Noé Michael
Funerary Customs and Necropolises in the Negev Desert from the Early Roman to the Early Islamic Period (c. 1st Century BCE – 9th/10th Century CE)
2016-2022—Ben-Gurion-University, Be’er Sheva, Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies, Ph.D. Archaeology
2011–2013—Leiden University, Leiden, Faculty of Archaeology, M.A. Archaeology
2011–2013—Ben-Gurion-University, Be’er Sheva, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, M.A. Politics and Government
2007–2010—University of Fribourg, Faculty of Humanities, B.A. Archaeology and Law
Extensive archaeological fieldwork experience in Israel, with additional fieldwork in Switzerland and Germany. In the southern Levant, directed and co-directed several excavations and regional field surveys, including a large-scale excavation project in the northern Negev. Research experience focuses on the Classical and post-Classical periods (Hellenistic to Early Islamic), with particular expertise in settlement archaeology, funerary practices, and cultural transformations.
Since 06.2026—Research Associate and Principal Investigator, University of Munich, Germany. DFG-funded research project: Funerary Customs and Necropolises in the Negev Desert from the Early Roman to the Early Islamic Period (c. 1st Century BCE – 9th/10th Century CE)
07.2023 – 12.2025—Postdoc Fellow, University of Cologne, Germany
01.2015 – 06.2023—Archaeologist, Researcher, Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem/ Negev District
Monographs
Taxel, I. and Michael, N.D. (2025). Khirbat ‘Amra: A Rural Site from the Hellenistic to the Early Islamic Periods in the Beersheba Valley. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority Reports – Monograph Series of the Israel Antiquities Authority. DOI: 10.69704/iaaRepV000.1996.83
Michael, N.D. (2022). Settlement Patterns in the Northern Negev from the Hellenistic through the Early Islamic Periods. Heidelberg: Propylaeum. DOI: 10.11588/propylaeum.1121
Articles and Book Chapters
Michael, N.D. (2025). “Be’er Sheva and its Hinterland during the Byzantine Period.” In O. Sion and Y. Tepper (eds.), The Negev Highland Settlements and their Agricultural Hinterland in the Byzantine Period. Milan: TS Edizioni, pp. 33–39.
Michael, N.D., Talis, S., Nagar, Y., and Aladjem, E. (2025). “Roman–Byzantine Bone and Ebony Figurines in Burials from the Tel Malhata (South) Necropolis.” ‘Atiqot 117, Article 12, pp. 231–245. DOI: 10.70967/2948-040X.2260
Michael, N.D. and Ganor, S. (2025). “The Ancient Roman Necropolis South of Tel Ashqelon.” ‘Atiqot 117, Article 21, pp. 457–486.
DOI: 10.70967/2948-040X.2269
Michael, N.D. (2025). “An Engraved Mercury Gemstone from the Roman Necropolis of Tel Ashqelon.” ‘Atiqot 117, Article 23, pp. 493–498. DOI: 10.70967/2948-040X.2271
Michael, N.D. (2025). “Byzantine Dovecote Towers in the Northern Negev.” In D. Eisenberg-Degen, S. Rosen, A. Golani, and A. Sasson (eds.), Archaeological Excavations and Research Studies in Southern Israel: Collected Papers – 20th Annual Southern Conference, Vol. 7. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority, pp. 59–70.
Michael, N.D., Shmueli, O., and Kogan-Zehavi, E. (2024). “The Byzantine–Islamic Transition in the Northern Negev: Preliminary Results from the 2022 Excavation in Rahat.” Etmol – Journal for the History of the Land of Israel and the Jewish People. Jerusalem: Yad Ben-Zvi. (Hebrew)
Michael, N.D. (2023). “Byzantine Population of Be’er Sheva, Land Use, and the Connection between Settlements in the Northern Negev.” In D. Eisenberg-Degen, S. Rosen, A. Golani, and A. Sasson (eds.), Archaeological Excavations and Research Studies in Southern Israel: Collected Papers – 19th Annual Southern Conference, Vol. 6. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority, pp. 33–45.
Wieler, N., Michael, N.D., Shmueli, O., Kogan-Zehavi, E., Tepper, Y., and Asscher, Y. (2023). “Geological Constraints of Ancient Runoff Agriculture in the Negev.” In D. Eisenberg-Degen, S. Rosen, A. Golani, and A. Sasson (eds.), Archaeological Excavations and Research Studies in Southern Israel: Collected Papers – 19th Annual Southern Conference, Vol. 6. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority, pp. 1–15. (Arabic translation published in Cornerstone: Journal of Archaeological Sites 12 (2023), Article 13.)
Shmueli, O., Kogan-Zehavi, E., and Michael, N.D. (2023). “From Christianity to Islam: Changes and Continuity from the Late Byzantine to the Early Islamic Period. Preliminary Results from the Excavation in Rahat (2022).” In D. Eisenberg-Degen, S. Rosen, A. Golani, and A. Sasson (eds.), Archaeological Excavations and Research Studies in Southern Israel, Vol. 6. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority, pp. 115–135. (Hebrew; Arabic translation published in Cornerstone: Journal of Archaeological Sites 12 (2023), Article 7.)
Encyclopedia Entries
Atkinson, K., Michael, N.D., Shmueli, O., and Tearosh, E. (2021). “Modein.” Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, Vol. 19, pp. 539–546.
Erickson-Gini, T. and Michael, N.D. (2019). “Mampsis.” Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, Vol. 17, pp. 637–639.
Michael, N.D. and Shmueli, O. (2019). “Mar Saba.” Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, Vol. 17, pp. 862–864.
Higher Education and Research Management
Krauss, M., Michael, N.D., and Horstmann, F. (2024). “ Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsmanager*innen: Eine kategoriengeleitete Überprüfung von Selbstzuschreibungen.” Qualität in der Wissenschaft (QiW) 2/2024. Bielefeld: UniversitätsVerlagWebler, pp. 39–49.
Grants and Fellowships
Since 2026—Principal Investigator, German Research Foundation (DFG) Eigene Stelle Grant
2023–2025—Minerva Postdoctoral Fellowship, Minerva Foundation (Max Planck Society)
2018–2021—Doctoral Fellowship, Israel Antiquities Authority.
Research Affiliations
Since 2026—Associated Researcher, Islamic Archaeology Research Group, University of Bonn.
2024–2026—Postdoctoral Fellow, a.r.t.e.s. Research Lab, University of Cologne.
2022–2023—Associated Fellow, W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem.
2022–2023—Member, Research Group Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias in the Early Islamic Period, Yad Ben-Zvi Institute, Jerusalem.