Archaeology alumni awarded prestigious Shelby White and Leon Levy Grant
Archaeology of West Asia
The Faculty of Archaeology is pleased to announce that alumni Dr Diederik J. H. Halbertsma (NINO, Leiden University) and Dr Michel de Vreeze (Durham University) have been awarded a grant from the Shelby White and Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications.
Tell Deir ‘Alla
The grant will fund new research on material from Tell Deir ʿAlla Phase IX and support the final publication of this important archaeological phase, using material currently housed in the depots of Leiden University's Faculty of Archaeology.
Located in the central Jordan Valley, Tell Deir ʿAlla is one of the most significant archaeological sites in the southern Levant. The site is particularly famous for the discovery of the Balaam inscription in 1967, one of the most important extra-biblical references to a figure known from the Hebrew Bible.
Integration of excavation data
The new project aims to place this famous inscription within its wider archaeological context. By integrating decades of excavation data, archival records and unpublished research, the team will reconstruct the 9th-century BCE village in which the inscription was found and explore the social and economic environment in which it was produced.
The resulting monograph will provide the first comprehensive publication of Phase IX and contribute to broader discussions on the development of religious traditions and early textual cultures in ancient West Asia.
Filling major lacunae
'This grant allows the team to fill a major lacuna in Levantine archaeology,' says Dr Halbertsma. 'It marks the transition from focusing on the "what" of the Balaam inscription to understanding the "who" and "why" of the people who lived at Tell Deir ʿAlla.'
The project will be carried out in close consultation with excavation director Dr Gerrit van der Kooij and a team of international specialists.