Dead Sea Archives - Page 14 of 30

New Scrolls from the Dead Sea Area

In a presentation last week at the conference on “The History of the Caves of Qumran,” Yonatan Adler reported the discovery of a group of phylacteries (tefillin) containing nine small manuscripts.

These were discovered in Caves 4 and 5 in 1952 but only recently did Adler determine that they contained texts.

The discovery was reported in the Italian press (with a photo) and Joseph Lauer has provided a translation of the article:

***

LUGANO – The discovery of new Qumran manuscripts was announced during the International Research Seminar on “The History of the Caves of Qumran,” organized by the Institute of Culture and Archaeology of the Biblical Lands of the Faculty of Theology of Lugano (chaired by prof. Dr. George Paximadi).

Working on materials from the archaeological excavations of the ‘50s, archaeologist Yonatan Adler found some intact phylacteries (the boxes – used by religious Jews – which contain small manuscript rolls with a biblical text).

It was possible to detect the manuscripts in them thanks to special photographs (multispectral imaging) carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The phylacteries are from Qumran caves 4 and 5, excavated in 1952 by the archaeologist Roland de Vaux.

Among the material processed by the Israel Antiquities Authority’s laboratory for the conservation of the scrolls, were three packs containing nine small scrolls manuscripts.

“It does not happen every day to discover new manuscripts. It was really a great feeling,” said Yonatan Adler, Ariel University.

“I am very proud that in our laboratory, using the most advanced technologies, we can reconstruct the history of two thousand years ago,” said Pnina Shor, director of the laboratory for the conservation of the scrolls of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The seminar curated by Prof. Marcello Fidanzio, direttore del settore ambiente biblico dell’ISCAB, Facoltà di Teologia di Lugano, brought together 65 of the most important scholars of Qumran world, including Emanuel Tov (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Jodi Magness (University of North
Carolina), E. Puech (École Biblique et Archéologique Franҫaise, Jerusalem), Sidnie White Crawford (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), J. Taylor (King’s College London), Jurgen Zangenberg (Leiden University).

***

Lauer has located some related resources:
Drew Longacre’s notice of this and another discovery reported at the seminar.

Adler’s previous lecture on “The Tefillin of Qumran–Archaeology and Halacha.”

A photograph of a previously discovered phylactery.

Qumran Caves 4 and 5
Screenshot from Qumran Caves presentation in volume 4 of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands

Tagged Dead Sea, Discoveries

Weekend Roundup

A jug containing silver earrings and ingots has been unearthed at Abel Beth Maacah. The find dates to about 1200 BC.

Some missing pieces of the Colossi of Memnon have been discovered.

A new discovery in Crete confirms the practice of human sacrifice in the Mycenean culture circa 1300 BC.

Israeli police have arrested two Muslim workers for illegal excavations on the Temple Mount.

The Vatican is allegedly pressuring Jerusalem officials into turning over control of the Mount Zion complex that houses the traditional Upper Room and the tomb of David.

Titus Kennedy discusses the domestication of camels on this week’s interview on The Book and the Spade (direct link here).

Gordon Franz explains how the Via Egnatia was part of the means that God enabled the spread of the gospel “in the fullness of time.”

The site of Beit Guvrin and Maresha is a candidate for the World Heritage List. The impressive bell caves and ruins of a Roman-period city are among the attractions at this site in the southern Shephelah of Judah.

A couple who spent three days hiking near the Dead Sea share their experiences in a Jerusalem Post travel article.

Aren Maeir links to the full-length version of the Orson Welles movie of David and Goliath.

HT: Charles Savelle, Jack Sasson

The bell caves of Beit Guvrin
Photo from Judah and the Dead Sea

Tagged Dead Sea, Discoveries, Galilee, Greece, Jerusalem, Mediterranean Islands, Shephelah, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Seminar: The History of the Caves of Qumran

The Institute of Culture and Archaeology of the Bible Lands and the Faculty of Theology of Lugano, Switzerland, are hosting on February 20-21, 2014 a research seminar entitled, “The History of the Caves of Qumran.”

The program gives the following description and schedule of lectures.

The Research Seminar is dedicated to the Qumran Caves. Usually archaeological studies focus on the ruins and consider the caves as a background. Our intention is to center the interest on the caves themselves. We’ll consider not only the eleven caves in which the manuscripts were found during the last century, but all the caves that offered archeological material.

In particular, the focus of the seminar is on the identity of each individual cave in comparison with the other caves of Qumran. In addition, the ensemble of Qumran caves will be compared with other caves or findings in the Dead Sea region. Both archeological and textual data will be used in order to provide useful elements to outline the history of use of the caves.

