SHIMON GIBSON - Forty Years of Archaeological Work on Mount Zion in Jerusalem

This presentation explored the fascinating history of excavations at Jerusaem and Mount Zion - from the work of 19th-century pioneers such as Wilson, Warren, Vincent and others, through to the more scientific approach taken by Kathleen Kenyon and Doug Tushingham in the 1960s, Magen Broshi in the 1970s, all the way up to the present-day project, directed by the speaker.
Varying theories for the extent of Iron Age Jerusalem were explored, throughand we saw how our understanding of the site and its fortifications has changed over the course of the 20th century, as new evidence has come to light.
This flying history of archaeology through the lens of a single site then concluded with a special preview of the key research questions for the coming Mount Zion field season.
Shimon Gibson is Professor of Practice in History and Archaeology in the History Department of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Director of numerous excavations and surveys in Israel/Palestine, he has been archivist of the Palestine Exploration Fund (1989-1995), and a Member of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society Committee since the early 1980s. His co-authored book, Tourists, Travellers and Hotels in Nineteenth-Century Jerusalem, appeared as PEF Annual XI in 2013.