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ENGEDI
A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Engedi was once an important city on the western shores of the Dead Sea. The city is named Engedi (“Wild Goats”) after the spring which waters it and is mentioned together with the “city of salt” as part of the territory of Judah (Josh. 15:62). In antiquity, this city was known for its aromatic plants. The first historical mentioning of the city comes to us in the context of David’s flight from King Saul (I Sam. 23:29). It is here that David dwelt in the strongholds of Engedi.
The site became more renown in the period of the Second Temple (New Testament). Josephus relates that the finest palm trees and the opobalsamum (balsum) tree grew here (Antiq., IX, 7). At that time is was the capital of a district (War, III, 55) and the balsum brought prosperity to the city. During the First Revolt (66 A.D.), Engedi was a small town. It was raided by the Sicarii after they conquered Masada in 68 A.D. (War, IV, 402). Pliny, the Roman historian mentions the proximity of Engedi to the Qumran community. He writes, “Lying below the Essenes was formerly the town of Engedi, second only to Jerusalem in fertility of its groves of palm trees, and now like Jerusalem a heap of ashes.”
In the time of Eusebius, Engedi was a very large village, and it is still frequently referred to in sources of the Byzantine period.
B. BIBLICAL REFERENCES
1. Josh. 15:62 Joshua mentions the city as one of the “cities of the wilderness, the City of Salt...Engedi.”
2. I Sam. 23:29f From Maon, David hides in the caves of Engedi.. Then Saul gathers 3,000 men to hunt for David upon the rocks of the wild goats. Saul rests in a cave here and David cuts a piece of his clothing off.
3. II Chr. 20 The Moabite invasion fails at the Ascent of Ziz, directly above the city of Engedi.
4. Ez. 47:10 Ezekiel predicts that people will be able to fish from Engedi in the Dead Sea when the Mediterranean Sea shall flow eastward!
C. ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS OF INTEREST
1. IRON AGE 1& II: With the Old Testament city being a very small city, limited by the topography surrounding this site, archaeological surveys that began in 1949 have proven unfulfilling. The earliest remains date to the time of King Josiah (639-609 B.C.). Several houses have been unearthed in which rough storage jars were found as well as other pottery vessels. There were also metal utensils found. Excavators believe that these houses were connected with the perfume industry and that the pottery and metal objects were probably used in the extraction of essence from balm. Several Hebrew seals (made in soft clay) as well as inscribed weights belonging to this period were found.
2. PERSIAN: On top of the burnt ashes of the Iron Age settlement, a new settlement dating to the time of Nehemiah has been discovered. To this settlement belongs a very large building. Here too, as in many sites, large quantities of pottery has been found. There were also vessels imported from Attica, dating from the 6th-5th centuries B.C.
3. HELLENISTIC I & II: A fortress marks this period, probably in existence during the reigns of John Hyrcanus (135-107 B.C.). Other archaeological finds are unimpressive.
4. ROMAN I: A new stronger fortress was built on the mound in the 1st century A.D., the time of Christ, when Engedi was the capital of this district. This city was destroyed by the Romans in 68 A.D. There are no traces on the site of a settlement during the period of the Bar Kochba Revolt. A bath, probably built between 60-70 A.D. by a Roman garrison represents this period.
5. BYZANTINE: The latest settlement, quite a poor one, included a synagogue which includes a mosaic floor with animal, bird, and floral motifs. Among the single fins, the most important is a metal (silver) menorah, unique of its kind in this period.