BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Amnon Rosenfeld (1944–2014)

amnon-rosenfeld Dr. Amnon Rosenfeld was killed in a tragic traffic accident on Thursday, July 10, 2014. His wife, Tamar, was seriously injured and is at the Sheba Hospital. We wish her a complete recovery. Amnon and Tamar have two children, Shirley and Liran, and five grandchildren.

Amnon was born in Haifa in 1944. He completed his B.Sc. in Geology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and continued to a doctorate at Kiel University in Germany on ostracodes (a class of crustaceans). He was the chief researcher for this field in the Paleontological Department of the Geological Survey of Israel.

Amnon published numerous articles and monographs on ostracodes, mainly from the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods, in relation to the stratigraphy and geology of Israel and the Middle East. His studies are highly regarded in the scientific community, and his new methods are widely used among researchers.

His deep interest in history, art and archaeology led him to study archaeological findings from Israel and surrounding countries. He is well known to BAR readers for his scientific studies, in collaboration with others, of the famous Jehoash inscription, which, if authentic, may be a rare relic from Solomon’s Temple. He was of the view that it is authentic.

In addition to the archaeometric analysis of the Jehoash inscription that describes the renovation of the First Temple and an archaeometric analysis of the “James Ossuary” inscribed “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,” which he also concluded was authentic, he published important articles on the ore source of arsenic copper tools from Israel during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages; the geochemistry of bronze alloys from the Levant during the Middle Bronze Age; the mineralogy and chemistry of a Roman medicinal remedy from Judea, Israel; and an archaeometric analysis of the first known, intact sevennozzle stone oil lamp from the Second Temple period. Among his other research projects was the study of gems and seals from antiquity with Professor Shua Amorai-Stark. Amnon was an exemplary, talented and diligent researcher, whose clear professional purpose was the uncovering of truth.

I had the good fortune of working with Amnon for 40 years. I enjoyed our joint travels to scientific conferences in many countries. I will always cherish our close friendship. Amnon was an honest, vital man, whose presence brought joy and optimism to those who knew him. May his memory be blessed.—Dr. Shimon Ilani, emeritus, The Geological Survey of Israel

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