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.
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.
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.
best,
Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson/jannaeus.pdf
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