After reading Bar-Adon’s unpublished excavation log and revisiting the Rujm el-Bahr site, I have new insights relating to the construction, identification and significance of the breakwater, tombolo and structure. The site was excavated and identified as an anchorage on which a superstructure was built. Mooring stones were used to secure and protect ships from southern Dead Sea storms. After revisiting the site, I conclude that it was built on land, and protected by a breakwater that created lagoons for ships. It was likely used as a checkpoint for sailing traffic on the Dead Sea during the Second Temple period.

A small number of iron farming tools was found in the archaeological excavations in the Dead Sea region, most of them sickle-shaped tools that are not different from contemporary tools found in some countries today. Tools used in date palms cultivation that are the dominant crop and characteristic of this region, and some sharpening tools were also found. It has become clear that the most common and multi-tasking tool is the pruning hook. Works in orchard include, among other tasks, irrigation, pollination and harvesting. Illustrations of farming tools are depicted on the mosaic floors of synagogues and churches as part of seasons and months cycles such as in the Tzippori (Sepphoris) synagogue; daily agricultural works are depicted in churches in Jordan and Israel and harvesting dates can be seen in the Ḥuqoq synagogue.

In January–February 2018, a development excavation was conducted at the ancient village of ʽEn Gedi (License No. B458/2018; map ref. 237470–525/596600–700) to prepare the site for inclusion into the nearby national park. The excavation, on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology and in cooperation with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, and Dead Sea & Arava Science Center, was directed by G. Hadas and O. Peleg-Barkat, with the assistance of R. Merhav (administration), D. Porotsky (plans), A. de Vincenz (pottery) and M. Lavi (laboratory). Volunteers from Israel and abroad, mostly veterans of the ʽEn Gedi expedition, participated in the excavation joined by instructors from the ʽEn Gedi Field School and students of the Melah Ha-Arez preparatory program at ʽEn Gedi.

Marine transportation on the DS was a result of the geographical conditions. The archaeological excavations at Ein Gedi village yielded two kinds of foreign stones artifacts that were transported from the lake east bank to its west bank, and the find of stones ballast by the DSCS team, illuminates the lake sailing routes. As well as the stone ballast study from various ports and periods revealed the shipping routes. It is clear that the DS transportation included passengers, agricultural products and minerals but also stone products. The archaeological findings and the historical evidence confirm the fact that sea transportation routes crisscrossed the Dead Sea for many periods.

n February 2017, an excavation was conducted in the ancient village of ʽEn Gedi (License No. B-448/2017; map ref. 2373/5965; Fig. 1). The excavation, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was directed by G. Hadas and O. Peleg-Barkat, with the assistance of R. Merhav (administration), D. Porotsky (plans), A. de Vincenz (ceramics) and the participation of volunteers from Israel and abroad, mostly veterans of the ʽEn Gedi expedition, students from the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University, instructors from the ʽEn Gedi Field School, students of the Melahin Ha-Arez preparatory program ʽEn Gedi and inspectors of the ʽEn Gedi Nature Reserve. The excavation was funded by donations from foundations and individuals abroad and was assisted by the Nature and Parks Authority.

This article discusses the question if houses made of mud bricks in the ancient village of Ein Gedi during the Roman-Byzantine period could offer thermal comfort to their dwellers in the summers' hottest months when the minimum nighttime temperatures are above 30 degrees Celsius. This question was raised when an interesting artefact was found in one of the village houses that was ruined in the 6th C. CE. This artefact is the remains of carbonized wooden poles and a palm leaf mat, these most probably being the remains of a rope bed that was mentioned in historical sources and was common in the entire region.

Most studies of ancient maritime activity on the Dead Sea focus on the Hellenistic to the Early Byzantine periods, for which a rich body of archaeological and historic data exists. However, finds of Dead Sea bitumen at distant prehistoric sites and an anchor dating to the seventh century BC indicate that maritime activity on the lake preceded the Greek and Roman periods, and raise questions regarding this activity’s origins and nature. By linking the exploitation of Dead Sea bitumen with the use of watercraft, and through consideration of a broader early maritime record of the ancient Near East, this study pushes back the dating of this activity on the lake and suggests the nature of its watercraft.

A recently discovered artificial stone mound on the northern shore of the Dead Sea is a maritime feature exposed by the drying of the lake. Lake‐level fluctuations, a loose silt bottom, lack of natural anchorages, and onshore prevailing winds, prevented the long‐term planning, construction and maintenance of shore‐based harbour installations in this area. This and a similar mound nearby, Rujum el Bahr, are interpreted as structures once used for open‐water mooring, providing a firm anchor‐hold over a range of lake levels and wind directions. As such, they enabled the use of this economically and strategically important part of the lake by maritime traffic.

The Ein Gedi Wilderness, or Ein Gedi Desert, in the Judean Desert, was surveyed while surveying the Ein Gedi Archaeological map No.147 (Hadas 2013). The Judean Desert plateau is situated among the Great Rift Valley cliffs, at the Dead Sea Transform, which is situated above the Ein Gedi oasis in the east, and the desert frontier in the west. The Ein Gedi survey map covers a small part of it, being an area of less than 80 sq km.

During January 2012, an archaeological excavation was conducted in the national park of the ancient synagogue at ‘En Gedi (License no. G-1/2012; map ref. 23708/59690). The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and underwritten by contributions of foundations and individuals from abroad and the Dead Sea and ‘Arava Science Center, was directed by G. Hadas, with the assistance of R. Merhav (administration), D. Porotzki (surveying and drafting) and A. de-Vincenz (ceramics). Additional assistance was provided by the Nature and Parks Authority. Volunteers from Israel and overseas participated in the excavation, mostly veterans of the ‘En Gedi Oasis expedition, as well as volunteers from the ‘En Gedi Field School, ‘En Gedi Nature Reserve and students of the Melah Ha-Arez preparatory program at ‘En Gedi.