CAVE OF THE WARRIOR OPENS ON AUGUST 14 AT AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Exceptional Funerary Artifacts from the Judean Desert Exhibited for First Time Ever

A selection of rare funerary objects from an intact burial site approximately 6,000 years old is on public display for the first time ever in CAVE OF THE WARRIOR, an exhibition opening at the American Museum of Natural History on August 14, 1998. The singular artifacts, which were discovered in the Judean Desert, are exceptionally well preserved, and present an assemblage completely unlike what had been found previously in burial sites of the period. The exhibition remains on view in the Library Gallery, on the Museum's fourth floor, through December 6, 1998.

The Expedition,br> The Judean Desert, and especially its numerous caves, is the source of several of the most important and exciting archaeological discoveries made in the Near East. This extraordinary exhibition had its origins in the autumn of 1993, when the Israeli Antiquities Authority initiated an extensive archaeological campaign in Judea, in which scores of archaeologists and workers surveyed more than 700 caves scattered throughout the harsh terrain. In the course of examining one of the caves, located in the cliffs of the lower Wadi el-Makkukh, near Jericho, expedition members made an important discovery - the undisturbed burial site of an adult male, most probably a warrior of high rank. According to Carbon 14 tests, the warrior's skeleton and the grave objects found with it date to the early fourth millennium BCE (the Late Chalcolithic Period).

The Exhibition
Curated by Tamar Schick of the Israel Antiquities Authority and coordinated for the American Museum of Natural History by Craig Morris, dean of science of the Museum and curator in the Department of Anthropology, CAVE OF THE WARRIOR comprises the personal effects discovered with the skeleton, including a large plaited reed mat; three textiles; a coiled basket; a wooden bowl; a bow, deliberately broken; a stick; a pair of leather sandals; and two flint items - a large Canaanean-type knife and a fragmentary blade. The knife is of unusual size and symmetry and seems to have been a status symbol. All of these objects were heavily stained with red ochre - most likely symbolizing blood (life) and regeneration - probably during mortuary rites. The high quality and technical expertise displayed by the objects suggest that the warrior was of high rank.

One of the most important discoveries is the warrior's bow. The well-designed weapon, made of olivewood, is the sole representative of its kind anywhere; it is the earliest known example of the double convex bow, depicted in artwork from pre-dynastic Egypt. The bow had been ritually broken, testifying to the ancient mortuary rite of "killing" the bow, symbolizing the end of its use following the death of its owner.

The three elaborately woven linen textiles in the exhibition are archaeologically complete (from end to end and selvedge to selvedge). The largest, a wrapping sheet, is approximately twenty-three feet long and seven feet wide, with dark brown decorative bands and warp and weft fringes. It had been folded twice, to form the "envelope" that contained the corpse. Two smaller, similarly decorated textiles were found inside the wrapping sheet, and appear to have been dress items for the warrior. Details on the fabric show some affinities with Egyptian textiles, suggesting cultural and trade contacts.

The funerary objects on exhibition are supplemented by several rare items collected from other Israeli sites, most of them also from the Chalcolithic Period. These include a finely crafted ceramic ossuary, a ceramic incense burner, copper and hematite mace-heads, and a copper standard.

CAVE OF THE WARRIOR also includes modern replicas of a bow, six arrows, and a pair of leather sandals, all reconstructed according to the manufacturing processes and with materials appropriate to the period; the bow was researched and reconstructed by Edward McEwen, an archer and bowyer with the Society of Archer Antiquaries in London. All of the pieces in the exhibition are on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The warrior's burial site, with its unique assemblage, remains something of an enigma: no similar grave goods have ever been found among the well documented Chalcolithic burial assemblages of this region, and offerings common to other sites, such as pottery bowls and vessels, beads, and pendants, are altogether missing. The high level of workmanship seen in the Warrior's objects is in keeping with the Chalcolithic tradition of artistic excellence; but the composition of the assemblage and the funerary practices suggested by it have no parallels in other local finds. CAVE OF THE WARRIOR thus offers a tantalizing glimpse of a distant puzzle: does the warrior's burial present unfamiliar aspects of local Chalcolithic mortuary practices, or a tradition brought from afar?

Sponsorship
The exhibition was made possible by a friend of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Its presentation at the American Museum of Natural History is made possible through the support of the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Endowment Fund. The exhibition brochure was made possible through a generous gift of the Joseph Rosen Foundation and is published by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

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For further information or photographic materials, contact the Department of Communications, 212-769-5800.

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