Prof. Guy Bar-Oz

Prof. Guy Bar-Oz’s research focuses on the cultural and biological heritage of the ancient Levant. His research team is a hub for a collaborative scientific network with a strong foundation in anthropological and biological research. His main research efforts deal with developing and applying novel methods for reconstructing in high resolution the culture and environmental landscape of past societies. He is currently the head of the Negev Byzantine Bio-Archaeology Research Program (ERC and ISF supported project), which investigates the causes for the collapse of the Byzantine society in the Negev. The project bears crucial implications for present-day concerns with sustainable development.

Much of Bar-Oz’s academic experience is targeted toward initiating the hybrid archaeological approach, which strongly relies on synergy between researchers with different skills and resources from humanities and the natural and exact sciences. His research efforts involved an armoury of techniques that have been deployed and include ancient DNA, stable isotope, chronometry, sediment geo-archaeology, plant and faunal analyses and material culture studies.