Eitan Klein | Israel Antiquities Authority (original) (raw)
Papers by Eitan Klein
Bema'abe Ha'ar 13/2, 2023
The ‘Samaritan sarcophagi’ are a cohesive group of stone coffns with unique characteristics from ... more The ‘Samaritan sarcophagi’ are a cohesive group of stone coffns with unique characteristics from the 2 –3 centuries CE. Due to their unique form, non-fgurative decorations, their distribution that corresponds to the area of Samaritan settlement, and several inscriptions of Samaritan names engraved on them, Rachel Barkay previously proposed attributing the production and use of this group of coffns to the Samaritan population as an ethnic indicator. In contrast, Yitzhak Magen suggested that the entire population of Samaria used this group of sarcophagi; therefore they have no cultural-material feature unique to the Samaritan population, and their presence at a site does not necessarily indicate the existence nd rd of a Samaritan population. In this paper I reexamine this question while analyzing several fndings that cast doubt on Barkay’s proposal and may support Magen’s opinion, including the archaeological context in which Samaritan sarcophagi were discovered in the cemetery of the city of Sebastia, a Samaritan sarcophagus with a Latin inscription, and a coffn of this type found in the village of Jifna, outside the boundaries of the Samaritan settlement.
Judean Desert Caves Archaeological Project (JDCAP), Israel: A Test Case for Preventive Archaeology. In: A. Alekcis (ed.). Preventive Archaeology and the Protection of The Archaeological Heritage. Belgrade. pp. 190-210. , 2023
'Atiqot 112, 2023
Murabba'at Cave II is situated in the cliffy area on the northern bank of Naḥal Darga, about 2 km... more Murabba'at Cave II is situated in the cliffy area on the northern bank of Naḥal Darga, about 2 km west of the Dead Sea. It is a complex cave formed by the dissolution of Shivṭa-Formation limestone below the water table. Its total length is approximately 90 m and it has three levels. Previous excavations have shown the cave to be one of the richest in the Judean Desert in terms of finds from various periods. Among the many finds was an ancient wooden box containing a Ptolemaic coin-hoard from the reign of Ptolemy VI, which was discovered in a crevice near a shaft leading down to the interior cavities. This article presents and discusses the hoard, a typical emergency hoard, with all its components, while considering its geographical-historical context. Several possible historical events may have led to the hoard's deposition, mainly the Sixth Syrian War and the Maccabean Revolt.
'Atiqot 112, 2023
The archaeological survey of the Kamon cave revealed several groups of finds, including a hoard o... more The archaeological survey of the Kamon cave revealed several groups of finds, including a hoard of coins and jewelry; a cache comprising a lamp with agate beads inside it; several pottery vessels and an arrowhead found together in a rock crevice; and scattered pottery and metal artifacts. Based on the finds, it was concluded that the major period of human activity in the cave was at the beginning of the Hellenistic period, with meager activity during Iron Age IIA. The cave probably served as a refuge for a group of people during the Wars of the Diadochi. This article discusses the social background of the refugees and the circumstances leading to the deposition of the hoard.
“Along the Road to Bet Shemesh” (I Samuel 6:12): Archaeological Studies of the Ramat Bet Shemesh Region, 2023
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers. pp. 453-479., 2023
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers. pp. 35-74., 2023
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers, 2023
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers, 2023
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers, 2023
Harvard Theological Review 116:399-421, 2023
The Te'omim Cave is a large karst cave located in the Jerusalem Hills. Since 2009, the cave has b... more The Te'omim Cave is a large karst cave located in the Jerusalem Hills. Since 2009, the cave has been explored by our team as a joint project of the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University and the Cave Research Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Over 120 intact oil lamps were collected in the 2010-2016 survey seasons from all sections of the cave; most of them were dated to the second to fourth centuries CE. All of these lamps had been deliberately inserted in narrow, deep crevices in the main chamber walls or beneath the rubble. Some crevices contained groups of oil lamps mixed with weapons and pottery vessels from earlier periods or placed with human skulls. This article discusses the possibility that the oil lamps, weapons, human skulls, and other artifacts were used as part of necromancy ceremonies that took place in the
Judea and Samaria Research Studies
Bioarchaeology of the Near East
The remains of a >50-years-old male, thus far representing the only complete skeleton dated to... more The remains of a >50-years-old male, thus far representing the only complete skeleton dated to the Early Chalcolithic (Wadi Rabah) period in Israel, were recovered in a cave in the Judaean desert (Nahal Mishmar, F1-003). The old male suffered abscesses in the maxilla following tooth caries, and a well-healed trauma in the left tibial midshaft. Skull and mandibular morphology were described using plain measurements, indices and angles, and compared with similarly taken Chalcolithic data. In addition, mandibular morphology was captured using a landmark-based geometric morphometrics method and compared to Natufian hunter-gatherers, Pre-Pottery Neolithic early farmers, and Late Chalcolithic populations. The results, although cautionary, reveal similarity to the succeeding Ghassulian Chalcolithic period populations and suggest population continuity from the Early to the Late (Ghassulian) Chalcolithic period. Future ancient DNA study may clarify this hypothesis and further reveal popul...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2017
Redefining ancient textile handcraft structures, tools and production processes: proceedings of the VIIth International Symposium on Textiles and Dyes in the Ancient Mediterranean World (Granada, Spain 2-4 October 2019), 2020, ISBN 978-84-338-6776-6, págs. 499-511, 2020
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2021
Significance The extent and timing of paleoenvironmental connections between Africa and Eurasia d... more Significance The extent and timing of paleoenvironmental connections between Africa and Eurasia during the last glacial and interglacial periods are key issues in relation to early dispersals of Homo sapiens out of Africa. However, direct evidence of synchronous faunal dispersals is sparse. We report the discovery near the Dead Sea of subfossils belonging to an ancient relative of the eastern African crested rat dated to between ∼42,000 and at least 103,000 y ago. Morphological comparisons, ancient DNA, and ecological modeling suggest that the Judean Desert was greener in the past and that continuous habitat corridors connected eastern Africa with the Levant. This finding strengthens the hypothesis that early human dispersals were prompted by climatic changes and Late Pleistocene intercontinental connectivity.
