Lecture Summaries: 25 October, 2007

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Qumran Connected:  The Roads and Passes of the North-Western Dead Sea Coast and Buqeia

by
Joan E. Taylor
Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of History at University College London,
and Honorary Fellow in the Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy at Waikato University, Hamilton, New Zealand

A key question in studies of the archaeology of Qumran is the connection of this site to Jerusalem and elsewhere by road systems and passes. In September 2006,

Dr Shimon Gibson and I were able to determine and record the first northern pass leading up to the wadi and follow it towards the crest of the hill. In October 2007, thanks to a research grant from the Palestine Exploration Fund, we hope to determine the continuation of the route from Qumran into the Buqeia and note cross-tracks, archaeological features and surface finds. We will re-examine the aqueduct and pathway adjacent to this, and consider the possible links between Qumran and En Feshkha, further south, and Jericho in the north. This lecture will report on our work in progress and be illustrated with pictures.