We’re very pleased to announce the latest recipient of the Palestine Exploration Fund-Albright Institute Fellowship, Dr. Madaline Harris-Schober from the University of Melbourne and Ludwig Maximillian Universität München. We’re also thrilled to report her successful defence today (July 14, 2023) of her dissertation titled, “Ritual Architecture, Material Culture and Practice of the Philistines,” which she passed summa cum laude on the written and oral sections of the defence.
Dr. Harris-Schober’s research addresses Philistine ritual architecture and its wider connections. Her main research interests include ancient ritual, archaeological reconstruction, Bronze and Iron Age architecture through interpretive archaeology. Dr. Harris-Schober has worked on a variety of projects, such as JVRP (Jezreel Valley Regional Project), Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project and Tell Akko Total Archaeology. She is also a recipient of the Jessie Webb, Alma Hansen, and Norman McGeorge Scholarships. She will take up residence at the Albright in the fall and at the PEF in the winter. The time spent at the Albright and the Palestine Exploration Fund will focus on the Philistine sites of Ashdod and Tel Miqne-Ekron, with the goal of creating a comprehensive and accessible piece of published academic work which clearly and concisely details the early Iron Age ritual and cultic related architecture and finds of these Philistine sites. The site of Tell Miqne-Ekron, which is currently still undergoing sections of publication as part of an Albright series, requires a data audit, specifically for the area of Field X (Field 10). Her work will provide a comprehensive re-evaluation of these two important sites and specific fields/areas for the sake of future research and archival integrity.
The AIAR and PEF look forward to welcoming Dr. Harris-Schober and supporting her research project.
