Yizhar Hirshfeld
"Recent Discoveries in the Archaeology of Qumran"
There are various interpretations as to the function of Qumran. A comparison
of Qumran with similar sites from the Hasmonean and Herodian Kingdoms of
Judaea may clarify the original function of the structures. Qumran is not
a unique site in comparison with settlements of similar size, function
and date. Recent discoveries of comparable sites from the Late Hellenistic
and Early Roman periods in Judaea may indicate that Qumran was part of
a pattern of settlement characteristic of Judaea in the first century BCE
to the first century CE.
Within the boundaries of the Herodian Kingdom of Judaea several sites
have recently been uncovered that can be identified as manor houses. The
sites share some common features. They are located on high spots giving
them a strategic view and control of the nearby roads. They are large complexes
covering at least several hundred square meters. All of them combine a
fortified tower with residential quarters. Several of the sites include
sophisticated water supply systems and agricultural installations, indicating
that the principal occupation of the owners was agricultural. The final
feature common to all these sites is that all of them reveal evidence of
destruction and neglect, dating to the Great Revolt of about 70 CE.
The location of Qumran on a raised plateau, about 60 m. above the Dead
Sea, makes it an observation post from which the entire northern half of
the Dead Sea and the coastal road as far as Ein Feshkha can be seen. Two
ancient roads meet at Qumran--one from Jerusalem and another from Jericho--and
continue through Ein Feshkha to Ein Gedi.
The part of Qumran which is most similar to the other sites is the main
building. The dominant feature of the main building is the tower in the
northwestern corner of the courtyard. The main building was probably the
pars urbana, that is, the living quarters of the site. The surrounding
wings were the pars rustica, the industrial area of the site. The water
supply system of Qumran was capable of collecting 1,127 cubic m of water.
This is a considerable amount of water, but not unusual in comparison to
the quantities that were collected at other desert fortresses in the region.
The number of ritual baths is not exceptional relative to the number discovered
at other sites in Judaea.
The site of Qumran does not appear to have been a center for the people
living in the nearby caves. A systematic survey of the caves has demonstrated
that they were used for hiding objects, not for permanent inhabitation.
On the other hand, the site does not appear to be a fortress either. The
tower surrounded by a glacis made the site defensible, but the living quarters,
featuring several entrances and irregular construction, were characteristic
of a civilian complex. The industrial installations and the nearby tracts
of work land prove that the principal occupation of the inhabitants was
agriculture and agricultural processing. The integration of these elements--the
tower, living quarters and installations--indicates that Qumran functioned
as a fortified manor house.
Abstract prepared by Adam Oded, Orion Center intern, from the Greenfield Scholars Seminar delivered on March 19,
1998, and from Yizhar Hirshfeld, "Early Roman Manor Houses in Judaea and the Site of Khirbet
Qumran," JNES [in press].