----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Jack Kilmon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <g-megillot@McMaster.ca>
Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2006 7:04 AM
Subject: Re: [Megillot] Qumran cemetery-the skeletons
Jack,
I suggest that it is less accurate to describe Qumran as \"located
smack-dab in
the middle of \"Balsam country.\"\" than to describe it as located between
(and
distinct from) two known centers of balsam production, both of which had
more
plentiful water. If I am located, say, between two automobile factories,
it
does not follow that my location is an automobile factory.
Well, to borrow from Kipling, "balsam to the right of me, balsam to the left
of me..." Qumran lies within a straight line along the 50 kilometers or so
from Jericho to En Gedi along the west bank of the Dead Sea and Jericho and
En-Gedi were the sites of the royal plantations for balsam cultivation. I
don't think that balsam was cultivated at Qumran unless there was a
significant spring there but this tree sap was the most precious commodity
of the ancient Near East and required some sophisticated processing to
produce various unguents, medicinal preparations, perfumes and incenses for
use at the temple. More precious than gold, it would have been processed
under some form of security. The fortress-like K. Qumran is a possibility
and Hirschfeld's cells may have accomodated the plantation workers. The
trees, probably a variety of Balsamodendron, were not easily cultivated and
required specific experience and skills. The balsam plants given to
Cleopatra were cultivated at Mataria by imported Judean workers.
There is some nostalgic deja vu here since I seem to recall conversations
around this topic and the possibility of Qumran being wetter on Orion about
10 years ago. Where does the time go, Stephen?
Though I don\'t object to tests I don\'t see why you would guess the table
would
have been used for balsam. Glass is multifunctional and not greatly rare.
I know
no special relationship between Qumran and Yizhar\'s Ein Gedi site. Qumran
lacks
royal evidence.
Some of the artifacts from Qumran seem to suggest a more well-to-do
residency than De Vaux's "poor ones" monk-like priests..but the long plaster
covered tables might tell us something about their use if they were examined
scientifically rather than archaeologically. Plaster is porous and any
plastered table tops used for scriptorial activities over many years will
certainly have microscopic evidence of that activity...or any other
activity. If they have not been examined microscopically or radiometrically
or through flourescence, it is archaeologically and scientifically
negligent. There is no evidence for anything if you fail to look for it.
Joseph Patrich from the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University
discusses on his website a juglet of suspected balsam oil found in one of
the Qumran caves.
A Juglet with (Balsam?) Oil From a Cave Near Qumran, Eretz Israel 20 (Yadin
Volume), Jerusalem 1989, pp. 321-329 (together with Benny Arubas).
A Juglet Containing Balsam Oil(?) From a Cave Near Qumran, Israel
Exploration Journal 39 (1989), pp. 43-55 (together with Benny Arubas).
Finally, perhaps you would be interested in reading Ehud Netzer\'s
article,
\"Did Any Perfume Industry Exist at \'Ein Feshkha?\" IEJ 55 (3005) 97-100.
To
oversimplify and paraphrase his answer: no. Perfume production there was
much
less probable than date production. Further, please note, during this
season of
claiming Jericho parallels for many, conflicting, theoretical proposals,
that
Ehud Netzer argues his case largely based on the archaeology of Jericho,
where
for many many years he has been and still is, after all, the principal
archaeologist.
I'll have to read it. I would be curious to know why Balsam plants
cultivated at Jericho (the larger plantation) could not be cultivated at Ein
Feshkha because of the springs. Being a royal monopoly, it may be that it
was important to keep cultivation and processing restricted to certain
areas.
Jack Kilmon
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