Rachel Hallote
Professor of History
Rachel Hallote is an archaeologist and historian specializing in the Ancient Near East. She teaches courses on ancient history as well as Jewish history, and is the author of several books and many articles, including Bible, Map and Spade (2006) and Photographs of the American Palestine Exploration Society (2012). Her research revolves around the history of the discipline of archaeology in the Middle East, especially focusing on the British and American archaeologists who excavated in Ottoman-controlled Palestine in the 19th century.
Hallote received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities in 2014, and the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) Membership Service Award in 2017. She has worked at numerous archaeological sites in Israel and has brought many Purchase students to volunteer and study on archaeological excavations there. She also co-hosts a podcast, This Week in the Ancient Near East, a humor-filled conversation about current archaeological discoveries and news.