I am honored to be invited as keynote speaker at a international conference in Jerusalem on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the Tel Dan stele.

My keynote lecture will reassess the identification and placement of the Tel Dan fragments. My discoveries have wide-ranging implications for the study of this famous Aramaic inscription as well as the kingdoms of Aram, Israel and Judah in the Iron Age.

I want to warmly thank the organizers, David Ilan and Yifat Thareani, for inviting me to this prestigious meeting.

Here is the conference program:

Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Tel Aviv University
Webb Building, room no. 001

Wednesday afternoon
3:30-4:00: Light refreshments
4:00-4:15: WELCOME. Dr. David Ilan, Director, Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem

Session 1: 4:15-6:15 PM: Hazael in the South: Conquest and Its Aftermath. Chair: Dr. Ilana Goldberg, NYU Tel Aviv
4:15-4:45 Prof. Gunnar Lehmann, Department of Archaeology, Ben Gurion University: Hazael in the South: A View from the Negev
4:45-5:15 Prof. Alexander Fantalkin, Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University: Hazael in the South, Hazael in the West
5:15-5:45 Prof. Aren Maeir, The Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, Bar Ilan University: Identifying Hazael’s Actions in the Southern Levant: A Case of Looking for the Lost Coin under the Lamp Post?
5:45-6:15 Discussion

Wednesday evening
6:45 PM Dinner for the participants

Thursday, June 6, 2024
Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology – HUC Campus
13 King David Street, Jerusalem

Session 2: 9:00-10:30 AM: Aramaean Lifestyle I: Iron Age IIa Dan as a Case Study. Chair: Prof. Jason Kalman, Hebrew Union College
9:00-9:30 Dr. David Ilan, Director, Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, HUC: The Incomplete Gate at Iron Age II Tel Dan
9:30-10:00 Dr. Yifat Thareani, Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, HUC and NYU Tel Aviv: Thoughts on the Aramaean Urban Visibility: Manifesting Identity at Iron Age II Dan
10:00-10:30 Dr. Jonathan S. Greer, Grand Valley State University: Hazael’s Conquest and the Decentralization of Israel’s Cult in the 9th Century BCE
10:30-11:00 Coffee break

Session 3: 11:00-12:30 AM: Aramaean Lifestyle II: Material Culture and Identity. Chair: Dr. Eran Arie, the Department of Cultural Heritage,
and the School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa
11:00-11:30 Prof. Naama Yahalom-Mack and Dr. Nava Panitz-Cohen, Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem: The Absence of Evidence IS the Evidence of Absence: Material Culture and Historical Scenarios in Wake of the Tel Abel Beth Maacah Excavations
11:30-12:00 Dr. Andrea Squitieri, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München: Exploring Cross-Regional Dynamics: Stone Vessels and Ground Stone Tools from Tel Dan
12:00-12:45 A visit to the Skirball Museum

1:00-2:30 PM Lunch

Session 4: 2:30-4:00 PM: Aramaeans in Northern Israel: Settlement Patterns and
Political Dominance. Chair: Dr. Hayah Katz, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Kinneret College
2:30-3:00: Dr. Igor Kreimerman, Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Hazor and the Aramaeans: A Reevaluation
3:00-3:30 Dr. Assaf Kleiman, Department of Archaeology, Ben Gurion University: The Bronze Age Heritage of the Kingdom of Geshur
3:30-4:00 Dr. Omer Sergi, Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University: Material Culture and Political Affiliation:
The Huleh Valley between Aram and Israel

4:00-4:30 Coffee break

Closing session: 4:30-6:00 PM. Chair: Dr. David Ilan, Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, Hebrew Union College
4:00-4:15 GREETINGS: Dr. Nachman Shai, Dean, Hebrew Union College – Jerusalem
4:15-5:45 Keynote lecture – Prof. Michael Langlois, University of Strasbourg and College de France: The Tel Dan Inscription in Context: Royal Inscriptions and Scribal Traditions
5:45-6:00 Concluding remarks and future directions. Yifat Thareani

6:15 PM A celebration dinner at the Persian Garden