Prof. Boaz Zissu is Professor of Classical Archaeology in the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, where he also heads the Jeselsohn Epigraphic Center for Jewish History. He received his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and subsequently held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Calgary Institute for the Humanities. His research focuses on the archaeology of Judea and Jerusalem during the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, with particular emphasis on the Bar Kokhba Revolt, underground hiding complexes, burial customs, numismatics, epigraphy, and the archaeology of the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine East. He has directed and co-directed archaeological excavations and surveys and has published extensively on these subjects. His books include The Necropolis of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period and The Bar Kokhba Revolt: The Archaeological Evidence. He is a member of the Israel Archaeological Council.
Last Updated
September 22, 2026
Books by the Author
Articles by the Author
Jerusalem’s wealthiest families in the early Roman period built monumental tombs along the roads approaching the city, placing their wealth and status on display. Yet pilgrims heading to the Temple had to avoid entering or coming into contact with these tombs, lest they become impure and be barred from the very Temple they came to visit.
Jerusalem’s wealthiest families in the early Roman period built monumental tombs along the roads approaching the city, placing their wealth and status on display. Yet pilgrims heading to the Temple had to avoid entering or coming into contact with these tombs, lest they become impure and be barred from the very Temple they came to visit.