The development of archaeozoological research in Israel and the West Bank

Israel and the West Bank has held a special attraction to archaeologists and historians because of its importance as a religious center and the existence of a long and rich human and fossil record going back some 1.4 million years. Consequently, archaeological and archaeozoological research has been carried out by a large number of international as well as local scholars and has resulted in a rich and multi-faceted corpus of publications on both topics. Following the establishment of the state in 1948, research and teaching in archaeology in Israel expanded in association with an increase in the scale and scope of excavations. However, much of the early archaeozoological research was carried out solely on prehistoric material, and it is only in recent years that faunal analysis has been recognized as an integral part of archaeological research by proto-historians and those working on Biblical and Classical material. This has led to increased specialization on the part of archaeozoologists who tend to focus on problems associated with a specific period. The recent establishment of archaeology departments in West Bank universities has served to stimulate archaeozoology among Palestinian researchers. Their focus has been the study of material from new excavations carried out in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. The future of zooarchaeology in the region depends upon the creation of permanent posts for archaeozoologists as well as on the political and economic stability of the region.