First Session: Topography

M. Fidanzio, General Introduction

J. Taylor, The Qumran Caves in Their Regional Context

J.-B. Humbert, La morphologie des grottes de Qumrân [The morphology of the caves of Qumran]

Second Session: Manuscripts

F. García Martínez, Contents of the Manuscripts from the Caves of Qumran

C. Hempel, The Profile and Character of Qumran Cave 4

E. Puech, La paléographie des manuscrits de Qumrân [The paleography of the Qumran manuscripts]

E. Tov, Scribal Characteristics of the Qumran Scrolls

Third Session: Other Findings

R. Bar Nathan, Pottery From the Qumran Caves

J. Młynarczyk, Terracotta Oil Lamps

O. Shamir and N. Sukenik, The Differences in the Textiles from the Qumran Caves Compared to Those Found in Other Judaean Desert Caves

M. Bélis, Les textiles inédits de Qumrân, fouilles de R. de Vaux: enquête et perspectives
[Unpublished textiles of Qumran, excavations of R. de Vaux: survey and prospects]

Y. Adler, Leather Tefillin Cases (Phylacteries)

D. Mizzi, Non-Ceramic/Textual Artefacts From the Qumran Caves

Fourth Session: History of Use of the Caves

M. Popovic, When and Why Were the Caves Near Qumran and in the Judaean Desert Used?

J. Magness and J. Zangenberg, The Functions of the Caves and the Settlement of Qumran

The research seminar will be preceded by the Fourth International Conference of TerraSancta on February 19 (mostly in Italian) as well as intensive courses (all in Italian) on February 17–18. More details are available in the program available online here.

For photos of the Qumran caves where Dead Sea Scrolls were found, see our summary here. The Israel Antiquities Authority also has a page explaining the major finds in each cave.

HT: Yonatan Adler

UPDATE (2/25): See this post for a report of Adler’s discovery of nine new manuscripts.

Dead Sea, Qumran, Scroll Caves sign from before 1967, tb021107674

Pre-1967 sign pointing to Dead Sea Scroll caves
Photo from Signs of the Holy Land

Tagged Dead Sea, Lectures

Weekend Roundup

The IAA has launched version 2.0 of the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library. The upgraded version includes 10,000 new images.

This looks like a valuable resource: Syria Photo Guide—A Comprehensive Guide to the Cultural and Historical Sites of Syria.

Excavations in Jerusalem’s Liberty Bell Park uncovered a quarry, a winepress (2nd c. AD), and a storage cave (1st c. BC).

An ‘Antilla’ well from the Byzantine period has been discovered in Tel Aviv.

The Assyrians: Masters of War, a 25-minute episode from the Discovery Channel is online.

The Ancient Near East Today has begun its second year of monthly e-newsletters. If you haven’t signed up already, you can do so here.

The update volume for The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land is on sale for $90. That’s the cheapest I’ve seen it. Until Feb 11. (Amazon: $130.)

Today is International Septuagint Day.

HT: Seth Rodriquez, Jack Sasson

Psalms Scroll from Cave 11
Image taken from the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library

Tagged Dead Sea, Excavations, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Resources, Syria, Technology, Weekend Roundup

Deal Signed To Replenish Dead Sea

From The Washington Post:

On Monday, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority agreed on an ambitious plan to begin refilling the ancient salt lake with briny water pumped from the Red Sea — and relieve local shortages of fresh water at the same time.
In the first stage of what could become a massive joint initiative, private investors will be asked to finance construction of a large desalination plant in Jordan, on the Gulf of Aqaba. The plant would suck billions of gallons from the Red Sea and convert it to drinking water that would be shared by Israel and Jordan. Israel, in turn, would increase the amount of water it sells to the Palestinian Authority by as much as 30 million cubic meters a year.
Billions of gallons of “reject brine” — essentially, super-salty water created by the desalination process — would be pumped via a new, 100-mile pipeline and discharged into the Dead Sea, in quantities hoped to be large enough to buy some time and slow the lake’s disappearance.
[…]
Much about the project remains to be worked out. Bids from private investors will be solicited next year, with estimated construction costs for the plant and pipeline running anywhere from $500 million to about $1 billion. The sensitive issue of fees for the water and the exact routing of the pipeline remain to be negotiated.
The first drop of brine would probably not be deposited into the Dead Sea before 2017.

Such a project has been discussed for many years, but this is the first agreement that I am aware has been signed. The Washington Post includes more details, background, and a map of the area. For more general info and photos on the Dead Sea, see this page.

Dead Sea view of lake from above PEF Marker, tb011703401

View of Dead Sea from approximate level of water 100 years ago
Photo from Judah and the Dead Sea

Tagged Dead Sea

Secret Places: Qumran Cave 1 3D Facade

post by Chris McKinny

This post is slightly different than previous “Secret Places” posts in that the secret to finding Qumran Cave 1 (and 2) has been out for a while due to Todd’s excellent post from back in 2010.

If you are interested in visiting Cave 1 (depsite Todd’s health warning) then you should definitely refer to the post linked above. If you don’t plan on making the dangerous trek up the cliffs of the Judean Wilderness or if you just want a slightly better idea of what Cave 1 looks like up close check out the model below. Click on the option “3D Model” to get an interactive view.

Tagged Dead Sea, Secret Places