The structure harbors new evidence of ancient trade fortifications.
More than 2,000 years ago, the trade of Dead Sea bitumen and salt was thriving in the Levant. Delivering them from source to market required a long and potentially hazardous journey through the Judean desert to reach Mediterranean ports.
An ongoing excavation led by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has uncovered new evidence of this trade and the lengths taken to protect it. Alongside Nahal Zohar, a stream in the southern Judean Desert, archaeologists are picking through a large building they believe was used as a stronghold for protecting the caravan route.
The pyramidal structure was built out of giant stone blocks, some weighing several hundred pounds, and likely boasted several floors. The dry desert conditions have proved an excellent preservative with archaeologists able to uncover wooden beams and a range of wooden furniture. Even more surprising are papyri fragments written in Greek that detail the site's military and administrative functions. It is the first time such papyri have been found in the country.
About 150 feet from the building, archaeologists found a caravanserai, a roadside inn for travelers, which featured rooms spread around a central courtyard. Inside, a range of bronze vessels were found. Researchers think it's also possible the site may have housed soldiers guarding the trade route.
The IAA has called the project among the most important excavations ever undertaken in the Judean Desert. "We are learning about the structure every day," Eitan Klein, an executive director, said via email. "This discovery allows us to better understand the administrative functions of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid kingdoms in the land of Israel, then ruled by Greek culture dynasties."
The period mentioned by Klein followed Alexander the Great's conquest of the region in 332 B.C.E. For roughly a century, Judea was controlled by the Ptolemaic Kingdom, which ruled from Alexandria, Egypt, before being taken over by the Seleucid Empire around 200 B.C.E. Uncovered bronze coins related to the Ptolemaic rulers and Antiochus IV, king of the Seleucid Empire from 175 B.C.E. to 163 B.C.E, have allowed researchers to date the site.
The site was originally identified by pioneering archaeologists Yohanan Aharoni and Benno Rothenberg in the 1950s, though it was believed to hail from the First Temple era, a period spanning from 10th century B.C.E. to 6th century B.C.E. named for the temple that King Solomon built in Jerusalem. The dating completely "changes the site's historical record," Klein said alongside fellow researchers Amir Ganor and Matan Toledano.
As to why it has taken so long to excavate a structure that was found more than six decades ago, the archaeologists note the potential dig sites in the Judean Desert are seemingly endless. One push factor has been the IAA's Judean Desert survey, a project launched eight years ago to comprehensively scan the area for sites not yet excavated or breached by robbers.
To date, researchers have found a new Dead Sea Scroll, excellently preserved ancient Roman swords, and a 10,000-year-old basket and lid.
"After we will finish this excavation, we will continue with the archaeological survey of the Judean Desert cliffs," Klein said. "We have more plans to excavate in the Judean Desert."