Research Fields
- Landscape archaeology
- Regional archaeology
- Archaeology of natural caves
- Urbanization and social complexity
- Archaeological survey
About
Dr. Uri Davidovich is a lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology, Biblical Section. His research interests revolve around environmental and landscape archaeology, especially of marginal landscapes; field and analytical methods of archaeological surveys; regional archaeology of the Judean Desert; human activity in natural caves; and the development of complex societies surrounding the transition to urbanism (Chalcolithic period and Early Bronze Age). Davidovich’s current studies include: settlement dynamics in the Upper Galilee in the Early Bronze Age and early urbanization in the southern Levant, involving multi-annual excavations at the mega-site of Tel Qedesh; archeology and landscape of refuge in cliff caves of the Judean Desert during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age; environmental and cultural changes in the Judean Desert during the Holocene (together with Dr. Nimrod Marom, University of Haifa); and comparative archaeology of ancient activity patterns in complex caves in the southern Levant.
Selected Publications
Davidovich U.PI, Ullman M.PI, Langford B.C, Frumkin A.C, Langgut D.C, Yahalom-Mack N.C, Abramov J.C, Marom N.C 2018. “Distancing the dead: Late Chalcolithic burials in large maze caves in the Negev Desert, Israel.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 379: 113-152. DOI: 10.5615/bullamerschoorie.379.0113
Wachtel I.PI, Davidovich U.PI, corres. auth. 2021. “Qedesh in the Galilee: The emergence of an Early Bronze Age Levantine megasite.” Journal of Field Archaeology 46: 260-274. DOI: 10.1080/00934690.2021.1901025
Lazagabaster I.A.PI, Rovelli V.PI, Fabre P.-H.C, Porat R.C, Ullman M.C, Davidovich U.C*, Lavi T.C, Ganor A.C, Klein E.C, Weiss K.C, Nuriel P.C, Meiri M.C, Nimrod MaromPI. 2021. “Rare crested rat subfossils unveil Afro-Eurasian ecological corridors synchronous with early human dispersals.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2021: 118(31): e2105719118. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2105719118
Mascher M.PI, Schünemann V.J.PI, Davidovich U.C, Himmelbach A.C, Hübner S.C, Fahima T.C, Korol A.C, David M.C, Marom N.C, Riehl S.C, Schreiber M.C, Vohr S.H.C, Green R.E.C, Dawson I.K.C, Russell J.C, Kilian B.C, Muehlbauer G.J.C, Waugh R.C, Krause J.PI, Weiss E.PI, Stein N.PI 2016. “Genomic analysis of 6,000-year-old cultivated grain illuminates the domestication history of barley.” Nature Genetics 48: 1089-1093. DOI: 10.1038/ng.3611
Davidovich U.PI, Porat N.PI, Gadot Y.PI, Avni Y.C, Lipschits O.PI 2012. “Archaeological investigations and OSL dating of terraces at Ramat Rahel, Israel.” Journal of Field Archaeology 37: 192-208.
Selected Awards
Rothschild Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Rotenstreich Fellowship for Outstanding Doctoral Students in the Humanities, National Council for Higher Education
Scholion Interdisciplinary Research Center in the Humanities and Jewish Studies, The Hebrew University
President Fellowship, HU Honors Program for excelled PhD Students in the Humanities, The Hebrew University
The Bernard M. Bloomfield Prize for excelled PhD Dissertation, The Hebrew University
Teaching
Bachelor's degree courses
GIS applications in Archaeology
Introduction to Spatial Archaeology
Caves and complex societies
Unsuccessful revolution: The Chalcolithic period
The Negev, Arabah and Edom in the Iron Age
Regional Campus: Judean Desert
Advanced survey and Regional Analysis
Bronze Age Landscapes
In the footsteps of kings and rebels: Judean Desert during the Roman and Byzantine periods
Topics in Biblical Archaeology: Violence and its archaeological expressions (B.A Seminar)
Regional Campus: Golan Heights
The Early Bronze Age I in the Southern Levant
Regional Archaeology: From Theory to Practice (in collaboration with G. Shelach-Lavi)
The Ghassulian Culture: Society, Economy and Cult
Early Pottery (in collaboration with N. Panitz-Cohen)
Introduction to the Archaeology of Israel and the Levant: 8th-4th Millenia B.C.
Master's degree courses
Topics in Biblical Archaeology - Transitions (M.A Seminar, in collaboration with N. Yahalom-Mack)
Topics in Biblical Archaeology - Borders and Boundaries (M.A Seminar, in collaboration with N. Yahalom-Mack)
The Desert and the Sown in the Levant (M.A Seminar, in collaboration with I. Sharon)