Overview

Bibliography

En Gedi is an oasis along the western shore of the Dead Sea with habitation from the Chalcolithic period through the Byzantine period. The oasis and its inhabitants were sustained by multiple springs in the cliffs above the oasis.

The remains of a Chalcolithic temple at En Gedi were not observed until 1956 during an archaeological survey of the region, despite the fact that the general plan of the structure was discernable above the surface of the ground. The date of the structure was established in a brief excavation in 1956-57 by J. Naveh, when he found Ghassulian pottery sherds on the floor of one of the structures. The Chalcolithic structure was systematically excavated in 1962. All the structures and most of the courtyard were cleared down to bedrock. The remainder of the courtyard was cleared in 1964.

The temple was erected on a high plateau above the En Gedi spring, and overlooking the Dead Sea. The basic plan of the temple appears to have been determined by the shape of the plateau on which it was built. The spring of En Shulamit in the Nahal David is also nearby, located only 600 meters to the north. The location of the springs and the lofty plateau undoubtedly fostered an air of sacredness for this location of the temple.

On the plain below the temple are the remains of a Late Roman – Byzantine period synagogue and village. The mosaic floor of the synagogue was discovered by accident in 1965. The synagogue was excavated in 1970-72, during which three successive synagogues were uncovered, beginning at the end of the second century and lasting through the sixth century CE. Surrounding the synagogue is a 10 acre village.

From 1996 through 2002, 1 acre of the village was excavated north of the synagogue by Y. Hirshfeld. He uncovered numerous houses, workshops, storerooms, and a bath, built along streets and alleys. Fragmentary early Roman remains beneath the village attest to an earlier habitation on the site.

The archaeological strata uncovered at the site, as illustrated in the site plan, date to the following periods:

	Late Roman–Byzantine Period
	Early Roman Period
	Chalcolithic Period