In Tribute and Remembrance
of Avner Raban (1937 - 2004)

It is with great sadness that we report the death of our dear friend Avner Raban. He is survived by his loving wife, Dina, and their family.  To them, all of his friends here at the University of Oklahoma and the Center of Classical Archaeology and Civilizations send our condolences, affections and love.   We share in their loss and we are most grateful for the memories that we have of Avner and the time that we spent with him.  We shall always treasure his memory and his friendship.

Avner died suddenly on February 11, 2004 in London where he was on academic leave from the University of Haifa to teach at Wolfson College Oxford.  He was completing his book about his many years of work at Caesarea Maritima, the famed city built by King Herod the Great.  The completion of the final chapters of the book are now in the hands of his long time friend, student, and colleague Dr. Yael Arnon.  Her efforts are greatly appreciated by her friends in Oklahoma and we as well as the academic community look forward to its publication.

Professor Raban was Professor of Maritime Archaeology in the Department of Maritime Studies at Haifa University and the Recanti Institute of Maritime Studies.  He was a consummate archaeologist, teacher, admired colleague, and a long time beloved friend to students and staff at the University of Oklahoma.   He received his Ph.D. from the University of Haifa and for more than three decades he was involved with the exploration of Caesarea Maritima.  In addition, he found time to also be involved with many other excavation projects around the Mediterranean.   As a result, he has left almost two-hundred articles, reviews, archaeological reports, museum catalogues, and several books that he authored or edited.   A sample of his publications appear at the end of this tribute

Beginning in the late 1960s he acquired an interest in the area of Caesarea Maritima in Israel and his involvement with the site continued until his death.  In 1975, as a marine archaeologist, he assisted the Israel Electric Company in a survey of the coast of Israel near the site of Caesarea Maritima where, close by, the Israel Electric Company eventually constructed a huge power plant.

By the 1980s he joined with a group of American archaeologists and formed the Caesarea Ancient Harbor Expeditions Project (CAHEP).    In 1990 even more energetic attention was given to the excavations at Caesarea Maritima when he cooperated in the creation of the Combined Caesarea Expeditions (CCE).   In that year, Professor Raban and his American partners, formed the CCE which he co-directed until  his death.

During the eleven years that students from the University of Oklahoma excavated at Caesarea, all who met Avner shared the same deep admiration of him and looked forward to his visits to the campus.  Here at OU, many more students and staff had the opportunity of meeting him and all were impressed by his energetic appreciation of archaeology and his enjoyment of life.   We will always remember him as a beloved friend and we will greatly miss his company.

[Many tributes have been written about Avner Raban, but please see below the tribute written by Christopher Brandon, a long time friend.  This Tribute is published in the Journal of Nautical Archaeology, Volume 33 Issue 2 Page 351 - October 2004.  Also, below, see  a short list of publications by Avner Raban]

 Avner Raban 1937-2004
by
Christopher Brandon

Professor Avner Raban died suddenly in London whilst on sabbatical as a visiting scholar at Wolfson College Oxford where he had been writing a book on his life's work at Caesarea.

Avner began working at Caesarea in 1969 as part of his research for a paper on Roman harbours of the Levant whilst still an undergraduate student of archaeology. Since the late 1970s Avner was a Co-Director of the sea and land excavations conducted by the Caesarea Ancient Harbour Excavations Project (CAHEP), and from 1989 until recently he was a senior partner in the Combined Caesarea Expedition (CCE). Within this project he focused on the land locked Herodian Inner Basin along with other harbour facilities exposed under water. From 1993 onwards he continued to direct the underwater work and was a Co-Director of the Land Project at Caesarea.

He received his Ph.D. from Hebrew University and taught his entire career at Haifa. He was Head of the Department for Maritime Civilisations at the Centre for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa, now known as the Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies. He was involved in many projects and studies beyond his core work at Caesarea, and published and lectured widely on a variety of topics within maritime archaeology. He was a keen supporter of international collaboration and encouraged multi-national participation in the underwater archaeological projects that he directed, whether this was at Caesarea or more recently as a Co-Director of the underwater excavations at Liman Tepe in Turkey. His knowledge and expertise on ancient harbours of the Mediterranean, and in particular the Levant, was exceptional, and his leadership in this discipline at the University of Haifa will be sorely missed.

Avner was a truly renaissance man; as well as being an internationally-renowned maritime archaeologist and teacher he was also a very gifted poet and artist. I know that his friend and colleague Dr Yael Arnon plans to finish his book, especially as it was within one final chapter of being completed. The importance of this work and its completion cannot be overestimated.

