The Remarkable Avraham Biran (1909–2008)October 21, 2008  Talkback Add Your Comment
Biran’s life and work was a mirror of Israel’s history and of Israeli archaeology. He was born in 1909, almost four decades before the establishment of the State of Israel, and he liked to refer to himself as a “Mayflower Israeli.” Biran knew Sir William Flinders Petrie, the father of modern Near Eastern archaeology, and studied under William F. Albright, the legendary dean of Near Eastern studies at Johns Hopkins. During the British Mandate era, Biran was a district officer in Beth-Shean and in Jerusalem. After the establishment of Israel in 1948, Biran held a number of government posts, most notably the directorship of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums from 1961 to 1974. In 1966 Biran began the project with which he has been most famously identified: the excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel, where he dug for more than 30 years. He also served for more than a quarter century as the director of the Institute of Archaeology at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. We present here a longer version of the obituary written for BAR by Thomas E. Levy, a former student of Biran’s and two articles that capture some of this extraordinary man’s life and work: a wide-ranging interview with Biran by BAR editor Hershel Shanks to mark Biran’s 90th birthday and a report by Web editor Steven Feldman on a visit he made with Biran to Tel Aroer in the Negev, just one of the many sites that Biran excavated over the decades. Additionally, we present a link to Biran‘s New York Times obituary. We hope these articles will give you a glimpse into the life and works of this remarkable man.
Yofi, yofi, yofiIt would be nice to read about the Revisit article, but the link is broken. I was on the emergency dig there in early 1980, and had the good fortune and fun of working with and for him. [I was lucky to have been the person to unearth what might be Aroer's most interesting item: a figurine.] He was so good-natured, and laughed heartily at the almost most-famous find: a shard with an Aramaic inscription, which was actually a joke I played on the group. What a great guy who loved life! • • • • • • • Dr. BiranI had the honor of going on a dig with Dr. Biran in 1985 to Tel Dan. He was a very sweet man, very intelligent and knowledgeable. I remember when we found something good he would call it a "Yofi!" and then buy us all an ice cream that evening. He encouraged me to learn Hebrew and to attend the university in Jerusalem. It wasn't something I was able to do, but I'm still working on the Hebrew Dr. Biran! :) Rest in peace. Shalom! I was blessed to know him. • • • • • • • Avram BiranI had the honor of digging with Dr. Biran at Tel Dan in the summer of 1980. In addition to his scholarship, he was a warm, encouraging, fatherly presence to the motley crew of volunteers we were. • • • • • • • DR. AVRAM BIRANKIND. WARM, LOVING, JOYFUL AND PLAYFUL WHOSE HEART AND HOME WERE OPEN TO ALL. (I WRITE FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.) A GRAND HUMAN BEING! • • • • • • • Avraham Biran......and there were Giants in those days......... • • • • • • • Avraham BiranFrankly inspirational; a hero of our times whose reward is sure. • • • • • • • Avraham BiranBaruch Dayan Hamet. May he rest in peace. • • • • • • • BiranGreat article, but you left out one adjective to describe this wonderful scholar, gentleman. • • • • • • • |
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An extraordinary career in archaeology came to an end in September 2008 with the passing of Avraham Biran. He died in his beloved Jerusalem just a month shy of his 99th birthday.
