Dr. William Dever earned his Ph.D. in Syro-Palestinian archaeology from Harvard University and has been active in Near Eastern archaeology since 1955. For nearly 30 years, he served as professor of Near Eastern archaeology and anthropology at the University of Arizona and served as head of the university’s department of Oriental studies.

Dever has led numerous field research and excavation projects in Jordan and Israel, having served as direction of the Hebrew Union College Excavations at Gezer from 1666-1971 and director of the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem from 1971-1975.

He has published several books including “Did God Have a Wife?: Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel.” He has lectured world wide as has held executive positions in the Archaeological institute of America, American Oriental Society and American Schools of Oriental Research.