Research projects

We conducted an overarching archaeological investigation in Beitin, Palestine, a village identified with the biblical city of Bethel. We determined four areas in the village where archaeological remains are concentrated. Archaeological excavations at Burj Beitin, the southeastern hill in the village, revealed a large church from the Byzantine period, which commemorates the biblical patriarchs. The remains of a smaller chapel and the nucleus of an agricultural community were dated to the Crusader and Mamuluke periods. Approximately 120 shaft and cave tombs were identified at the necropolis; the former come from the Intermediate Bronze Age, and the latter from the Iron Age to Roman period. This new data will be significant in evaluating the social and religious changes in the city of Bethel throughout history.