Archaeologist Eilat Mazar, Who Made Significant Jerusalem Discoveries, Dies

Dr. Eilat Mazar, a third-generation biblical archeologist who made significant discoveries in Jerusalem, has died. Mazar died on Tuesday at the age of 64 after a serious illness.

Mazar, who specialized in the Phoenician culture of Israel’s northern coastal plain, directed excavations in the City of David and the Temple Mount’s southern wall. She worked as a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology.

She participated in archaeological digs starting from a young age, as the granddaughter of Prof. Benjamin Mazar, a pioneering biblical archaeologist in British Mandatory Palestine and the newly founded State of Israel.

During her long tenure, Mazar discovered the possible remnants of King David’s palace and a portion of an ancient city wall presumed to be built by King Solomon. In 2013, Mazar unearthed a trove of gold coins and a rare Byzantine medallion with a menorah, or candelabra etched into it. Most recently, Mazar made headlines when she unearthed clay seals that read: “Belonging to Hezekiah, (son of) Ahaz, King of Judah” and later, seals that may have belonged to the Prophet Isaiah.

She studied archaeology and the history of the Jewish people for her undergraduate degree at Hebrew University, and went on to receive a master’s degree and doctorate from the university.