Seymour (Sy) Gitin, the Dorot Director and Professor of Archaeology at the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem, was awarded the Israel Museum’s Percia Schimmel Prize for distinguished contributions to the Archaeology of Eretz-Israel and the Lands of the Bible. The award, one of the highest honors given in the field of cultural heritage preservation in Israel, was conferred during a public ceremony at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on December 22, 2004. Professor Gitin was cited for his outstanding leadership of the Albright Institute, and for his groundbreaking research in Late Philistine studies. Under his direction, the Albright’s doctoral and post-doctoral research fellowship program in ancient Near Eastern studies has developed into one of the most extensive programs of its kind in the world.