Appointment period: 1/6/2023 – 31/5/2026

The focus of David Gal’s research is the investigation of potential sailing mobility and seamanship in Antiquity. David has developed a new set of methods to measure potential sailing mobility with novel metrics of mobility. The application of these methods to historic contexts has provided valuable insights into how maritime links might have functioned.

Work is continuing to measure potential sailing mobility in the Red Sea, the Adriatic and the western Mediterranean basin. Outreach is a priority and consequently a workshop offering to introduce interested researchers to the methods, toolkits and their application, has been developed. David is currently an adjunct lecturer in the MA program of the Department of Maritime Civilizations.

David has sailed in the Mediterranean for the last 35 years and from 2017 to 2023 gathered valuable experimental-archaeology experience as a co-skipper of the Ma‘agan Mikhael II replica ship including passages from Israel to Cyprus and back. David is a keen self-educated marine meteorologist active in numeric weather prediction modelling, providing daily forecasts to the sailing community in the Mediterranean and beyond.

David Gal received a BA in computer science from the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, He completed his MA (summa cum laude) and PhD in the Department of Maritime Civilizations at the University of Haifa.

E-mail: norulz.gal@gmail.com