Oded Golan (Hebrew: עודד גולן; born 1951 in Tel Aviv) is an Israeli engineer, entrepreneur, and antiquities collector.
At the age of 10, during a visit to the ancient site of Tel Hatzor, he discovered the world’s oldest dictionary, which was later published by Professor Yigael Yadin.
[2] Golan's collection, amassed over a period of more than 50 years, contains thousands of archaeological artifacts, the vast majority of which were purchased from antiquities dealers, mostly in East Jerusalem.
[3] Golan’s collection includes a wide range of artifacts which together represent the culture of Israel and TransJordan from the fifth millennium BCE to the fifth century AD.
[6] In late 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the State to return to Golan the James Ossuary, the Jehoash Inscription and hundreds of other items that had been confiscated by the IAA "for the purpose of investigation.
[8] The BBC reported that when the police took Golan into custody and searched his apartment they discovered a workshop with a range of tools, materials, and half finished 'antiquities'.
[9] The documentary film The History Merchants alleged Golan (working with a team of people, including an expert in ancient semitic languages and an artisan) had produced forged artifacts for sale on the religious antiquities market.