„Biblical archaelogy“ or archaeology of the Levant

In the course of the department’s history, biblical archeology and the archeology of the Levant has played an essential role. Particularly noteworthy is Ernst Sellin, who did pioneering work with his excavations in Tell Taanach (1901-1904) and in Jericho (1907-1909).

At present, the department is a national research partner of the Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in the START-project: “Tracing Transformations in the Southern Levant. From Collapse to Consolidation in the Mid-Second Millennium BC”. As part of this project, excavations are carried out in Tel Lachish (Felix Höflmayer, Katharina Streit, Vanessa Becker).

Furthermore, employees and students of the Protestant Theological Faculty were involved in the excavation in Ashdod-Yam led by Alexander van Talkin and Angelika Berlejung.