Known for its absolute drought, the Judean desert has returned to a team of Israeli scholars priceless treasures kept for millennia in its caves, a short distance from Masada and the Dead Sea. In the so-called ‘Cave of Horror’ fragments of biblical scrolls from two thousand years ago were found, taken from the Book of minor prophets.
Very close have been recovered letters from the Jewish leader Shimon Bar Cochbà, who rebelled against the Emperor Hadrian in 132 AD. There are also coins of the time, a wooden comb (with the millennial remains of a louse) and the intact sole of a sandal worn by a Jewish child of rioters. And again, outside the ‘Cave of Horror’, the mummified skeleton of a girl who lived 6,000 years ago. The desert has also preserved a 10,000-year-old basket intact. At the origin of these exceptional discoveries, the Israeli Department of Antiquities explained, there was the decision in 2017 to systematically plumb 400 caves in the area – in a total area of 80 kilometers – to recover what is possible, after which for decades had been left at the mercy of artifact thieves.
It was a complex and risky logistical operation because most of the caves overlook rocky spurs and access is only possible using ropes and acrobatics. The use of drones has also proved useful. The ‘Grotta dell’Orrore’ owes its name to the discovery inside it, in the 1960s, of the skeletons of about thirty fighters from Bar Cochbà, who died of starvation after Roman soldiers had camped on a nearby hill to prevent them from escape.
There were found fragments in Greek of the books of two prophets, Zacharia and Nahum. It later appeared in the laboratory that they had been traced a century before the revolt. The text sometimes differed from other passages of the two prophets that appeared elsewhere. Among the words in Greek, one in Hebrew stood out: the name of God.
Outside the ‘Grotta dell’Orrore’, behind a slab, the mummified skeleton of a 6-12 year old girl in a fetal position was hidden for six millennia. It had been buried in a niche, and delicately covered with a fabric that has preserved over time.
Nearby was the cave of Yehoshua Ben Galula, commander of the revolt at Herodion, the majestic palace of Herod at the gates of Bethlehem. Here were letters written by Bar Cochba which betrayed a state of difficulty. According to Avi Cohen, director of the ministry of Jerusalem and tradition, “the fragments of biblical texts, coins and other finds from the time of the second Temple in Jerusalem confirm the roots of Jewish history in this region. But they are also important for the whole world ”. The search in the desert caves will continue. But the Department of Antiquities has already made a heartfelt appeal to enthusiasts not to try to reach those caves on their own because they would risk their lives.