Introduction
Map
The Warrior's Burial
The Warrior's Bow
The Textiles
Conservation of the Textiles
The Chalcolithic Period
Excavation Photos
About the Objects
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In the ancient past, people settled in the
barren country of the Judean Desert, west
of the Dead Sea. The numerous caves in
the cliffs there provided refuge for settlers
in times of crisis, storehouses for their
valued possessions, and burial places for their dead.
The dry climate of the desert preserved even organic materials, making the area a trove
of hidden treasures. Many of these have been recovered, and they supply important clues to the region's history. The famous Dead Sea Scrolls, for example, stored in caves at Qumran, throw light on a religious sect living nearby some 2000 years ago. The hundreds of magnificent objects found in the so-called Cave of the Treasure reveal the artistry and technological mastery achieved much earlier, in the fourth millennium BCE (Before Common Era) Ð about 6000 years ago.
This exhibition features yet another rare find from the fourth
millennium BCE. Discovered in 1993, the Cave of the Warrior, in Wadi el-Makkukh, near Jericho, held a unique burial assemblage that included unusual textiles, sandals, and the oldest bow known to be preserved in the Near East. The exhibition also presents objects found in other regional burial sites of the time.
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