Excavations in the Judean Desert and at Qumran under Israeli Jurisdiction

Abstract

This chapter surveys research conducted in the areas under Israeli jurisdiction before 1967, chiefly large excavation projects at Masada and in the Bar Kokhba refuge caves in the southern part of the desert, It also summarizes archaeological work at Qumran after 1967, when the areas of the desert west of the Dead Sea became part of Israel, Then discusses the discoveries during the last four decades of documents and inscriptions from the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt (132-135 CE) in caves in the Judean Desert. Most of the scrolls found in the Judean Desert were discovered by the Bedouin or scholarly excavations before 1967- However, the foregoing survey records the significant discoveries in this region made by Israeli archaeologists and scholars after 1967- No study of the finds in the Judean Desert can be conducted without taking them into account. Keywords:archaeological work; excavations; Israeli Jurisdiction; Judean Desert; Qumran