Beth Alpert Nakhai

Beth Alpert Nakhai is an associate professor in the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies and an affiliated member of the School of Anthropology.  She teaches courses on archaeology, Hebrew Bible, Near Eastern history and women in ancient Israel. She received her M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from The University of Arizona. Her publications focus on the lives of women in antiquity, and on Canaanite and Israelite religion and culture. Her books include Archaeology and the Religions of Canaan and Israel, as well as edited (The Near East in the Southwest: Essays in Honor of William G. Dever; The World of Women in the Ancient and Classical Near East) and co-edited (Celebrate Her for the Fruit of Her Hands: Studies in Honor of Carol L. Meyers; Household Religion: Toward a Synthesis of Old Testament Studies, Archaeology, Epigraphy, and Cultural Studies; Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology and the Bible) volumes.  She is the author of numerous articles and lectures widely on various topics.  She co-directed the Tell el-Wawiyat (Israel) Excavation Project and is currently preparing the publication of that site. She served on the Board of Directors of the American Schools of Oriental Research and chairs its Initiative on the Status of Women.  Additionally, she introduced and chaired a session on gender for ASOR’s annual meeting, and is on the editorial board of several professional journals.