Yigael Yadin
Israeli general, archaeologist and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar
- Born
- 1917, Jerusalem
- Died
- 1984, Hadera
- Military
- IDF Chief of Staff (1949–1952)
- Politics
- Deputy Prime Minister of Israel (1977–1981)
- Archaeology
- Masada, Hazor; Dead Sea Scrolls (Genesis Apocryphon, Temple Scroll)
Israel's second army chief of staff who became its best-known archaeologist, buying four Dead Sea Scrolls in 1954 and excavating Masada.
What is Yigael Yadin known for?
Yigael Yadin was born Yigael Sukenik in Jerusalem in 1917. His father, the archaeologist Eleazar Sukenik, bought three of the first Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. Yadin joined the Haganah as a teenager, was head of operations in the 1948 war and served as the second Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces from 1949 to 1952.
After leaving the army he turned to archaeology. In 1954 he acquired the other four original scrolls from Qumran Cave 1, which had been advertised for sale in the United States, bringing all seven to Israel. In 1956 he and Nahman Avigad published the Genesis Apocryphon, and he later published the Temple Scroll. He led major excavations at Hazor and at Masada, and received the Israel Prize in 1956.
He returned to politics in 1976, founding the Democratic Movement for Change, and was Deputy Prime Minister from 1977 to 1981. He died in 1984.
Co-published the Genesis Apocryphon in 1956 and brought four of the original Dead Sea Scrolls to Israel.
Mentioned on these pages
- FileGenesis Apocryphon
- PersonNahman Avigad
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Yigael Yadin'Reference
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Yigael Yadin'Reference
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