Season 6

2008

The 6th season of the Ein Gedi Oasis Excavations

The delegation of the Ein Gedi Oasis Excavations resumed its 6th season of excavations at the Ein Gedi village that lasted four weeks in January 2008. The excavation was under the auspices of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and was enabled by contributions of individuals, funds and the Dead-Sea & Arava Science Center. Volunteers from abroad and Israel took part in the excavation, most of them veterans of the former seasons.

During the season, we accomplished the exposure of the Southern House, and continued revealing the lane that separated the excavated buildings from the Zukim House. We started excavating the buildings east of the lane, and completed the dig in the Zukim House. Also, we continued exploring the inner courtyard of the House of the Roman Key.

A large courtyard was revealed in the Southern House (Locus 6001), including an entrance to two rooms on its north side. Inside the courtyard, remains of a stove were found near that entrance in addition to two ovens in the northwest corner. The courtyard's southeast corner was revealed under the dirt road of the mango trees plantation. Attached to that corner, outside the courtyard, a round installation plastered with mud and a few small lime pieces were excavated.

Half a meter beneath the courtyard floor, another floor level and walls were exposed. This is an earlier structure whose plan differs a little from that of the Southern House. Hardly two layers of stones survived from the earlier house, apparently used for building the later one.

We accomplished the excavation in the Western Room where more than a dozen vessels were found at the southeast corner (L.6011). Most of them are cooking pots and jugs. Nearby, a large vessel was found buried in the floor, similar to the one found in the Eastern Room during the last season.

Also, we continued excavating the Eastern Room through a few habitation levels, and reached walls that were probably connected to the Earlier House there (L 6044). Many charcoaled pieces of wood, ash and animal bones were found there.

Excavation continued in the Roman Key House inner courtyard (L. 6026), where a few broken jars in the southwest corner were found near the oven. Many charcoaled wood pieces were found in the southeast corner. Nearby, close to the basalt “working plate”, were a few cooking pots, a clay tube link, and two large pieces of a large soft limestone vessel. Not far from the courtyard entrance many iron nails were found.

The exposed area of lane was enlarged between the houses in the west and the Zukim House in the east. We started to clear the slope east of the lane where a wall was found. At the Zukim House, we cleared the last floor and reached the white virgin soil below (L. 6029).

During this excavation season about 60 coins were found in addition to a piece of a small lead anchor, like the one found last season. A part of a cosmetic bowl made of alabaster, and parts of soft limestone vessels were also discovered, especially two large ones of a “Kallal”, in addition to the small pieces found there in the former season in the same house. Most of the finds date the ruin of the site to the Early Roman period.  

 During the next season we will complete the dig at the Kallal Courtyard in the Roman Key House, the lane and the building attached to it. Also, we will continue to excavate inside the Eastern Room in order to date the earlier building found there.