Tel Dor 
Ephraim Stern
initiated the Tel Dor project in 1980 and directed it until 2000. He studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (Ph.D. 1969), and taught at Tel Aviv University and at the Hebrew University. Before embarking on the excavation of Dor in 1980, he directed excavations at Gil'am, Tel Kedesh, and Tel Mevorakh. His book, The Material Culture of the Land of the Bible in the Persian Period (Hebrew edition 1978, English Edition 1982), generally held to be the standard textbook on this period, has won him the Ben Zvi prize, as well as the Biblical Archaeology Review's award for best scholarly book on archaeology in the year 1984. His popular book on Dor, Dor - Ruler of the Seas (Hebrew edition 1992, English editions 1994 and 1999), has been awarded the Irene Levi-Sala book prize. His most recent contribution is Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, Volume II: The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian Periods. Professor Stern edited three editions of The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land and is the editor of the Hebrew quarterly Qadmoniot. He has served as chairman of the Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology and as director of the I. Ben Zvi Institute for the Research of the Land of Israel, and received the Israel Museum's Percia Schiemmel award for his contributions to the archaeology of Israel. He has retired from active field excavation at Dor following the twentieth season, but continues to be involved with the publication of areas excavated under his directorship.