Yigael Yadin (jan 1, 1917 – jan 1, 1984)

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Yadin serves as head of operations in the War of Independence and then as IDF chief of staff, and resigns in 1952 over a budget dispute with Ben-Gurion. He turns to archaeology, completes a doctorate on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and leads the excavations of Hazor, Megiddo, and Masada, along with the Cave of Letters where Bar Kokhba's correspondence is found. He is instrumental in acquiring several of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Israel, including the Temple Scroll. He later returns to politics as deputy prime minister, and his career embodies the direct link the state drew between the archaeological past and its own legitimacy.

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