Institute of ARCHAEOLOGY FACULTY AND STAFF
Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology
Director, Institute of Archaeology
Curator, Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum
Co-Director, The Fourth Expedition to Lachish
Contact Information:
Office Location: 121 Hackman Hall, Southern Adventist University
Office Phone: 423.236.2986
Email: mhasel@southern.edu
Michael G. Hasel, PhD, has taught Near Eastern studies and archaeology at Southern since 1998. In the 1995-96 academic year, he was the Samuel H. Kress Fellow at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem. In 2005, he served as a Senior Fulbright Scholar at the Cyprus-American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI) in Nicosia, Cyprus, funded by the U.S. Department of State. He is a named fellow of the Institute for Biblical Research.
The Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum was inaugurated on the campus of Southern Adventist University in 2004. As curator of the museum, Hasel was responsible for planning and displaying art and objects from the ancient Near East in a state-of-the-art exhibit entitled “Vessels in Time: A Journey Into the Biblical World.” The museum has won several awards from the Tennessee Association of Museums.
Hasel has participated and served in administrative capacities on 10 different excavation projects in the Middle East, including Gezer, Ashkelon, Dor, Miqne-Ekron, Masada, Hazor, and Khirbet Qeiyafa in Israel; and at Idalion, Cyprus, and Jalul in Jordan. Recently, the Institute of Archaeology at Southern Adventist University co-sponsored Fourth Expedition to Lachish with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Hasel served as Co-Director of the Lachish excavations.
He is married to Giselle Sarli Hasel, a professor of art history in the School of Visual Art and Design at Southern. Together they have two children, Daniella and Sarah, who enjoy traveling with their parents whenever possible.
Education and Degrees:- PhD – The University of Arizona, Near Eastern Studies and Anthropology
- MA – The University of Arizona, Near Eastern Studies and Anthropology
- MA – Andrews University, Archaeology and History of Antiquity, Old Testament
- BA – Andrews University, Religion, German Languages and Literature, Anthropology
- American Oriental Society
- American Schools of Oriental Research
- Archaeological Institute of America
- Institute for Biblical Research
- Israel Exploration Society
- National Geograghic Society
- Society of Biblical Literature
- Tennessee Association of Museums
- Old Testament Studies I and II
- Hebrew I and II
- Archaeology and the Old Testament
- Archaeology and the New Testament
- Themes in Exodus, Egyptian Warfare, and Archaeology
- David, Solomon and the Archaeology of State Formation
- Middle East Study Tour
- Museum Education
- Levantine Ceramic Typology
- Archaeological Fieldwork
- Archaeological Method and Theory
- Biblical Hermeneutics
- Research Methods
- Middle East Study Tour
- Archaeology and Bible Interpretation
- Archaeological Fieldwork
Hasel has lectured widely, speaking on university campuses and at international symposia, professional meetings, and church meetings throughout North America, South America, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Publications:Books include:
- Domination and Resistance: Egyptian Military Activity in the Southern Levant, 1300-1185 B.C. (Brill, 1998).
- Military Practice and Polemic: Israel's Laws of Warfare in Near Eastern Perspective (Andrews University Press, 2005).
- The Name Equation: Eastern Mediterranean People, Places, and Polities During the Egyptian New Kingdom, in progress.
Hasel is also the author of articles and book reviews appearing in Andrews University Seminary Studies, Bulletin of Biblical Research, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, Göttingen Miszellen, Israel Exploration Journal, Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections, Qadmoniot, Radiocarbon, Strata: Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society, Theologika, and Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft. As well as a contributor to The Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, and The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Archaeology
Assistant Professor
Office Location: 113 Hackman Hall
Office Phone: 423.236.2983
Email: mbronson@southern.edu
Matthew Bronson joined the faculty as an assistant professor in January 2024. Originally
from California, he studied Archaeology and Biblical Studies at Southern Adventist
University and Biblical Studies at Liberty University. He is currently working towards
his doctorate in archaeology at Lipscomb University. Prior to this, Professor Bronson
attended SOULS West Bible College and the SALT program at Southern Adventist University.
He also participated in the 2014 field season at Lachish as a volunteer and square
supervisor, also at Tel Burna as a volunteer in 2022, and as an assistant area supervisor
in 2023.
Education:
- PhD (in progress) – Archaeology of the Near East, Lipscomb University
- MA – Biblical Studies, Liberty University
- BA – Near Eastern Archaeology and Biblical Studies, Southern Adventist University
Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum Coordinator
Contact Information:
Office Location: 123A Hackman Hall
Office Phone: 423.236.2027
Email: edwardsa@southern.edu
Angela Edwards became Museum Coordinator for the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum in Fall 2018. Ms. Edwards is a native of Michigan. She studied Classics and minored in Archaeology at Grand Valley State University, as well as Museum Studies and Archaeology at Southern Adventist University. Before taking on this new position, Edwards worked at the Purchasing Department at Southern Adventist University. In Israel, she participated in the archaeological excavations at Tel Lachish in 2016.
Responsibilities:
- Managing daily operations of the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum
- Developing and supervising plans and designs in the Museum's exhibit productions
- Marketing and promoting museum-sponsored lectures, initiatives, and related events
- Developing public education programs and publications
- Coordinating group tours of the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum
Education:
- MA – Cultural Heritage Management, Johns Hopkins University
- BA – Classical Archaeology and Museum Studies, Southern Adventist University
Office Manager, Institute of Archeology/Graduate Program
Contact Information:
Office Location: 219 Hackman Hall
Office Phone: 423.236.2033
Email: kconerly@southern.edu
Kerre Conerly is an alumnus of SAU with a BA in History and an MA in English from Western Kentucky University. She taught secondary students for several years before becoming the registrar at Collegedale Academy for two decades. She most recently spent three years at Fletcher Academy as registrar before moving back to the Collegedale area and joined Southern's staff in the summer of 2023.