2006-present: Subsistence Practices in Iron Age Sites in the Negev Highlands: A Geoarchaeological Investigation, with Ruth Shahack-Gross of the Weizmann Institute and Bar Ilan University, funded by the Israel Science Foundation and the Chaim Katzman Archaeology Fund at Tel Aviv University:

2006-2007: the early Iron IIA site of Atar Haroa

2008: the early Iron IIA site of Nahal Boker

2009: a Byzantine-early Islamic site near Sede Boker

For the results see: R. Shahak-Gross and I. Finkelstein, Subsistence Practices in an Arid Environment: A Geoarchaeological Investigation In An Iron Age Site, The Negev Highlands, Israel, Journal of Archaeological Science 35 (2008), pp. 965-982.

The project is funded by the European Research Council. The Advance Grant was awarded to Israel Finkelstein (Principal Investigator) and Steve Weiner of the Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science at the Weizmann Institute of Science (Co Investigator). The project is planned for five years. Work began on February 1, 2009.

The ten tracks of the project deal with: radiocarbon (correlating the chronology of Ancient Israel with the Mediterraenean basin), human genetics and paleodiet, geo-archaeology, palynology (as relating to paleoclimate and settlement oscillations), ceramic petrography, metallurgy, daily mathematics of dimensions, epigraphy (the use of advanced computational methodologies, e.g., artificial intelligence algorithms, in the study of Iron Age ostraca), residue analysis of pottery vessels and archaeo-zoology. The project is being conducted by over 40 researchers.