Inside BAR

Yigal Shiloh, the illustrious director of Jerusalem’s City of David excavations, died on November 14, 1987, after a two-year struggle against cancer. He was just 50 years old. Chosen for the prestigious City of David post in part because the steep, rocky hill demanded a young and vigorous director, Shiloh proved equal to the task. In eight tough, exhilarating seasons, the City of David team confronted the hill and, more often than they would have liked, opponents of the controversial dig. BAR editor Hershel Shanks interviewed Shiloh in June, 1987, recording his frank and incisive assessments of his predecessors’ excavation methods, the exciting discoveries, and the battles with ultra-Orthodox protesters of the excavations. We’ve divided the interview into two parts, presenting part I in this issue (“BAR Interview: Yigal Shiloh—Last Thoughts”); part II will appear in the May/June BAR (“BAR Interview: Yigal Shiloh—Last Thoughts, Part II,” BAR 14:03).