787–810. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27330-8_34
Mazar, A. (2025). ‘Tell Qasile in the Persian Period’, Israel Exploration Journal, 75(1), pp. 39–64.
Stanojević, Ž. (2026). ‘From the Editor-in-Chief: On the Publication of Volume 1, Issue 2’, European Hebrew Journal, 1(2), pp. 4–8.
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