In archaeological excavations, scrolls, arrows and coins were discovered, on which the name of Shimon Bar Kochba is imprinted
Tamar Nahari
Excavations in the Judean Desert discovered papyri, coins and arrows from the period of the rebellion against the Romans in the second century AD. This is what archaeologists said today (Tuesday). The coins found are stamped with the name "Shimon", which probably refers to Shimon bar Kochba, the leader of the rebellion in 132-135 AD. Dozens of arrowheads made of wood and metal and pieces of cloth were also found there.
According to Tzvika Tzuk, an archaeologist at the Nature Reserves Authority, the scrolls are supposed to shed light on the period of the Bar Kochba rebellion, even though their importance is less than that of the Dead Sea scrolls, which were discovered between 1947-1965. The scrolls were transferred to the Israel Museum for examination.
The findings were discovered in the Ein Gedi Reserve by a team of archaeologists led by Professor Hanan Eshel from Bar Ilan University and Amos Fromkin from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The caves cannot be reached without surfing equipment, rock climbing equipment and electronic equipment.
Historians believe that the people of the Bar Kochba rebellion fled to the Judean desert from the Romans and hid in caves in the area. After the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, the researchers determined that there were no more documents in the area. Between the years 1986-1993, additional documents were randomly discovered in the Jericho area. "This is the first finding after many years, and it is very important," said Zuk.
The first scrolls in the Judean Desert were discovered in Qumran in 1947. Their discovery led to the discovery of hundreds of additional scrolls until the end of the excavations at Masada in 1965. Until the mid-80s, no more scrolls were discovered, and archaeologists tended to state that there were no additional documents in the Judean Desert. But with the establishment of the Center for the Study of Caves (Malham) in the 80s, a survey of caves in the northern Judean Desert began. In 1986 and 1993, several certificates were found in the caves in the shoulder of Jericho.
The findings in the cave were discovered as part of a thorough cave survey that was recently conducted in the cliffs of the Judean Desert, along the Dead Sea. The survey is carried out using innovative methods, such as remote sensing using electronic equipment, aerial photography of the cliffs, and electronic mapping of the area. Most of the caves, including the one where the certificates were discovered, are located in steep cliffs and require the use of surfing and climbing equipment. Geologists, archaeologists and environmental scientists participate in the survey.
One of the goals of the survey is to locate refuge caves to which refugees fled in 135 AD, at the end of the Bar Kochba rebellion. And indeed, in the course of it, in the last year, isolated findings from the period of the rebellion were discovered in four caves that were not known until now. The current discovery is the record of the survey so far, managed by the Institute of Archeology at Bar Ilan University and the Cave Research Center of the Department of Geography at the Hebrew University.
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