Saving Israel’s Jewish Heritage from Antiquities Bandits

Despite rigorous enforcement against antiquities robbers, acts of severe plundering are still possible in the large expanses of the Judean Desert. There are hundreds of cliff caves in the area that may contain ancient scrolls, access to which is both dangerous and challenging. In almost every cave examined there has been found evidence of illicit intervention and damage.

Director-general of the Israel Antiquities Authority [IAA], Israel Hasson, explained, “For years now our most important heritage and cultural assets have been excavated illicitly and plundered in the Judean Desert caves because of greed. The goal of the national plan [advanced by the IAA, the Heritage Project of the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Sport] is to excavate and find all of the scrolls that remain in the caves, once and for all, so that they will be rescued and preserved by the State.”

The IAA took the first step in the plan by commencing a complicated archaeological excavation in search of scrolls in Nahal Tse’elim, near the Dead Sea. The excavation is extraordinary in its complexity and scope, and is one that has not occurred in the Judean Desert for thirty years. The site of the excavation, the Cave of Skulls, is located about 80 m [262 ft] from the top of the cliff, and is about 250 m [820 ft] above the base of the wadi. Because of the difficulty in reaching the site, the IAA obtained a special permit from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority to construct an access trail, which requires the use of rappelling equipment, and is being used by the more than 500 volunteers and field personnel from Israel and abroad required to excavate the site.

(Ashernet story #6724)