Leading Israeli archaeologist, Dr. Eilat Mazar, 64, died on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, after a long illness. Mazar served as a field archaeologist, a scholar and a lecturer at the Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology in Jerusalem. Her work includes some of the earliest known artifacts in the ancient city of David (once called Jebus, the home of the Jebusites, dating to the 12th and 11th centuries BCE, according to Mazar, who argued they provide scientifically excavated evidence of the biblical united monarchy.
Known for her discovery of “King David’s palace” in the City of David and biblically tied artifacts and constructions, Mazar was the scion of an Israeli archaeological dynasty. She led excavations in several sites, including most notably in two locations in the City of David ridge: above the Gihon spring and in the “Ophel” on the lower slope of the Temple Mount or Al-Aqsa compound.
During her childhood, Mazar accompanied her grandfather, Prof. Benjamin Mazar, in his excavations of ancient Jerusalem, particularly in the City of David and in the Robinson’s Arch area near the Western Wall, the findings of which she saw to publication. She attended first Ambassador College, at Bricket Wood, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England. Then completed her university years at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After earning her BA, she worked on Dr. Yigal Shiloh’s excavation expedition from 1981-1985, which uncovered the Royal Quarter of ancient Jerusalem in the City of David.
Mazar is survived by a daughter and three sons.
For a detailed account of her career and archaeological contributions see her obituary in The Times of Israel.
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