Israel Antiquities Authority
Encyclopedia
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, , , before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israel
i governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservation, and promotes research. The director-general is Shuka Dorfmann and its offices are housed in the Rockefeller Museum
.
The Israel Antiquities Authority plans to move into a new building to The National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem, beside the Israel Museum
.
was founded on July 26, 1948, after the establishment of the State of Israel. It took over the functions of the Department of Antiquities of the British Mandate in Israel. Originally, its activities were based on the British Mandate Department of Antiquities ordinances.
IDAM was the statutory authority
responsible for the Israel's antiquities and for the administration of small museums. Its functions include curation
of the state collection of antiquities, storing of the state collection, maintaining a list of registered antiquities sites, inspecting antiquities sites and registering newly discovered sites, conducting salvage and rescue operations of endangered antiquities sites, maintaining an archaeological library (the state library), maintaining an archive.
It published the results of excavations in three journals:
IDAM also funded and managed the Archaeological Survey of Israel and published the results of its work in maps covering 10 km² of the State of Israel.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) was created from the IDAM by the Knesset
(Israeli parliament) in a 1999 statute
. Amir Drori
became its first director. The IAA fulfilled the statutory obligations of the IDAM and in its early days was greatly expanded from the core number of workers in IDAM to a much larger complement, and to include the functions of the Archaeological Survey of Israel. The period of expansion lasted for a number of years, but was followed by a period in which diminished fiscal resources saw large cutbacks in the size of its work force and its activities.
and the Bible Lands Museum
in Jerusalem by Architect
Moshe Safdie
. The cornerstone ceremony was held on 15 October 2006.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservation, and promotes research. The director-general is Shuka Dorfmann and its offices are housed in the Rockefeller Museum
Rockefeller Museum
The Rockefeller Museum, formerly the Palestine Archaeological Museum, is an archaeological museum located in East Jerusalem that houses a large collection of artifacts unearthed in the excavations conducted in Ottoman Palestine beginning in the late 19th century.The museum is under the management...
.
The Israel Antiquities Authority plans to move into a new building to The National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem, beside the Israel Museum
Israel Museum
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem was founded in 1965 as Israel's national museum. It is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
.
History
The Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums (IDAM) of the Ministry of EducationMinistry of Education (Israel)
The Israeli Ministry of Education is the branch of government charged with overseeing public education institutions in Israel. The political head of the department is the Minster of Education, currently Gideon Sa'ar....
was founded on July 26, 1948, after the establishment of the State of Israel. It took over the functions of the Department of Antiquities of the British Mandate in Israel. Originally, its activities were based on the British Mandate Department of Antiquities ordinances.
IDAM was the statutory authority
Statutory authority
A statutory authority is a body set up by law which is authorised to enforce legislation on behalf of the relevant country or state. They are typically found in countries which are governed by a British style of parliamentary democracy. They are common in the UK, Australia, New Zealand etc but...
responsible for the Israel's antiquities and for the administration of small museums. Its functions include curation
Curation
Curation may refer to:*Digital curation, the preservation and maintenance of digital assets*Sheer curation, a minimalist form of digital curationCuration may also be:*The work performed by a curator*Archiving, historical record keeping...
of the state collection of antiquities, storing of the state collection, maintaining a list of registered antiquities sites, inspecting antiquities sites and registering newly discovered sites, conducting salvage and rescue operations of endangered antiquities sites, maintaining an archaeological library (the state library), maintaining an archive.
It published the results of excavations in three journals:
- Booklet of the Department of Antiquities [Hebrew]--now defunct
- Atiqot [Hebrew and English]--still published
- Hadashot Arkheologiyot [Hebrew and English]--still published, online.
IDAM also funded and managed the Archaeological Survey of Israel and published the results of its work in maps covering 10 km² of the State of Israel.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) was created from the IDAM by the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
(Israeli parliament) in a 1999 statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
. Amir Drori
Amir Drori
Amir Drori was an Israeli general, founder and the first director general of the Israel Antiquities Authority.-Military career:Amir Drori was born in Tel Aviv in 1937 and graduated from the IDF's Junior Command Preparatory School in Haifa. He was drafted into the Israel Defence Forces in 1955,...
became its first director. The IAA fulfilled the statutory obligations of the IDAM and in its early days was greatly expanded from the core number of workers in IDAM to a much larger complement, and to include the functions of the Archaeological Survey of Israel. The period of expansion lasted for a number of years, but was followed by a period in which diminished fiscal resources saw large cutbacks in the size of its work force and its activities.
The National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel
The Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel is the future building of the IAA, aiming to concentrate all centralized administrative offices into one structure. The campus is planned on 20,000 square meters between he Israel MuseumIsrael Museum
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem was founded in 1965 as Israel's national museum. It is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
and the Bible Lands Museum
Bible Lands Museum
The Bible Lands Museum is a museum in Jerusalem, Israel, that explores the culture of the peoples mentioned in the Bible, among them the ancient Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, Arameans, Hittites, Elamites, Phoenicians and Persians...
in Jerusalem by Architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Moshe Safdie
Moshe Safdie
Moshe Safdie, CC, FAIA is an architect, urban designer, educator, theorist, and author. Born in the city of Haifa, then Palestine and now Israel, he moved with his family to Montreal, Canada, when he was 15 years old.-Career:...
. The cornerstone ceremony was held on 15 October 2006.
Organizational Structure
The IAA's organization consists of:- Management
- Deputy Director for Archaeology
- IAA Regional Offices (Northern Region, Central Region, Jerusalem Region, Southern Region and maritime archaeologyMaritime archaeologyMaritime archaeology is a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, shore side facilities, port-related structures, cargoes, human remains and submerged...
Unit) - Excavations and Surveys Department
- Artifacts Treatment Department
- Conservation Department
- National Treasures Department
- Information Technology Department
- Publications Department
- Antiquities Robbery Prevention Unit
- Archives Department
- library
- IAA Internet Sites Unit
- Finance Administration
- Planning, Coordination and Control Administration
- Administartive and Security Services Branch
- Staff Officer for Archaeology – Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria
Directors
- Shmuel YeivinShmuel YeivinShmuel Yeivin was an Israeli archaeologist.-Biography:Yeivin was born in 1896 in Odessa, in the Jewish Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire...
, 1948–1961 - Avraham BiranAvraham BiranAvraham Biran was an Israeli archaeologist, best known for heading excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel. He headed the Institute of Archaeology at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem for many years.-Biography:...
, 1961–1974 - Avraham Eitan, 1974–1988
- Amir DroriAmir DroriAmir Drori was an Israeli general, founder and the first director general of the Israel Antiquities Authority.-Military career:Amir Drori was born in Tel Aviv in 1937 and graduated from the IDF's Junior Command Preparatory School in Haifa. He was drafted into the Israel Defence Forces in 1955,...
, 1988–2000 - Shuka Dorfmann, 2000–present
Restoration work
The IAA's six-member restoration team restores potsherds, textiles, metal objects and other objects related to the material culture of the country discovered in archaeological excavations. Unlike their peers around the world, the team in Israel is barred by Israeli law from working with human remains.External links
- Israel Antiquities Authority - official website.
- Eisenbrauns - Official distributor for IAA publications in North America
- The Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel on the Israel Antiquities AuthorityIsrael Antiquities AuthorityThe Israel Antiquities Authority is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservation, and promotes research...
website.