BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Milestones: Thomas W. Davis (1956–2025)

Accomplished archaeologist and professor of biblical archaeology

Tom Davis, beloved archaeologist and professor, passed away on September 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. Tom is best known for his research on biblical backgrounds and early Christianity, and for many years directing excavations at the site of Kourion in Cyprus. With decades of experience in the field, Tom excavated in numerous countries worldwide, including the United States, Cyprus, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, and Kazakhstan. An erudite thinker and committed educator, Tom paired rigorous archaeological methodology with a flair for entertainment, bringing his love of archaeology and history to a new generation of future scholars in his teaching roles, whether in the field or the classroom.

Tom traced his love of history directly back to his father, who used to quiz him and his brother about all things historical. Tom received a bachelor’s degree in history and archaeology from Wheaton College in Illinois. He went on to complete his master’s degree and then a Ph.D. in Syro-Palestinian Archaeology at the University of Arizona, under the direction of William G. Dever.

Tom’s archaeological career began in 1991 with a position in cultural resource management for a private company in the United States. Tom next served as Director of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI) in Nicosia, Cyprus (2003–2011), a prestigious archaeological research center. Tom’s early interest in the archaeological site of Kourion was later fulfilled when it became the central focus of his research for many years. Despite that clear focus, Tom’s research interests contained a breadth few can match. In addition to his prominent roles in Cyprus, he also served as Co-Director and Field Director of the Ilyn Balik Expedition in Kazakhstan, as well as Field Director for the Abila Archaeological Project in Jordan and the Nuri Pyramid Project in Sudan.

His most popular publications include Shifting Sands: The Rise and Fall of Biblical Archaeology (Oxford Univ. Press, 2004), an essential overview of the history of biblical archaeology, and the co-edited monumental volume The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Archaeology (with David K. Pettegrew and William R. Caraher; Oxford Univ. Press, 2019). He also contributed significantly to the ESV Archaeology Study Bible (2017). Tom regularly published field reports and analyses of numerous aspects of material culture and early Christian urbanization, drawing on his extensive excavation experience in various peer-reviewed journals. Tom also specialized in the intersection of faith and archaeology, and even shared his insights with BAR readers in the March/April 1993 article “Faith and Archaeology: A Brief History to Present.” A well-traveled scholar, Tom lectured frequently in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Though a committed researcher, teaching was Tom’s greatest passion, and he considered his students to be his greatest legacy. Tom’s teaching career began when he became Professor of Archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas (2011–2020). During his tenure as Professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville (2020–2025), Tom also served as Chair of the Department of Archaeology. He retired from teaching in May 2025.

For Tom, archaeology served as a conduit to the human past, offering a glimpse into the lives of everyday people and their distinctive characteristics. He was fond of telling his students that the idiosyncratic often revealed more than the typical. Tom also believed that archaeology must be accessible and enjoyable to the broader public, and he devoted much time and energy to that calling. Tom had a talent for finding a teaching moment in any situation. Equal parts performer and academician, time spent with Tom was always engaging and never boring!

Tom’s love for both the field and the classroom leaves a profound legacy on those privileged to call him mentor, teacher, colleague, or friend. He was a wonderfully unique individual, and those of us who knew him had our lives and careers enriched by him.

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Mark Janzen is Associate Professor of Archaeology and Ancient History and Chair of the Archaeology Department at Lipscomb University. His research interests are Egyptian epigraphy and archaeology, New Kingdom military history, and the Israelite exodus. He is also the deputy director of the Karnak Great Hypostyle Hall project, an epigraphic mission at Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt.

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