The current archaeological expedition to the Judean desert, headed by Prof. Yigal Yadin, was reported today to have made additional important finds. These included wooden, copper, leather and bronze utensils and implements, as well as sarcophagi.
The importance of these new finds was that they confirmed that the desert caves were not only temporary shelter for the Judean fighters against the Romans but also permanent residences for human beings from periods thousands of years before.
The new finds were reported to show that the caves were inhabited during at least three periods. These were described as the Chalcolithic period of 6,000 years ago, the early Israelite period after the exodus from Egypt, and the late Second Temple period before the Roman invasion.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
