Author Jonathan N. Tubb

Jonathan Tubb is Keeper of the Middle East Department at the British Museum.  A specialist in the archaeology and history of the Levant, he trained at the Institute of Archaeology in London (now a part of University College), and began his field career in Syria and Iraq in the 1970’s. For ten years he served as Assistant Director of the Institute’s excavations in Syria - at Qadesh (Tell Nebi Mend) on the Orontes.  In 1984 he excavated the Early Bronze Age site of Tiwal esh-Sharqi in the Jordan Valley on behalf of the British Museum, and between 1985 and 1996 conducted nine seasons of excavations at the nearby major site of Tell es-Sa‘idiyeh.  In 2013 he began a new excavation project at Ras al-Hadd in Oman. An expert on Canaanite civilization, Jonathan is the author of many articles and several books on Levantine archaeology, including, Archaeology and the Bible (British Museum Press 1990) and Canaanites (British Museum Press 2006).  One of his principal interests is the historicity of the biblical narratives: he has written and lectured extensively on this subject, and in 1990 curated the highly successful exhibition, Archaeology and the Bible at the British Museum. A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, he lectures internationally and, for several years, was Program Chair of the American Schools of Oriental Research.  From 2000 – 2008, Jonathan was Chairman of the Palestine Exploration Fund, and became President of the Society in 2008.