Judea and Samaria Research Studies, 2021
Bema'abe Ha'ar 13/2, 2023
The ‘Samaritan sarcophagi’ are a cohesive group of stone coffns with unique characteristics from ... more The ‘Samaritan sarcophagi’ are a cohesive group of stone coffns with unique characteristics from the 2 –3 centuries CE. Due to their unique form, non-fgurative decorations, their distribution that corresponds to the area of Samaritan settlement, and several inscriptions of Samaritan names engraved on them, Rachel Barkay previously proposed attributing the production and use of this group of coffns to the Samaritan population as an ethnic indicator. In contrast, Yitzhak Magen suggested that the entire population of Samaria used this group of sarcophagi; therefore they have no cultural-material feature unique to the Samaritan population, and their presence at a site does not necessarily indicate the existence nd rd of a Samaritan population. In this paper I reexamine this question while analyzing several fndings that cast doubt on Barkay’s proposal and may support Magen’s opinion, including the archaeological context in which Samaritan sarcophagi were discovered in the cemetery of the city of Sebastia, a Samaritan sarcophagus with a Latin inscription, and a coffn of this type found in the village of Jifna, outside the boundaries of the Samaritan settlement.
Judean Desert Caves Archaeological Project (JDCAP), Israel: A Test Case for Preventive Archaeology. In: A. Alekcis (ed.). Preventive Archaeology and the Protection of The Archaeological Heritage. Belgrade. pp. 190-210. , 2023
'Atiqot 112, 2023
Murabba'at Cave II is situated in the cliffy area on the northern bank of Naḥal Darga, about 2 km... more Murabba'at Cave II is situated in the cliffy area on the northern bank of Naḥal Darga, about 2 km west of the Dead Sea. It is a complex cave formed by the dissolution of Shivṭa-Formation limestone below the water table. Its total length is approximately 90 m and it has three levels. Previous excavations have shown the cave to be one of the richest in the Judean Desert in terms of finds from various periods. Among the many finds was an ancient wooden box containing a Ptolemaic coin-hoard from the reign of Ptolemy VI, which was discovered in a crevice near a shaft leading down to the interior cavities. This article presents and discusses the hoard, a typical emergency hoard, with all its components, while considering its geographical-historical context. Several possible historical events may have led to the hoard's deposition, mainly the Sixth Syrian War and the Maccabean Revolt.
'Atiqot 112, 2023
The archaeological survey of the Kamon cave revealed several groups of finds, including a hoard o... more The archaeological survey of the Kamon cave revealed several groups of finds, including a hoard of coins and jewelry; a cache comprising a lamp with agate beads inside it; several pottery vessels and an arrowhead found together in a rock crevice; and scattered pottery and metal artifacts. Based on the finds, it was concluded that the major period of human activity in the cave was at the beginning of the Hellenistic period, with meager activity during Iron Age IIA. The cave probably served as a refuge for a group of people during the Wars of the Diadochi. This article discusses the social background of the refugees and the circumstances leading to the deposition of the hoard.
