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Sa'ar Ganor

Sa'ar Ganor is an Israeli archaeologist known for directing, with Yosef Garfinkel, the excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa.

born 1970Excavations at Khirbet QeiyafaPossible identification of biblical ZiklagExcavations at ancient Lachish

Occupation: anthropologist, archaeologist, pedagogue
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Sa'ar Ganor was born in 1970

Sa'ar Ganor was born in 1970. He works as an inspector for the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Ashkelon district and lectures at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In 2003, while patrolling the area, Ganor noticed the unusual size of the walls at Khirbet Qeiyafa in the Elah Valley. He later brought Yosef Garfinkel to the site, and after a trial dig in 2007 they started full excavations in 2008. The dig revealed a fortified city from the time of King David, which some scholars identify with biblical Sha'arayim.

The findings started a wide academic debate on the size of the United Monarchy. Ganor and Garfinkel described their work in a joint book, and an English book on the site appeared in 2018.

In 2019 Ganor reported a possible identification of biblical Ziklag, at a site between Kiryat Gat and Beit Guvrin. He also led digs in the Lachish forests and at ancient Lachish, and gives public lectures on archaeology.