Eric M. and Carol L. Meyers papers, 1950-2025

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Summary

Creator:
Meyers, Carol L., Meyers, Eric M., and Duke University. University Archives
Abstract:
Eric M. and Carol L. Meyers are professors in Duke University's Department of Religion. Throughout their careers, they have conducted archeological digs in relation to their interest in biblical and Judaic studies. The collection contains extensive materials related to several major excavations the pair conducted in Israel from the 1970s to the 1990s. The materials in the collection include binders and notebooks of field notes, charts, maps, and records; notecards; photographs (including slides, prints, and negatives), almost all black-and-white; a few audiovisual items; clippings; some administrative and correspondence files; coins; and drawings of sites and artifacts. There are many electronic files, some of which represent items not present in the collection. Topics include 20th century archaeology and practices; the Sepphoris, Meiron, Khirbet Shema, Nabratein, and Gush Halav excavation sites in Israel, including maps and photographs of the sites; Jewish and Arabic artifacts such as coins and pottery; other ancient artifacts; and religious and biblical studies as they relate to archaeology.
Extent:
65 Linear Feet
8.2 Gigabytes (1296 files)
Language:
Materials in English
Collection ID:
UA.29.02.0027
University Archives Record Group:
29 -- Papers of Faculty, Staff, and Associates
29 -- Papers of Faculty, Staff, and Associates > 02 -- Individuals

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains extensive materials related to several major excavations conducted by the Meyers and their teams in Israel from the 1970s to the 1990s, as well as materials related to later publications about their work. Formats include binders and notebooks of field notes, charts, and records; maps; notecards; photographs (including many slides, prints, and negatives); coins; news clippings; a few video and audio recordings; some administrative and correspondence files; and many drawings of sites and artifacts. There are also electronic records, most of which are black-and-white scans of photographs, negatives, and field notebooks, and drawings, many of these, but not all, are scans of items located in the collection.

Topics represented by the materials include 20th century archaeology and practices; the Sepphoris, Meiron, Khirbet Shema, Nabratein, and Gush Halav excavation sites in Israel, including maps and many photographs of the sites; Jewish and Arabic artifacts such as coins and pottery; other ancient artifacts; and religious and biblical studies as they relate to archaeology.

Most materials have been kept in the binders and folders in which they were received. The collection is organized by accession number, but materials in separate accession number groups are intrinsically connected.

The addition (A2003-30) includes binders from an archeological dig in Gush Halav, and Arabic and Jewish coins from the Meiron and Khirbet Shema digs.

Accessions from 2010 and 2017 include materials from archeological digs in Nabratein, Meiron, Gush Halav, and Khirbet Shema.

The accessions from 2019 include materials from digs in Khirbet Shema, Gush Halav, Nabratein, Meiron, and Sepphoris, among other materials. Also received in 2019 are over 1200 digital files from the Sepphoris site, which have been migrated to a library server.

Accession UA2025.0028 includes materials related to the Meyers' archaeological work in Sepphoris and Venosa; the Dead Sea Scrolls; and the Meyers' time at Duke University. Materials consist of photo slides, clippings, recordings of lectures, and publicity documents. Also included are critiques, manuals, and audiovisual materials.

Biographical / historical:

Eric M. and Carol L. Meyers are both professors in the Department of Religion at Duke University.

Eric M. Meyers joined Duke in 1969, after receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard University. Since joining the faculty of Duke, Eric Meyers has published extensively in the fields of biblical archeology and Judaism, often collaborating with wife Carol Meyers. He has also directed many archeological excavations in Israel and Italy. Eric Meyers is now Bernice and Morton Lerner Professor of Judaic Studies, and directs the Graduate Program in Religion.

Carol L. Meyers received her Ph.D. from Brandeis University, and joined Duke in 1977. Like her husband, Carol Meyers also focuses on biblical archeology and biblical studies, and is especially interested in the role of women in the biblical world. She has published widely, and directs many archeological excavations. She is Co-Director of Duke's Summer in Israel Program, and also directs undergraduate studies in the Duke Department of Religion. The holder of the Mary Grace Wilson Professorship in Religion, Carol Meyers is also an affiated faculty member in the Women Studies Program at Duke.

Acquisition information:
The Eric M. and Carol L. Meyers Papers were received by the University Archives as a gift in 1982, 1988, 1994, 2003, 2010, 2017, 2019, and 2025.
Processing information:

Processed by Valerie Gillispie

Completed May 29, 2003

Additions processed by Valerie Gillispie

Completed July 30, 2003

Updated in 2009.

UA2010.0011 and UA2010.0034 added by Tracy M. Jackson, July 2017.

UA2017.0065 added by Tracy M. Jackson, December 2017.

UA2019.0076 added by Tracy M. Jackson, September 2019.

UA2019.0028 added by Paula Jeannet, September 2020.

UA2025.0028 added by April Blevins, November 2025.

In some cases, the list of contents was provided by the donor and contents have not been processed.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Access restricted. Collection is closed until processing. Contact Research Services for more information.

Access note. Some materials in this collection are electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Access note. Some materials in this collection are original audiovisual items that need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Terms of access:

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Eric M. and Carol L. Meyers papers, Duke University Archives, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m11d8r