Judaean Desert
The Judaean Desert or Judean Desert (
Etymology
The term Hebrew: מִדְבַּר יְהוּדָה, lit. 'Desert of Judaea' originates in the Hebrew Bible, and it is mentioned in Judges[2] and Psalms.[3]
It is sometimes known as יְשִׁימוֹן Yeshimon, meaning desert or wildland, or yet Wilderness of
Geography
The Judaean Desert lies east of
A study by the
Climate
Rainfall in the
Flora and fauna
Rock hyraxes and Nubian ibex live on the desert plateau and the Dead Sea cliffs. Until quite recently, there were Arabian leopards in the area, but they are now extinct in the area due to illegal hunting. For the last time, an Arabian leopard was spotted in Ein Feshkha.
Common birds in the area include the fan-tailed raven, blackstart, tristram's starling, apus, hirundo, Arabian babbler, wheatear, and sand partridge.
The Judaean Desert is home to a variety of reptiles, including venomous vipers like Echis coloratus and Atractaspis engaddensis (also known as the Israeli mole viper). The streams are home to various fish and amphibians.
History
Biblical references
According to the
Hasmonean and Herodian periods
Several desert fortresses were constructed in the Judaean Desert under
The Essenes, an ascetic Jewish sect, lived in the Judaean Desert on the Dead Sea's northwestern shore, according to Pliny the Elder. Many modern scholars and archaeologists concur that the Essenes resided in Qumran, an archeological site discovered about 1.5 kilometers (1 mi) from the Dead Sea's northwest shore. According to conventional archeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found in the Qumran Caves, were written by Essenes.[9]
Jewish–Roman Wars
During the First Jewish–Roman War (67–73 CE) and the Bar Kokhba revolt (132-135 CE), Jewish rebels took advantage of the Judaean Desert's natural characteristics for refuge and guerilla warfare.[10] The siege of Masada, which took place there circa 73 CE, was one of the pivotal battles of the conflict. According to Flavius Josephus, early in the conflict, Jewish Sicarii took control of Masada, and from there they launched raids against communities in the Dead Sea region. The Roman Legio X Fretensis rose on Masada in eight camps, and constructed a large siege ramp. Josephus claimed that the siege ended in a mass suicide, when the 960 Sicarii rebels present decided to kill themselves rather than be sold into slavery.
Jewish refugees, primarily army commanders, officials, and their families, escaped to hideout caves during the final stages of the Bar Kokhba revolt, especially after the fall of Betar in 135 CE. Many of these caves were discovered in the Judaean Desert's deep ravines, near intermittent streams. These include the caves in Nahal Michmas, the Almisiya cave, the Murabba'at caves in Nahal Darga, the pool cave in Nahal David, the Cave of Horror and the Cave of Letters (where the letters Simon bar Kokhba wrote to the residents of En Gedi and the Babatha archive were discovered) in Nahal Hever, and three caves in Tze'elim Stream.
Early Christian monasticism
The Judaean Desert is connected with early forms of
Archeology
The Judaean Desert has been the site of many archeological discoveries. The Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of ancient Jewish religious manuscripts dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, were discovered in the 1940s at the Qumran Caves.[11] They are considered to be a keystone in the history of archaeology with great historical, religious, and linguistic significance because they include the oldest surviving manuscripts of entire books later included in the biblical canons, along with deuterocanonical and extra-biblical manuscripts which preserve evidence of the diversity of religious thought in late Second Temple Judaism. At the same time they cast new light on the emergence of Christianity and of Rabbinic Judaism.[12][13]
Numerous caves in the Judaean Desert have yielded significant archaeological discoveries linked to the Jewish–Roman wars, as they served as shelters for Jewish rebels during that time. In the Cave of Letters at Nahal Hever, a plethora of artifacts from the Roman period has been unearthed, including various letters and fragments of papyri. Notable among these findings are letters exchanged between Simon bar Kokhba and his subordinates during the Bar Kokhba revolt, and the Babatha papyri cache, a collection of legal documents belonging to Babatha, a Jewish woman landowner who lived during the 2nd century CE.[14][15] In a nearby cave close to Ein Gedi, archaeologists have unearthed an inscription dating back to the 7th century BCE. This inscription, carved into a stalactite, is inscribed with Paleo-Hebrew script, indicating its origin during biblical times. Another survey of this same cave in 2023 uncovered a unique discovery – a rare collection of 2nd century Roman weaponry, including four swords and a pilum. This find is believed to be linked to the Bar Kokhba revolt.[16]
Finds from the Neolithic, including statues, masks, wooden and bone tools, skulls and reed basketry, were found in a cave at Nahal Heimar.[17]
Gallery
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The Monastery of Saint George of Choziba, near Jericho
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Masada, an ancient fortress, was the scene of a famous siege during the First Jewish-Roman War. The Roman siege ramp can be seen to the right.
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View of the Judaean Desert from Mount Yair, Ein Gedi
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The Judaean Desert as seen from Ma'ale Adumim (suburb of Jerusalem)
See also
- Ein Gedi
- Geography of Israel
- Geography of Palestine
- Mar Saba
- Masada
- Judaean Mountains
- Mount of Temptation
- Qumran Caves
- Tourism in Israel
- Tourism in the Palestinian territories
References
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "El-Bariyah: wilderness with monasteries". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
- ^ Judges 1:16
- ^ Psalms 63
- ^ "Judean Wilderness". BiblePlaces.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
- ISBN 9780203989166.
- ^ "There's Water Under the Desert -- But It's Hardly Being Used".
- Joseph Lightfoot, Works, vol. 1. p. 58, referenced by Gill, J. in Gill's Exposition of the Bibleon 1 Samuel 23, accessed 24 May 2017
- ^ S2CID 132210394.
- ^ Biblical Archeology Society Staff (8 May 2022). "Who Were the Essenes?". Biblical Archaeology Society. Biblical Archeology Society. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- JSTOR 27926921.
- ^ "The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls: Nature and Significance". Israel Museum Jerusalem. Archived from the original on 1 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
- ^ Ulrich, E. (1999). The Dead Sea Scrolls and the origins of the bible. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
- ^ VanderKam, J., & Flint, P. (2005). The meaning of the Dead Sea scrolls: their significance for understanding the Bible, Judaism, Jesus, and Christianity. A&C Black.
- ^ Yadin, Y. (1963). The finds from the Bar Kokhba period in the Cave of Letters. Judean desert studies, 1.
- ISBN 965-221-009-9.-HANNAH M. COTTON AND JOSEPH GEIGER (edd.), MASADA II, THE YIGAEL YADIN EXCAVATIONS 1963-1965. FINAL REPORTS: THE LATIN AND GREEK DOCUMENTS .... Journal of Roman Archaeology, 4, 336-344.
- ^ i24NEWS (2023-09-06). "Rare Cache of Roman weapons unearthed in Judean Desert cave". I24news. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Nissenbaum, A., Bar-Yosef, O., & Connan, J. (2000). Neolithic collagen from the Nahal Heimar cave, Israel.
Hiking in the Judaean Desert travel guide from Wikivoyage