Shmarya Guttman ( he, שמריה גוטמן; 1909–1996) was an Israeli archaeologist.

Early years

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 Na'an ( he, נַעַן) is a kibbutz near the city of Rehovot in Israel. Located within the Central District, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gezer Regional Council and borders the villages of Ganei Hadar, Ramot Meir and Sitria. Founded in 1 ...

, where he worked as a farmer.

Career

In the 1930s, he served as an emissary to Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. Before the

establishment of the State of Israel The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel ( he, הכרזה על הקמת מדינת ישראל), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 ( 5 Iyar 5708) by David Ben-Gurion, the Executiv ...

in 1948, he headed an intelligence unit of the

Haganah Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...

. Later he was involved in diplomatic negotiations and took part in operations to bring Iraqi Jews to Israel.

Archaeology career

In the 1960s and 1970s, Guttman was on the team that excavated Masada, which he had climbed with two friends in 1932. Guttman initiated and directed the excavations at Gamla.Ultimate Devotion: The Historical Impact and Archaeological Expression of Intense Religious Movements
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guttman, Shmarya Israeli archaeologists Israeli Jews Kibbutzniks