 The Archaeological world, and especially maritime archaeology, has lost one of its most colourful and knowledgeable characters who will be missed by many.  But his legacy, our knowledge of Caesarea, will last forever.

Pictures from the life of Avner Raban

Avner Raban as a young marine archaeologist	Avner Raban at his field office at Caesarea	Avner Raban inspecting work at Caesarea 1992	Avner Raban doing his inspections of daily excavations
Avner Raban inspecting daily excavations 1998	Avner Raban with Dr. Yael Arnon	Avner Raban and Farland Stanley 1995	Professors Avner Raban and Farland Stanley discussing excavations in 1999

Short List of Publications of Prof. Avner Raban
updated Jan. 2001 (last ten years)

A. Books

4.++(with R.R. Stieglitz) Phoenicians on the Northern Coast of Israel in the Biblical Period. Catalogue no. 8, "Hecht" Museum, University of Haifa, Spring 1993.

5.++Caesarea Combined Expedition 1992 Season, (with K.G. Holum) Center for Maritime Studies, Haifa University, 236 pp. (two parts).

6.Israel Archaeological Survey - Mishmar Haemeq Map (32) 16-22, Israel Authority of Antiquities,

Jerusalem (in press): 215+38pp(?).

7.The Harbours of Caesarea Maritima. (two volumes) Archaeopress, Oxford (accepted). Over 600 pp. + over 600 illustrations, extended bibliography and indexes.

B. Books Edited

3.++Caesarea Maritima - Retrospective After Two Millenia, with K.G. Holum, E.J. Brill Pub. Leiden - New York, 1996, xxxvii+703pp.

*4. The Richness of Islamic Caesarea. Hecht Museum, Catalogue No. 15, Summer 1999.

*5. Caesarea Papers, 2, with K.G. Holum and J. Patrich, Journal of Roman Archaeology, suppl. Series, 35, Portsmouth, Rhode Iland, 440pp, 1999.

++ = main editor or writer.

C. Articles in Refereed Scientific Journals

17. "Oceanographic Understanding of Ancient Harbour Engineers in the Levant", Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift, Erganzung shift Reihe B, Nr. 22, Hamburg, 1990: 257-271.

18. ++"Caesarea and its Harbours: A Preliminary Report on the 1988 Season", Israel Exploration Journal, 40.4, 1990: 241-256, with R.L. Hohlfelder, K.G. Holum, R.R. Stieglitz and R.L. Vann.

19. "The Philistines in Western Jezreel Valley", Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research, 284, 1991: 17-27.

20. "Medieval anchors from the Red Sea", International Journal for Nautical Archaeology, 19.4, 1990: 299-306.

21. "The Port City of Akko in the MBII Period", Michmanim, 5, 1991: 17-34.

22. 'Archaeological park for divers at Sebastos and other submerged remnants in Caesarea Maritima, Israel", International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 21.1, 1992: 27-35

23. "Sebastos: the Royal Harbour at Caesarea Maritima - a short-lived giant", International Journal for Nautical Archaeology, 21.2, 1992: 111-124

24.  ++With K.G. Holum at al. "Caesarea, Preliminary report on the 1989-1990 seasons", in R.L. Vann (ed.) Caesarea Papers, Journal of Roman Archaeology, Suppl. No. 5, Ann Arbor, 1992: 79-111

25. "Two harbours for two entities?" ibid., 68-74.

26. "n a search for Stratoe^s Tower", ibid 7-22

27. "Nautical Scene from Tel Akko", Israel Exploration Journal, 42, (1992): 194-198.

28."Sebastos - der k?nigliche Hafen das Herodes bei Caesarea Maritima. Antike Welt, 26, Sundernumer, 1995: 14-29.

29. "Phoenician Harbours at the Levant", Michmanim, 11, 1997: 7*-27*.

30."Paleoenvironmental evolution of the inner basin of the ancient harbor at Caesarea Maritima, Israel; foraminiferal and Sr isotopic evidence", with E.G. Reinhardt, R.T. Patterson and J. Blenkisop. Revue Paleobiologique, 17(1), 1998: 1-21.

31. "Destruction of Herod the Greate^s harbour at Caesarea Maritima, Israel -

Paleoearcheological evidence." Geology, vol. 27, no. 9, Sept. 1999: 811-814, with E.G. Reinhardt.

32. "The underwater excavations 1993-1994", Casesarea Papers 2, Journal of Roman Archaeology,

 suppl. Series no. 35, 1999: 152-168, with E. Reinhardt, M. McGrath, N. Hodge.

33. "The lead ingots from the wreck site" (Area K8)", ibid.: 179-188.

