Draft:Ze'ev Meshel
Submission declined on 3 June 2025 by Cabrils (talk).
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Comment: Well done on creating the draft, and it may potentially meet the relevant requirements (including WP:GNG, WP:ANYBIO, WP:NPROF) but presently it is not clear that it does. As you may know, Wikipedia's basic requirement for entry is that the subject is notable. Essentially subjects are presumed notable if they have received significant coverage in multiple published secondary sources that are reliable, intellectually independent of each other, and independent of the subject. To properly create such a draft page, please see the articles ‘Your First Article’, ‘Referencing for Beginners’ and ‘Easier Referencing for Beginners’. Please note that the draft requires more (at least some!) sources that are considered reliable for establishing notability. The pivotal section of the draft that would establish notability is "Academic Significance" and it lacks any sources.Also, if you have any connection to the subject, including being the subject (see WP:AUTOBIO) or being paid, you have a conflict of interest that you must declare on your Talk page (to see instructions on how to do this please click the link). Please familiarise yourself with these pages before amending the draft. If you feel you can meet these requirements, then please make the necessary amendments before resubmitting the page. It would help our volunteer reviewers by identifying, on the draft's talk page, the WP:THREE best sources that establish notability of the subject. It would also be helpful if you could please identify with specificity, exactly which criteria you believe the page meets (eg "I think the page now meets WP:NPROF criteria #3, because XXXXX"). Once you have implemented these suggestions, you may also wish to leave a note for me on my talk page and I would be happy to reassess. Cabrils (talk) 06:35, 3 June 2025 (UTC)
Ze'ev Meshel | |
|---|---|
| זאב משל | |
_(cropped).jpg) Meshel in 2017 | |
| Born | 1932 Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine |
| Died | December 14, 2024 Giv'atayim, Israel |
| Citizenship | Israel |
| Alma mater | Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University |
| Known for | Excavations at Kuntillet Ajrud; research on desert archaeology |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Archaeology |
| Institutions | Tel Aviv University |
| Doctoral advisor | Yohanan Aharoni |
Ze'ev Meshel was an Israeli archaeologist and professor at Tel Aviv University. He specialized in the archaeology of desert regions, including the Negev and Sinai Peninsula. He is best known for directing excavations at Kuntillet Ajrud and Yotvata, and for his contributions to the study of ancient Israelite religion.
Biography
[edit]Ze'ev Meshel was born in 1932 in Tel Aviv to Ada and David Meshel, Jewish immigrants from Pinsk. He served in the military and later joined Kibbutz Ma'ayan Baruch. He studied archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and earned his doctorate at Tel Aviv University, where in 1974 he completed his dissertation under Yohanan Aharoni on the history of the Negev during the period of the Israelite monarchy.
He served on the faculty of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University, where he taught and conducted research until his retirement. He died on 14 December 2024 at the age of 92.[1]
Archaeological Work
[edit]Meshel dedicated his career to investigating the deserts of Israel and Sinai, focusing on ancient water systems, desert fortresses, caravan routes, and agricultural practices. His work revealed the resilience and ingenuity of ancient desert communities. He led several major expeditions:
Kuntillet Ajrud
[edit]In 1975–1976, Meshel directed excavations at Kuntillet Ajrud, an 8th-century BCE fortified station in the northeastern Sinai peninsula. The site yielded inscriptions referring to "Yahweh of Samaria" and "Yahweh of Teman", as well as references to Asherah. These findings sparked scholarly debates regarding early Israelite religion and possible syncretism.[2]
Yotvata
[edit]From 1974 to 1980, he excavated at the oasis of Yotvata, uncovering remains of an Iron Age settlement, including fortifications, towers, and water collection systems.[3]
Academic Significance
[edit]Meshel's research significantly advanced understanding of religious practices and daily life in the peripheral regions of ancient Israel. His discoveries at Kuntillet Ajrud challenged traditional assumptions about the exclusivity of monotheism in early Judahite religion.
Selected Works
[edit]- Meshel, Z. (2012). *Kuntillet 'Ajrud (Horvat Teman): An Iron Age II Religious Site on the Judah–Sinai Border*. Israel Antiquities Authority Reports.
- Meshel, Z. (2021). *Yotvata: The Ze'ev Meshel Excavations (1974–1980): The Iron I "Fortress" and Other Remains*. Eisenbrauns.
- Meshel, Z. (2000). *Sinai: Excavations and Studies*. BAR International Series.
References
[edit]- ^ בננסון, מריאנה (2014-09-01). "זאב משל, בן 82, מספר על הילדות התל אביבית שלו". Time Out Tel Aviv (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ "כונתילת עג'רוד – חידה ארכיאולוגית במרכז סיני". מסע אחר (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ Shield, Brushy (2008-01-29). "Did God Have a Wife? Archeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
External links
[edit]- Memorial article in the Biblical Archaeology Society
- Profile at Tel Aviv University (English)
- Works by Ze'ev Meshel at University of Chicago Press Journals
- Armstrong Institute of biblical archaeology. Is This the Biblical King Jehoash?
- Puzzling Finds from Kuntillet 'Ajrud
- Weizmann institute of science. Bed and Blessing: Date of Ancient Religious "Stopover" Confirmed
- Works by Ze'ev Meshel on JSTOR
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