Eilat Mazar

Eilat Mazar
Eilat Mazar addressing at the 34th Israeli archaeology congress
Born	(1956-09-10) September 10, 1956 (age 60)
Residence	Israel
Citizenship	Israel
Nationality	Israel
Fields	Archaeology
Institutions	Shalem Center, Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University
Alma mater	Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Known for	Discovery of the Large Stone Structure
Influences	Benjamin Mazar

Eilat Mazar (Hebrew: אילת מזר‎‎; born September 10, 1956) is a third-generation Israeli archaeologist, specializing in Jerusalem and Phoenician archeology. A senior fellow at the Shalem Center, she has worked on the Temple Mount excavations, as well as excavations at Achzib. In addition to heading the Shalem Center's Institute of Archeology, she is affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Mazar obtained her Ph.D. from Hebrew University in 1997. She is the granddaughter of pioneering Israeli archaeologist Benjamin Mazar. She is a mother of four and resides in Jerusalem.

On August 4, 2005, Mazar announced she had discovered in Jerusalem what may have been the palace of the biblical King David, according to the Bible the second king of a united Kingdom of Israel, who may have ruled in the late eleventh century/early tenth century BCE. Now referred to as the Large Stone structure, Mazar's discovery consists of a public building she dated from the 10th century BCE, a copper scroll, pottery from the same period, and a clay bulla, or inscribed seal, of Jehucal, son of Shelemiah, son of Shevi, an official mentioned at least twice in the Book of Jeremiah. In July 2008, she also found a second bulla, belonging to Gedaliah ben Pashhur, who is mentioned together with Jehucal in Jeremiah 38:1. The dig was sponsored by the Shalem Center and financed by an American investment banker. The land is owned by the Ir David Foundation.