34. "Land excavations in the Inner Harbour (1993-1994)". Ibid: 198-224, with R. Toueg, S. Yankelovitz,

 Y. Arnon.

35. "the three hole composite anchors from Medieval contexts at Caesarea Maritima, Israel". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 29.2. (2000) 260-272

D. Articles and Chapters in Books other than Proceedings Volumes (Refereed)

2. "Caesarea Maritima", in N. Kashtan (ed.) The Maritime Holy Land, Catalogue of the Israeli Exhibition for "Colombo 500", Genoa, 1992.

3. "Group of 'East Greek' Pottery from Locus 46 at Area F on Tel Akko," in M. Heltzer and A. Segal (eds.) Studies in the Archaeology and History of Ancient Israel in Honour of Moshe Dothan, University of Haifa, 1993: 73-98.

4. "Dor Yam", in E. Stern (ed.), Excavations at Dor, Vol. 1 (two parts), QEDEM REPORTS, 1 , The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1995: 285-354.

5. "Some Remarks on Shipbuilding Heritage and Ancient Peoples". in M. Lubetski, et al. (eds.) Boundaries on the Ancient Near Eastern World: A Tribute to Cyrus H. Gordon - Four Score and Eight.Sheffield Academic Press, 1998: 40-61.

6. "Jars and standard Volume'" in Measuring & Weighing in ancient Times,

7. "The Stone Statue from the Sea in Ashkelon" in L. Stager (ed.) the Ashkelon Excavations - Intermediate Report, Harvard University Press, 7pp.

8. "Geomorphological and Archaeological Survey of Ashkelon Yam, 1985-1987", ibid., 27pp.

9. "The Bronze Age Harbours of Cyprus and the Levant", in C. Alieva & C. Angelova (eds.), Thracia

 and the Mediterranean, M. Lazarov Volume, Bourgas, Bulgaria (Forthcoming), 18 pp.

10. "The Sea Peoples and the Colar-rim Pithoi", in S.R. Wolff (ed.) In Memory of Douglas Esse; Studies in Ancient Orinental Civilization. The Oriental Institute, Univ. of Chicago (In Press), 17 pp.

11."The Wrekage of Sea-going ships in shallow waters" in E. Linder (ed.) The Ma'agan Michael Wreck, Israel Exploration Society  (in press), 21 pp.

12."The Phoenician Commercial Wine Jars - NAA Data for their Provenience", in D. Adan-Baievitz, M. Artzy and F. Asaro (eds.), I. Perlman Volume, Barkeley, submitted, 20pp.

E. Encyclopedia Entries

1. "Marine Archaeology," E. Stern (ed.), The New Encyclopedia for Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, Jerusalem, 1993: 957-965.

2. "Dor Yam," E. Stern (ed.), The New Encyclopedia for Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, Jerusalem, 1993: 368-371.

3. "Akko-Harbours," E. Stern (ed.), The New Encyclopedia for Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, Jerusalem, 1993: 29-31.

4. "The Harbour of Athlit," E. Stern (ed.), The New Encyclopedia for Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, Jerusalem, 1993: 117-120.

5. "Caesarea," with K.G. Holum in E. Stern (ed.), The New Encyclopedia for Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, Jerusalem, 1993: 282-286.

6. "Maritime Caesarea", ibid: 286-291.

E. Papers in Proceedings Volumes (+ = refereed)

+ 10.  "Man instigated coastal changes along the Israeli shores of the Mediterranean in ancient times", S. Bottema, G. Entges-Nieburg and W. van Zeist (eds.), Man's Role in the Shaping of the Eastern Mediterranean Landscape, A.A. Balkema, Amsterdam, 1990: 101-112.

  11.  "The Subsidence of Sebastos: When the Herodian Breakwaters in Caesarea were Flooded?", Thracia Pontica, IV, Sozopol, Bulgaria, 1991: 339-360.

+ 12.  "Minoan and Canaanite Harbours", Aegeum, VII, The University of Liege,  Recontres Egeenes Internationales, R. Laffineur and L. Basch (eds.), 1991: 129-146.

 13.  "How the Herodian Harbour of Caesarea was Built", Thracia Pontica V. Varna, Bulgaria; 1994: 241-268.

 14. "The Sea Peoples and Thera Ships", H. Tzalas (ed.), Tropis, III, The Hellenic Society for Preservation of Nautical Heritage, Athens, 1995: 353-366.

 15. Environmental Friendly Harbour Engineering in Antiquity - The Case of Caesarea Maritma", in V. Androtec and J. Lovric (eds.), Proceedings Volume for IMAM'95. Brodarski Institute Zagreb, Croatia, 1995: 361-373.

