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Geoarchaeology of the Qumran Archaeological Site, Israel

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Geoarchaeology of the Qumran Archaeological Site, Israel Geoarchaeology of the Qtimran Archaeological Site, Israel Philip Reeder, Harry ]ol, Richard Fretmd, Carl Savage Photography by the authors Introduction documents (VanderKam and Flint 2002). gathering together, copying (mostly Schiffman (1995) accepted the conclusion, between 150 B.C.E and 68 C.E.), and G e o a r c li a c o I o g y combines expressed by many biblical scholars, that depositing documents in area caves. After archaeological ri'scjrch vvilh metliods and tlie Qumran Si>ct was intrinsically linked to modern discovery, these documents were concepts of thft-Lirlh sciences (But/iT 1482). the scrolls found in the caves. The most called the Dead Sea Scrolls (Schiffman Geography (bolh physical and human), widely adopted view is that the Qumran 1995). geology, gconiorphology and geophysics Sect was a small branch of the larger Essene A large cemetery just east of the ha\e been melded witli .irchaeology to mi>vement (Sukenik 1955; VanderKam and archaeological site and smaller cemeteries develop a multidiscipljnory tippro.ich for Flint 2002). Scholars believe that this to the north and south (Figure 2) are studying the site at Khirbet Qumran sectarian group was responsible for important parts of the complex (hereafter Qumran) in Israel. The full range (VanderKam 1994). The Main Cemetery of earth (geo) sciences can be applied to LEBANON -'-/ begins approximately 50 melcrs from the /•••<., ( archaeological evidence at the Qumran . \ east wall of the ruins at Qumran (de Vaux Archaeological Site allowing past processes 1973; VanderKam and Flint, 2002). The and events to be inferred (Rapp and Hill /Heights': North Cemetery is approximately 50 meters 1998). nortb-northeast from tbe Main Cemetery In the summers of 21)01 and 20(12, the and the South Cemetery is about 230 meters muitidiscipiinary research team consisted to the south-southwest. The South • ( of geographers, a geophysicist, a historian, a \ .' Cemetery is situated on a hill on the other photographer, biblical scholars and i side of Wadi Qumran. Uetween 1953 and archaeologists. Ibis team oi researchers /' ) I95fi, de Vaux excavated 37 of the estimated attempted to expand the existing base of 1,100 tombs in the Main Cemetery, two out Tel Aviv, \ West Bank / knowledge about Qumran. of twehe in the North Cemetery, and four / ( out ot 30 in tbe South Cemetery. De Vaux tart f c 9I TQUMRAN JBI UodJ estimated there were a total of 1,142 graves Gaza ... in the three cemeteries at Qumran. in 1966 Qumran is along the western shore of Strip, _..•> j and 1967, journalist S.H. Steckoil, with the Dead Sea (Figure 1). I'bis site is most permission from the Jordanian Department famous for the caves, kKated in the cliffs -// of Antiquities (Qumran was in Jordan prior west of the site, where the Dead Sea Scrolls V ISRAEL to the 1967 war), excavated nine graves in \ the Main Cemetery. Overall, a total of 52 were discovered. In 1947, Arab shepherds \ {' stumbled upon a cave and what they found \ f' graves were legally excavated at Qumran. was hailed as the greatest archaeological \ i \ I Nine early reports, dating back as far as discovery of the twentieth century \\ Negev / 1850, described various aspects of the (Vanderkam 1994). Eleven caves at i / Qumran Site, but no one had subjected the Qumran hti\e \ ielded the remains of ruins to a thorough examination until after approximately 800 manuscripts. Data JORDAN tbe discovery of scroll material in Ca\ e One compiled by Roland de Vaux (1973), based \ in early 1947 (VanderKam and Flint 2002). on detailed excavations from 1953 to 1956, \. i The first scholars did not begin to work at EGYPT make it clear that Qumran was occupied by \ Qumran until February, 1949 because of a group engaged in communal activities political instability and hostilities. The and religious rites for most of its active excavation at Cave One in 1949 was history (Schiffman 1995). In an attempt to \/ ^^ Hi \ ' directed by de Vaux and G. Lankester understand the historical context of the Mall Johnson Harding. During this exc.n.ition, tlu'y also Dead Sea Scrolls, scholars have tried to Figure 1: ioaUioii nj llic Qiiiniivi visited the ruins of Qumran and conducted identify tbe group responsible for these Archih'olo;;;iaU Site. a quick surface examination, They retu rried 12 FOCUS on Geographii Volume 48, Number 1 QUMRAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE Caves 1,3.3 end 11 are Located Almost DUB Norlh of Ihe Oumran Archaeological Site Dead Sea Region, Israel Cave 2 = 965m Cave 1 = 1075fti Surveyed by the John and Carol Merrill LaUine Survey CawB 11 = 1500m GPR Grids _ Qumran Excavations Project, 2001 & 2002 Cave 3 = 1775m July 17 to July 26, 2001 N July 22 to August 4, 2002 Originally Drafted by Philip Reeder January 2002 50 meters