“Along the Road to Bet Shemesh” (I Samuel 6:12): Archaeological Studies of the Ramat Bet Shemesh Region, 2023
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers. pp. 453-479., 2023
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers. pp. 35-74., 2023
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers, 2023
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers, 2023
New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers, 2023
Harvard Theological Review 116:399-421, 2023
The Te'omim Cave is a large karst cave located in the Jerusalem Hills. Since 2009, the cave has b... more The Te'omim Cave is a large karst cave located in the Jerusalem Hills. Since 2009, the cave has been explored by our team as a joint project of the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University and the Cave Research Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Over 120 intact oil lamps were collected in the 2010-2016 survey seasons from all sections of the cave; most of them were dated to the second to fourth centuries CE. All of these lamps had been deliberately inserted in narrow, deep crevices in the main chamber walls or beneath the rubble. Some crevices contained groups of oil lamps mixed with weapons and pottery vessels from earlier periods or placed with human skulls. This article discusses the possibility that the oil lamps, weapons, human skulls, and other artifacts were used as part of necromancy ceremonies that took place in the
Judea and Samaria Research Studies
Bioarchaeology of the Near East
The remains of a >50-years-old male, thus far representing the only complete skeleton dated to... more The remains of a >50-years-old male, thus far representing the only complete skeleton dated to the Early Chalcolithic (Wadi Rabah) period in Israel, were recovered in a cave in the Judaean desert (Nahal Mishmar, F1-003). The old male suffered abscesses in the maxilla following tooth caries, and a well-healed trauma in the left tibial midshaft. Skull and mandibular morphology were described using plain measurements, indices and angles, and compared with similarly taken Chalcolithic data. In addition, mandibular morphology was captured using a landmark-based geometric morphometrics method and compared to Natufian hunter-gatherers, Pre-Pottery Neolithic early farmers, and Late Chalcolithic populations. The results, although cautionary, reveal similarity to the succeeding Ghassulian Chalcolithic period populations and suggest population continuity from the Early to the Late (Ghassulian) Chalcolithic period. Future ancient DNA study may clarify this hypothesis and further reveal popul...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2017
Redefining ancient textile handcraft structures, tools and production processes: proceedings of the VIIth International Symposium on Textiles and Dyes in the Ancient Mediterranean World (Granada, Spain 2-4 October 2019), 2020, ISBN 978-84-338-6776-6, págs. 499-511, 2020
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2021
Significance The extent and timing of paleoenvironmental connections between Africa and Eurasia d... more Significance The extent and timing of paleoenvironmental connections between Africa and Eurasia during the last glacial and interglacial periods are key issues in relation to early dispersals of Homo sapiens out of Africa. However, direct evidence of synchronous faunal dispersals is sparse. We report the discovery near the Dead Sea of subfossils belonging to an ancient relative of the eastern African crested rat dated to between ∼42,000 and at least 103,000 y ago. Morphological comparisons, ancient DNA, and ecological modeling suggest that the Judean Desert was greener in the past and that continuous habitat corridors connected eastern Africa with the Levant. This finding strengthens the hypothesis that early human dispersals were prompted by climatic changes and Late Pleistocene intercontinental connectivity.
Judea and Samaria Research Studies, 2021
Zissu Boaz and Klein Eitan, Some Remarks on the Jewish Settlement in Judea during the Mishnaic an... more Zissu Boaz and Klein Eitan, Some Remarks on the Jewish Settlement in Judea during the Mishnaic and Talmudic Periods in Light of Funerary Finds. In: Tavger A., Amar Z., and Billig M., (eds.), In the Highland's Depth, Ephraim Range and Binyamin Research Studies 3. Ariel-Talmon (2013). pp. 171-190 (Hebrew).
Jewish settlement in the Land of Judea suffered from two severe blows that occurred within a period of about 65 years.
The Jewish War resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, but the rural settlement in Judea survived. Following the failure of the Bar-Kokhba war, the Jewish settlement in Judea was severely damaged, but the extent of the destruction is not entirely clear.
From the beginning of the third century CE there is evidence for the existence of an important Jewish center in Lod - Diospolis and its surroundings, such as Ono. There are some enigmatic references to the existence of a Jewish community in Jerusalem – "the Kehilla Kadishah De'Yerushalaim". To this period belong also some references in the Rabinic literature to sages of the Darom, as Rabbi Yonatan and Rabbi Judah Ben Ya'akov of Bet Guvrin. The Onomasticon of Eusebius, from the beginning of the fourth century CE, attests to the existence of a Jewish center in southern Judea, concentrated in seven communities: Thalla, Rimmon, 'Ania, Yutah, Eshtamo'a, Carmel and En Gedi. A variety of archaeological finds support the written sources, indicating a Jewish settlement during this period in southern Judea - the region known as the "Darom", or Jewish South.
Many questions arise - for if this is the case in the third and fourth centuries in southern Judea, how can we explain the presence of large and important Jewish villages in the region ? Are these villages the result of a long and continuous process of development? Or maybe – were these settlements founded shortly after the Bar – Kokhba war? If they were established after the war – what is the exact date of their foundation ? What historical circumstances made possible the return of Jews to the "Darom" ?
This article examines written sources and archaeological finds from the Late Roman period, discovered in southern Judea, and discusses the possibility that the origin of the development of the Jewish community at the beginning of the third century CE in the "Darom" is connected to the return of Galilean Jews.