The Departments of Antiquities and Museums, based in Jerusalem, has been the governmental arm in the administration, management, and research of the archaeological and heritage resources of the city since the British Mandate. As statutory bodies, the Department's main responsibility is the application of the
Antiquities Ordinance and Law.

This paper will examine the establishment of the Mandatory Department of Antiquities and the development of salvage excavations as a major instrument of archaeological management in Jerusalem. The important excavations of the period carried out under the auspices of the Department will be noted. Work
and involvement in issues concerning the holy sites have always been a controversial aspect of the Department's activity and will be discussed in detail.

The British had established a well-organized archaeological administration in 1948, based on modern professional principles that united people from both sides of the conflict in Palestine for the good of the antiquities of the country. With the division of Jerusalem, the two independent Departments of Antiquities emerged-that of Israel in the western part of the city, and that of Jordan in east Jerusalem. Until 1967, the Jordanian department devolved its responsibility of conducting salvage excavations to foreign archaeological teams and withdrew its involvement from even informal management of holy sites. The Israeli side was left without access to the major sites and engaged in the excavation of small areas and tombs
discovered in the course of the city's massive development.

After 1967, the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums (IDAM) spread its authority over east Jerusalem and the Old City as part of the extension of Israel's legal jurisdiction after the Six Day War. The Old City and its surroundings were immediately declared as protected archaeological sites to be administered by the IDAM.

The relative ineffectiveness of the IDAM changed with the appointment of Amir Drori as its director and with the establishment of an independent government organization-the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA)-in 1990. Greater emphasis was now placed on inspection, and a revised budgetary practice requiring land developers to pay for archaeological services enabled salvage excavations to be conducted on a grand scale. This period was also characterized by the development of major archaeological projects entailing intensive conservation and planning, especially south of the Temple Mount, as well as the inspection of antiquities on the Temple Mount/Haram el-Sharif, a major public issue in which the IAA played a central role.

The IAA is meeting the challenges of Jerusalem in the twenty-first century as a strong organization performing a vital role in the management and research of archaeology in the city. If politics does not change the boundaries of the city, the coming decade will require renewed involvement in the preservation of the Old City, which has suffered too many years of nominal resources and laissez-faire attitudes regarding the conservation of its built heritage.