Revised by Philip Reecfer October 2002 'Grave size not to scale • CaveC "Cave F , Cave B "CaveA Restored Section of Aqueduct Tufa Doposils North Finger See Figure 5 Qumran for Aqueduct flePora Stump Archaeological •'"' details ', kiddie Finger Forme- '*»-=*' ~^ \ Edgeo' AgueOuU Collapsea P'aiB<vuil slump Site Rouie Sodion Secum ol AguMucl jCave 5 Cave 10 Cave4A ^^ East Cave 4B Cave 4A South Qumran Cemetery Cave 9 -Cave 2001 'Cave 7 Personnel Philip Reeder - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse - Director, Qumran Cemetery Mapping Project Qumran Richard Freund - University of Hartford - Qumran Excavations Project Director Robert Eisenman - California State-Long Beach - Qumran Excavations Project Director Noelle Bautista- California State-Long Beach Highland Cemetery Carl Savage- Drevi/ University Harry Jol- University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Robert Passow- University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire South Cemetery Figure 2: The Qiiitmm Avdmcolo^kal Site, cniictcrica, aijuciiuct, aivci^, nnii suspected latrine site. Summer 2004 FOCUS on Geography 13 in late 1951 and bL'gan to excavate portions of the surface ruins <ind cemetery. In 1953, de Vaux and Harding returned to work in newly found caves and at the surface ruins ^^ Xf:i 'Ji ^ ; and cemotery; additional expeditions were staged in 1954, 1955, and 1956. After the final de Vaux-Harding expedition in 1956, little work was done with the archaeolo^;ical remains at Qumran until the mid-1980s. In 1995-9f), Magen Broshi and Hanan Eshel conducted a six-week season of excavation in an area of collapsed ca\'es just north of Qumran. This was the last organized research effort .it Qumr.in, until our research team began work at the site in July 2001. The John ami Carol Merrill Qumran Excavations Project A major objective of the 2001 and 2002 Merrill excavations at Qumran was to create detailed maps of the cemeteries and maps depicting the spatial relationships between the cemeteries, ruin site, caves, and Vigure 3: A ^rave in the main section of the Qumran Cemetery. It ifi in excellent coniiition aqueduct system. Based upon information and contains a headstone. collected by de Vaux, our survey designated (1) the Main Cemetery, (2) the fingers of the Main Cemetery, (3) the North Cemetery, and (4) the South Cemetery. Additionally, a new cemeter\' was discovered during the 2002 survey, designated as the Highland Cemetery. Grave location data were collected in these cemeteries, as well as data related to grave orientation, grave condition, and the presence of headstones and footstones. TTie graves in these cemeteries are marked by oval-shaped piles of stones, often with a larger stone at either end to serve as a headstone or footstone (Figure 3). Graves were classified as being in excellent condition (between 90% and 100% intact), good (60% to 9O'!i,), fair (30% to 60%), poor (10% to 30%) and very poor (< 10% intact). A wider view of the Main Cemetery (Figure 4) shows graves exhibiting various conditions of preservation. Jhv Main Cemetery covers a flat plateau east of the Qumran ruins; additional graves are on three flat projections of land (fingers) extending eastward from the Main Cemetery and Figure 4 : The main scr/icu of the Qumran Cemeterxi with ;^rtwes exliibitin>^ various staffes of approximately 5 meters lower in elowition preservation in the foreground and the park visihn's center in tlie background. (Figure 5). These fingers are actively undergoing erosion and are sfparalcd from archaeological evidence collected thus far at using a total station surveying instrument one another by gullies eroded by the Qumran (Schiffman 1995). These detailed and prism. Most graves were located occasional winter precipitation events maps will allow the spatial aspects of the visually, but additional graves, or what we (Figure 6). It is very likely that erosion has dataLiases developed for Qumran to be suspect are graves, were located using destroyed graves located along the margins assessed, compared and contrasted. Past ground penetrating radar (GPR). LcKation of the fingers. mapping efforts b\' de Vaux and others did and elevation data were collected for each Accurate maps of the Qumran not produce a complete, accurate depiction. grave using the total station, then entered cemeteries are pivotal in understanding the project collected field survey data into spread sheets and transferred tn <i 14 FOCUS on Geography Volume 48, Number 1 QUMRAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE Dead Sea Region, Israel Surveyed by the John and Carol Merrill 0 50 Qumran Excavations Project, 2001 & 2002 meters July 17 to July 26, 2001 & July 22 to August 4, 2002 -Grave size not to scale Originally Drafted by Philip Reeder January 2002, Revised January 2003 contour interval = 5 meters Parking Visitors Lot Center 0 I "*"--..„_ North Cemetery I n II. Qumran •I. Archaeological
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