Zohar Amar

Who is Zohar Amar?

Zohar Amar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Land of Israel Studies at Bar-Ilan University, whose research specialties are: natural history in ancient times; the identification of the flora of the Land of Israel and identification of the fauna of the Land of Israel according to descriptions in classical Jewish sources; the material culture and realia of daily life in the Middle Ages as reflected in agriculture and commerce; the history of medicine and ethno-pharmacology. His research integrates diverse fields of knowledge, including branches of natural science, history, archaeology, linguistics, and Judaic studies.

Notable research in recent years: Documents from the Cairo Genizah as a source of information about medicine in the Middle East in medieval times; pigments in ancient textiles; the early papermaking industry; kermes oak coccid as the source of the Biblical scarlet dye; purple dye; the Balsam plant; traditional medicinal drugs in the land of Israel; documentation of traditions regarding the kashrut of various animals.

Major contribution

Identification of flora and fauna in historical sources; study of the pigments and the paper of the ancient world; research on scarlet and purple dye, the Balsam plant; history of medicine; documentation of traditions of kashrut of animals.