NEAS | From the President

Message from the President

January 4, 2026

Dear NEAS member,

Our 2025 annual conference in Boston was well attended. Our members’ strong presentations likely drove the attendance. Our keynote speaker, David Ben-Shlomo from Ariel University, covered his excavations at Hebron and in the Jordan Valley. Notably, Mark Hassler and I were elected to serve second three-year terms as vice president and president. The NEAS Constitution limits us to two terms. Along with Secretary Seth Rodriguez and Treasurer Dan Lawless, we comprise the Executive Committee that governs the society between annual meetings.

Edwin Yamauchi Festschrift

At the 2023 annual meeting you commissioned a Festschrift to honor former president Edwin Yamauchi on his upcoming 90th birthday. Mark Hassler, Clyde Billington, and I are serving as editors. T&T Clark is our publisher. Fifteen of the eighteen contributors have submitted their chapters, and we have edited them. The festschrift should be published in 2027. The title is Scripture in Its Material and Literary Context: Historical, Archaeological, and Cultural Correlations.

Membership

I am pleased to report that our membership increased 20 percent last year, and it has grown 40 percent in the past three years. It is time for NEAS members to renew their memberships for 2026. Please renew ASAP at neasociety.org. Membership Chair Abigail Van Huss is happy to assist you as needed. Benefits of NEAS membership include the following:

Physical copies of ARTIFAX and NEASB delivered in the mail.
Access to back issues of ARTIFAX, NEASB, and Bible & Spade through the website.
Opportunity to submit paper proposals and present research at the annual meeting.
Ability to vote on society issues at the annual meeting (for professional and student members only).
Support Christian, evangelical research in the lands of the Bible.

NEAS Scholarships

Last year we awarded three $250 dig scholarships to the following students: Emma Clodfelder (Shiloh excavation), David Hacket (Shiloh excavation), and Garret Gjedal (Zoar excavation). The students were profoundly grateful for our help. Please join me in donating to this year’s campaign before February 15, 2026. Those applying for scholarship assistance should do so before March 1, 2026, and we will announce the awards around March 15, 2026.

I trust you are enjoying the 2025 Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin, our flagship peer-reviewed publication. If you need anything, please let me know.

Digging the Bible,

Scott

P.S. The renowned archaeologist Shimon Gibson from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte will be our featured speaker in Denver this November.