Shmarya Guttman (Hebrew: שמריה גוטמן‎; 1909–1996) was an Israeli archaeologist.

Shmarya Guttman
Born(1909-01-15)January 15, 1909
DiedOctober 22, 1996(1996-10-22) (aged 87)
NationalityIsraeli
OccupationArchaeologist

Early years edit

Shmarya Guttman was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His parents were Russian immigrants. The family immigrated to Palestine when he was three. At the age of 17, he moved to Kibbutz Na'an, where he worked as a farmer.

Career edit

In the 1930s, he served as an emissary to Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. Before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, he headed an intelligence unit of the Haganah. Later he was involved in diplomatic negotiations and took part in operations to bring Iraqi Jews to Israel.[1]

Archaeology career edit

In the 1960s and 1970s, Guttman was on the team that excavated Masada,[2] which he had climbed with two friends in 1932.[3]

Guttman initiated and directed the excavations at Gamla.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ "Shmarya Gutmann: Self-Made Archaeologist". The BAS Library. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  2. ^ Reinstein, Ziv (2013-12-07). "Jewish myth: 50 years since Masada dig". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  3. ^ Articles about Masada
  4. ^ Arbel, Yoav (2014-12-05). Ultimate Devotion: The Historical Impact and Archaeological Expression of Intense Religious Movements. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-49111-8.