Dr. Yana TcheKHAnovets

Dr. Yana Tchekhanovets is a senior lecturer at BGU Department of Archaeology and the director of Nessana Excavations Project

My current research interests are related mainly to the sphere of Late Antiquity: the archaeology of the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods, with a focus on monasticism and pilgrimage. I am particularly interested in the relations between the archaeological material and historical sources, the studies dedicated to the periods of transition: Pagan-Christian and Byzantine-Islamic, urban transformations, and the phenomenon of spolia.

The constantly growing archaeological evidence of the Byzantine period includes a great variety of finds – architectural complexes, with churches, monasteries, and pilgrims' hostels; inscriptions in different languages, sometimes the distinctive graffiti left by pilgrims, ceramic finds, and many more, - which permit to reconstruct the everyday life and traditions of local residents and visitors. 

Naturally, most of the relevant archaeological data is concentrated in and around Jerusalem: the capital and the spiritual center of the Byzantine Holy Land, but it is also the most excavated and well-studied region of the country. Another region, crucially important for studying the Byzantine and Early Islamic period is the Negev, which truly flourished during the Late Antiquity. Thanks to the arid climate and sparse population, the archaeological sites of the Negev preserved the richest archaeological material, both in the countryside and the urbanized centers. I was very lucky to excavate Jerusalem for many years and now hope to continue my research in the southern landscape.