Expert: John J. Shea - 1/4/2007

Question
Hi I am currently interested in becoming an archaeologist and I was wondering what university I could attend.  I am specifically interested in middle eastern archaeology because I am of semitic desecent and I know Hebrew. I am also interested in more ancient history.

Answer
Dear Mitch
If you look over the answers to other people's questions, you will see I have answered this question previously.
For Middle Eastern Archaeology, probably the top places are Univ. of Chicago, Univ. of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Yale, Brown, NYU.  Stony Brook (my university) has strength in the earlier time periods in the Levant (Paleolithic-Neolithic of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria) and complex societies (Bronze-Iron Ages in Turkey & Iraq).  If you are a NY state resident, it is also the best bargain in higher education on the East Coast.
If you are interested in Israeli archaeology specifically, the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem is a great institution with a top-notch staff.  Tel Aviv Univeristy, Ben Gurion Institute, Univ of Haifa, and Hebrew Union College also merit a close look.  One could do a year abroad at one of these while enrolled in a US college/university.
Where you go as an undergrad is not all that important, provided that the institution has a program in archaeology/anthropology and ancient history.  Where you go and with whom you study is far more important for your post-baccalaureate degrees (MA and Ph.D.).  By the time you are ready to study for these degrees, you will have a more clear idea of what you want to study within archaeology.  So that you have the maximum possible number of opportunities for such study, get a good foundation of classes in history, art, geology, lab science (bio or chem) & anthropology.
One last thing.  As soon as possible, go on a dig.  Either volunteer or go on an archaeological field school.  There are a lot of unrealistic ideas about what archaeology actually involves. It is a good idea to know if the field is right for you early on, before you spend a lot of time studying it in college.
More questions?  Send me a followup.  Good luck.
Cheers,
John Shea