E. Klein’s scientific contributions

The Te’omim cave is situated on the western edge of the Jerusalem Hills. The cave consists of the main hall (approximately 50×70 meters with a maximum height of about 10 meters). Several passages lead from the main hall to other small chambers and systems of crevices. The cave detailed description is presented. The Te’omim cave has been researched by archaeologists since the late 19th century till now. Modern excavations discovered multiple artifacts of various periods of time, including Neolith, Bronze and Iron Ages, Roman and Byzantine periods and etc. Recent finds are described in the paper. In the antique times calcite deposits in the cave main hall were quarried to produce “calcite alabaster”. This is the first “alabaster” quarry known in the southern Levant. Quarry faces, toolmarks and unfinished blocks remained, and they are described in the paper.

This article will discuss four graffiti from the Byzantine period that were incised during the construction of water systems. Two were incised into the plaster of water reservoirs that were adjacent to or part of Byzantine churches in the western Upper Galilee. The other two were found in the Judean Foothills - one on the doorpost of a Jewish ritual bath (mikveh) from the Second Temple period that was repurposed as a cistern in the Byzantine era; the other, carved into the wall of a deep well dug near a church or monastery. These graffiti include various Christian symbols. The symbolic and meaning of those graffiti will be discussed below. They evidently represent the inner feelings and beliefs of their Byzantine-period builders.

This paper deals with a newly discovered Hebrew papyrus of the seventh century BCE from the Judaean Desert. Based on the content, this is a brief shipping certificate. The document reads: '[year X from Y daughter of Z hand/maiden of the king. From Na'arah two jars of wine to Jerusalem'.