Dr. Melissa Cradic is a museum curator at the Badè Museum of Biblical Archaeology and archaeologist with over a decade of field experience in Israel. She is also a Lecturer in History & Judaic Studies at SUNY Albany and in the Anthropology Dept. at Sonoma State, where she teaches archaeology and history of ancient Israel. Her fieldwork, teaching, research, and museum work aim to increase accessibility of archaeological data, including legacy collections and museum archives. Her work focuses on creating inclusive narratives through multi-platform initiatives such as open-access programming, museum education programs, academic and public scholarship, and digital exhibitions.
A specialist in the archaeology and history of the ancient Levant and Middle East, Melissa’s research focuses on household archaeology and materiality of funerary ritual in the ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean world. She has published research in venues such as BASOR, Near Eastern Archaeology, Levant, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports and has contributed to numerous edited volumes. She is currently co-editing a volume with museum director Aaron Brody and colleagues titled “Unsilencing the Archives” (AASOR). The book is an outcome of a recent digital public history project that won the 2022 Community Engagement and Public Outreach Award from the American Society of Overseas Research, and which was supported by the 2021 Annual Grant of the Palestine Exploration Fund. Her research has been supported with fellowships and grants from the NEH-Getty Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania’s Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, ASOR, and the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem.