+16. "The heritage of ancient harbour engineering in Cyprus and the Levant". in V. Karageorghis (ed.), Cyprus and the Sea, Nicosia, Levantis Pub. 1995: 139-188.

 17. "The Enigma of Long Plank Predynastic Boats on the Upper Nile," in H. Tzalas (ed.) Tropis,, IV, Athens, 1996: 375-391.

+18. "The Inner Harbor basin of Caesarea: Archaeological evidence for its gradual demise", in A. Raban & K.G. Holum (eds.), Caesarea Martima - Retrospective After Two Millenia, Brill Pub. Leiden - New-York - Koln, 1996: 628-668.

 19. "The Inner Harbour Basin of Caesarea": in M. Lazarov & C. Angelova (eds.), Thracia Pontica VI.1, Sozopol, Bulgaria, 1997: 207-244.

20. "Caesarea and Its Harbours" in Pour qui lu Mditerrane au 21 eme siecle? Actes du colloque scientifique, Montpellier, France 11-12.4.96. 1998: 27-35.

+21. "The Near Eastern Harbours: 13th-10th c. B.C.E.". in S. Gittin, A. Mazar and E. Stern (eds.), Mediterranean People in Transition: 13th to Early 10th Centuries BCE, In Honor of Trude Dothan, Israel Exploration Society Jerusalem, 1998: 429-438.

+22. "Sebastos, the royal harbor of Herod at Caesarea Maritima: 20 years of underwater research", in G. Volpe (ed.), Archeologia Subacquea cone Opera le^Archeologo Storie delle Acque. Edizoni Alle^insegna del Giglio, Firenze, 1998: 217-273.

 23. "The Introduction of the First Composite Anchors", Tropis, V, H. Tralas (ed.), Athens, 1999: 337-338.

+24. "The Underwater Park at Caesarea". in A. Killebrew & G. Lehmann (eds.), Interpreting the Past, Jerusalem. (in press).

+25. "The Conceptual Technology of the Phoenician Harbours in the Levant". In M.E. Aubet (ed.) Proceedings of the IV International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies, Cadiz, Spain (in press).

F. Other Scientific Papers

29. "Tel Abu Hawam," Excavations and Surveys in Israel 1989/1990, vol. 9: 21.

30. "Caesarea 1989", with K.G. Holum, ibid: 38-41.

31. "Archaeologically Calibrated Evidence for Neo-tectonism along the Mediterranean Coast of Israel: Some New Data", Y. Mart and B.S. Galil (eds.) The Third Annual Symposium on the Mediterranean Continental Margin of Israel, Haifa, May 1991, Abstracts Volume, 7pp.

32. Herod's Harbour Engineers and Vitruvius: The Naval Architecture of Sebastos, the Royal Harbour of Caesarea" Abstract Volume, the 24th International Conference of Engineering. The Hebrew Technion, Haifa, 18-19.5.92. 6pp.

33."New Evidence for Recent Changes in Land/Sea Relations from the Shores of Caesarea", B. Galil (ed.), The 5th Annual Symposium on the Mediterranean Continental Margin of Israel, Haifa, May 1993, Abstract Volume, 4-10.

34. Introduction to the Symposium: The 2000th anniversary of King Herod's city, Caesarea Maritima", in Biblical Archaeology Today, 1990. Jerusalem 1993: 644-645.

35. "Sebastos, the Herodian Harbour of Caesarea: How it was Built and Operated," Sefunim, VIII, 1994: 45-59.

36. "The Inner Basin of Caesarea: Evidence for the Demise of City and Harbor", in Abstract Volume, A. Raban & K.G. Holum (eds.), Caearea Maritima Retrospective After Two Millenia, Haifa: 32-34, 1995.

37. Near Eastern Harbours, 13th-10th Centuries BCE, in J. Amitai (ed.), Abstract Volume of the Symposium Mediterranean People in Transition, Jerusalem 3-7.4.1995.

38. "Caesarea and Its Harbours", Caesarea - a Mercantile City by the Sea, Hecht Museum, University of Haifa, Catalogue No. 12, Spring 1995: 7-13.

39. with F.A. Stanley and Y. Porath, "Caesarea Maritima - il sogno di Erode" (P. Pruneti- translated). Archeologia Viva XVI (1997) - No. 64: 20-34.

40. "Combined Caesarea Expedition 1992-1994 (B)" Excavations and Surveys in Israel, 17, 1998: 58-76.

41. "Open and Backwater in the Intermediate Harbour Basin of Caesarea Maritima, Israel", in B. Galil and Y. Mart (eds.) The Continental Margins of Mediterranean Israel, Haifa, 1998: 47-54 (with E.G. Reinhardt).