Dothan, Trude

DOTHAN, TRUDE (1922– ), archaeologist, expert on the Philistines and Sea Peoples. Born in Vienna, Dothan moved to Jerusalem in 1925 with her parents, Grete Wolf Krakauer, a well-known painter, and Leopold Krakauer, one of the pioneers of modern Israeli architecture and a graphic artist. Dothan studied archaeology and biblical studies at the Hebrew University, eventually earning her M.A. in 1950 with a thesis on the Khirbet Kerak pottery of the EB III period, written under the guidance of Professor E.L. Sukenik. Following her post-graduate studies at the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, in 1951–52, and at the Institute of Archaeology, University of London, in 1953, Dothan completed her Ph.D. in archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1961. Having already excavated between 1945 and 1952 at Khirbet Kerak, Ein Gedi and Tel Qasile, Dothan became a field supervisor at the Hazor excavations in 1955–60, under Yigael Yadin, and later a co-director of excavations at Ein Gedi in 1961–62. In 1971–72, Dothan co-directed (with A. Ben-Tor) excavations at Athienou in Cyprus, as well as directing excavations at Deir el-Balah, near Gaza, at intervals between 1971 and 1982. From 1981 to 1996, Dothan co-directed a major archaeological project at Tel Miqne-*Ekron. Having taught archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University, since 1962, earning her full professorship in 1974, Dothan gained an enormous amount of respect from her students and colleagues, for her enthusiasm and learning. Dothan is the author of numerous articles and books, notably The Philistines and Their Material Culture (1981), and People of the Sea: In Search of the Philistines (1992, with M. Dothan). A recipient of many fellowships and grants, Dothan was awarded the P. Schimmel Award in 1991 and the prestigious Israel Prize in 1998. A volume of essays, Mediterranean Peoples in Transition (eds. S. Gitin, A. Mazar and E. Stern), was presented in honor of Dothan in 1998. Trude Dothan was married to a distinguished archaeologist, the late Moshe *Dothan.