Archaeologists report having discovered four intricately well-preserved Roman swords in the Judean Desert.
This very rare find was made in a small hidden cave located in an area of isolated and inaccessible cliffs north of ‘En Gedi, in the Judean Desert Nature Reserve, under the jurisdiction of the National Parks Authority. First-year archaeology students, aged 20, embarked on a stalactite with a fragmentary inscription written in ancient Hebrew script, characteristic of the First Temple period, was found.
Archaeologists removed the swords from the rock crevice where they were hidden some 1,900 years ago in a cave in the Judean Desert. Credit: Emil Aladjem/IAA
Recently, Dr. Asaf Gayer of the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Ariel University, archaeologist Boaz Langford of the Institute of Earth Sciences and the Cave Research Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Shai Halevi, Israel Antiquities Authority photographer, visited the cave.
The aim was to photograph the Paleo-Hebrew inscription written on the stalactite with multispectral photography that might be able to decipher additional parts of the inscription not visible to the naked eye. While on the upper level of the cave, Asaf Gayer spotted an extremely well-preserved Roman pilum—a short spearhead weapon in a deep narrow crevice. He also found pieces of worked wood in an adjacent niche that turned out to be parts of the swords’ scabbards.
The researchers reported the discovery to the Israel Antiquities Authority Archaeological Surveillance Team, which are conducting a systematic scientific project in the Judean Desert caves. As part of this survey, initiated by the Israel Antiquities Authority and in cooperation with the Ministry of Heritage and the Archaeological Officer for the Administration of Judea and Samaria, hundreds of caves have been investigated over the past six years, and 24 archaeological excavations have been carried out in selected caves, with the aim of saving the archaeological remains from the hands of looters.
The Judean Desert Cave Survey Team, together with Asaf Gayer and Boaz Langford, returned to the cave and carried out a meticulous survey of all the crevices in the rock, during which they were able to find the four Roman swords in an almost inaccessible crevice on the upper level of the cave.
Experts say the four swords are 1,900-year-old and most likely from Bar Kochba revolt that lasted from 132 to 135 C.E. Also called the Second Jewish Revolt, it was a Jewish rebellion against Roman rule in Judea led by rebel leader Simon Bar Kochba.
The most plausible scenario is that the swords were hidden in the cave sometime during the revolt, as it was dangerous for Jews to be found with Roman weapons.
“Finding a single sword is rare—so four? It’s a dream! We rushed to the cave to ensure its preservation,” says the researchers.
The swords were exceptionally well-preserved, and their wooden handles made of wood or metal were found along with the iron blades. The length of the blades of the three swords was 60–65 cm, their dimensions indicating them as Roman spathe swords, and the fourth one was shorter with a 45 cm long blade, identified as a ring-pommel sword.
The swords were carefully removed from the cave. The initial examination of the assembled configuration confirmed that these were standard swords employed by the Roman soldiers stationed in Judea in the Roman period.
“The hiding of the swords and the palm in deep cracks in the isolated cave north of ‘En Gedi hints that the weapons were taken as booty from Roman soldiers or from the battlefield and purposefully hidden by the Jewish rebels for reuse,” says Dr. Eitan Klein, one of the directors of the Judean Desert Surveys Project.
“Obviously, the rebels did not want to be caught by the Roman authorities carrying these weapons. We are just beginning the research on the cave and the weapons discovered in it, aiming to try to find out when, where, and by whom they were manufactured. We will try to pinpoint the historical event that led to the hiding of these weapons in the cave and determine whether it was at the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt in 132–135 CE.”
Following the discovery of the swords, an archaeological excavation was undertaken in the cave by the Israel Antiquities Authority, directed by Eitan Klein, Oriya Amichay, Hagai Hamer, and Amir Ganor. The cave was excavated in its entirety, and artifacts dating back to the Chalcolithic period (c. 6,000 years ago) and the Roman period (c. 2,000 years ago) were uncovered.
Conservators Ilan Naor and Lena Kupershmidt with the swords. Photography: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority
At the entrance to the cave, a Bar-Kokhba bronze coin from the time of the Revolt was found, possibly pointing to the time when the cave served for concealing the weapons.
Archaeologists Oriya Amichai and Hagay Hamer with one of the swords found in the cave. Photography: Amir Gorzoor, Israel Antiquities Authority
The preliminary article on the swords is now published in the volume ‘New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers’ and will be launched this evening (6.9) in Jerusalem at an insightful event!