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Daniel M. Master
Associate Professor of Archaeology
On faculty since 2000

Phone: (630) 752-5277
Daniel.M.Master@wheaton.edu
Education

Doctor of Philosophy- Harvard University, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations 2001
Dissertation: The Seaport of Ashkelon in the Seventh Century BCE: a petrographic study

Master of Arts- Harvard University, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations 2000

Master of Arts- Miami University, Ancient History 1995

Bachelor of Science- Philadelphia College of Bible, Bible 1992

 
Professional and Personal Interests
My archaeological research is part of the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon (see web link below). The ancient city of Ashkelon was founded in the Stone Age and remained a major port until the end of the Crusades. This market town linked ancient highland kingdoms like Israel and Judah to lucrative Mediterranean markets. Within this larger project, I am responsible for the excavation and processing of the material from the Early Iron Age, the time when the ancient Philistines built a thriving metropolis.

In addition, I am also examining the shipping routes to Ashkelon. Working with the Institute for Exploration, the United States Navy, Harvard University, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, I am part of a team which is developing robotic technologies to excavate shipwrecks on the deep ocean floor (see the CNN weblink below for two eighth century BC shipwrecks we discovered in 1999).

My other research projects involve the use of petrography to reconstruct patterns of ancient trade. I am currently working with material from Ashkelon and Ekron so that I can better understand how the Assyrian military conquests of the eighth century influenced the economy of the region.

Courses Taught

Archaeology:
  • Ancient Palestine
  • Archaeology of Syria-Palestine
  • Historical Geography
  • Old Testament Archaeology
  • Advanced Seminar: Social Background of the Biblical Writers
  • Advanced Seminar: Tell Dothan
  • Advanced Seminar: Maritime Archaeology
  • Advanced Seminar: The Late Bronze Age Transition in Palestine
  • Ancient Near Eastern Religions
Biblical Studies:
  • Old Testament Literature
  • Exodus
  • Deuteronomy

Membership in Professional Societies
  • American Institute of Archaeology
  • American Schools of Oriental Research
  • Israel Exploration Society

Research
The Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/ashkelon_dig.html

Publication of Wheaton College's expedition to Tel Dothan, 1953-1964 - 2002-2004 White-Levy Grant for archaeological publications
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/wl/

Petrographic examination of the dynamics of 7th Century Trade in the Southern Levant

Investigation of shipwrecks in the Deep Water of the Eastern Mediterranean
http://www.ajaonline.org/archive/106.2/pdfs/1062.pdf#ballard

Publications and Presentations

Coming Soon...