When you think about the history of the Land of Israel, you probably think about King David, The Romans, Bar Kochva or the Ottoman Empire. But the fact of the matter is, that all of those powerful rulers and leaders roamed this land pretty recently. After all, what is 1000, 2000 or even 3000 thousand years in the history of mankind?

In recent centuries archeologists have been working hard to reveal the many secrets buried in layers upon layers of earth, here in Israel. All of us have heard about the various findings regarding Jewish ancient history. But long before any records of Monotheism, ancient men lived here. Israel’s strategic location, right on the border between Asia and Africa, made it an important crossroads for humanity – for tens of thousands of years. Nowadays, it is the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) who’s responsible for digging up and revealing the secrets of ancient times. Today we’re thrilled to be joined by Archeologist Emily Bischoff Bruintjes, who works and digs for the IAA.

Emily is a Prehistoric Archaeologist who currently digs in southern Israel. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a Masters from Tel Aviv University. She is originally from Minnesota but now she lives in Israel. We’re super excited to talk to Emily today about her work and Israel’s prehistoric history.