Yosef Garfinkel

Yosef Garfinkel (Hebrew: יוסף גרפינקל; born 1956) is an Israeli archaeologist and academic. He is a professor of Prehistoric Archaeology and of Archaeology of the Biblical Period at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Biography Yosef Garfinkel was born in 1956 in Haifa, Israel. He served in the Israel Defense Forces between 1975 and 1978. He studied at Hebrew University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in geography and archaeology in 1981, a Master of Arts (MA) degree in prehistory and biblical archaeology in 1987, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1991. Garfinkel spent a Post-Doc year during 1992 at the Department of Anthropology and the Semitic Museum of Harvard University.

Since 1993 has taught at the Department of Biblical Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During his years at the Institute of Archaeology and till 2026 he guided 21 M.A thesis and 17 PhD dissertations.

Over the years Garfinkel was appointed Research Fellow at the Centre de Recherche Français a Jérusalem (1987–92) [ M.G. Hasel, Y. Garfinkel and S. Weiss 2017. Socoh of the Judean Shephelah: The 2010 Survey. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. Y. Garfinkel, S. Ganor and M. Hasel 2018. Khirbet Qeiyafa Vol. 4. Excavation Report 2009–2013: Art, Cult and Epigraphy. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society. H.-G. Kang and Y. Garfinkel 2018. Khirbet Qeiyafa Vol. 6. Excavation Report 2007–2013: The Iron Age Pottery. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society. M. Mumcuoglu and Y. Garfinkel 2018. Crossing the Threshold: Architecture, Iconography and the Sacred Entrance. Oxford: Oxbow. Y. Garfinkel; G. Saar and M. Michael 2018. In the Footsteps of King David: Revelations from an Ancient Biblical City (first ed.). London: Thames & Hudson. . Y. Garfinkel (ed.) 2019. Sha'ar Hagolan Vol. 5. Early Pyrotechnology: Ceramic and White Ware (Qedem Reports 14). Jerusalem: Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University. Y. Garfinkel, D. Ben-Shlomo and M. Freikman, 2020. Excavations at Tel Tsaf 2004-2007: Final Report, Volume 1. Ariel University Institute of Archaeology Monograph Series No. 3. Ariel: Ariel University Press. M. Freikman, D. Ben-Shlomo and Y. Garfinkel, 2024. Excavations at Tel Tsaf 2004-2007: Final Report, Volume 2. Ariel University Institute of Archaeology Monograph Series No. 5. Ariel: Ariel University Press. Yosef Garfinkel 2024. Colonial Archaeology in Palestine in the 1930s: The First Expedition to Lachish. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society. ISBM 978-965-221-133-0. Yosef Garfinkel 2025. The Archaeology of the Kingdom of Judah. Atlanta: Society for Biblical Literature.