Archaeologists discovered a 2,200-year-old pyramid structure in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea that featured stones weighing hundreds of pounds each.
Early returns from excavations have already yielded artifacts aplenty, from historical documents to bronze vessels and ancient furniture.
Further investigation hopes to parse out the site’s use, whether as a guard tower, a monument, or even a tax collector’s fortress.
The mystery surrounding the discovery of a 2,200-year-old pyramid in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea comes with plenty of clues. Filled with Greek historical documents written on papyrus, bronze coins minted under Greek rulers, weapons aplenty, and even ancient furniture, eager archaeologists hope to rummage the plunder to understand just why this building existed.
Active during the time the Ptolemies and Seleucids ruled Israel, the site roughly 12 miles south of Masada and described as “huge” by the Israel Antiquity Authority, has massive historical importance. “What we have here is one of the richest and most intriguing archaeological excavations ever found in the Judean Desert,” the excavation directors said in a statement on behalf of the authority. “This pyramidal structure we discovered is huge, and made of hand-hewn stones, each one weighing hundreds of kilograms.”
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Already in the first week of excavation, volunteers working with the authority found written historical documents, bronze vessels, wooden tools, fabrics, and more, all preserved by the desert climate. “This is a very promising site,” the team wrote, “every moment new findings are discovered, and we are filled with anticipation.”
Part of a larger Judean Desert archaeological operation that began eight years ago to save potential finds from illicit excavation and theft, a dedicated Robbery Prevention Unit systematically surveyed the desert along 112 miles of cliffs, locating roughly 900 caves. The teams found thousands of rare items, including scrolls deliberately hidden. Locating a pyramid was an unexpected discovery.
“This excavation changes the site’s historical record,” the three excavation leaders wrote. “Contrary to previous hypotheses that attributed this structure to the First Temple period, it seems that it was built later—during the Hellenistic period—when the land of Israel was under Ptolemaic rule.”
The team doesn’t know the purpose of the Greek-originated site, whether a guard tower protecting a commercial route that brought Dead Sea salt and bitumen to ports, or maybe even just a mountaintop monument. The team calls it an “enthralling historical mystery” that the excavation is helping unravel.
Leading theories include that the building was a fortress to defend the road, but it also could have served to house tax collectors working as travelers passed them. The team believes it was later reused as a monumental tomb.
“At first, we thought the site could be just a tomb, but later, we noticed the shape of the original walls, and we understood that the structure was a building,” Eitan Klein, one of the three lead archaeologists on the excavation, told The Times of Israel. “Eventually, we identified it as a tower or fortress dating back to the Hellenistic period, or 2,200 years ago.”
The Ptolemaic coins helped date the building. The team also found coins from the Seleucid kingdom, which led Israel after Ptolemaic rule, likely putting the building in use during the third and first half of the second centuries B.C.
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The Seleucid-era coins, minted under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who Judah Maccabee defeated in 164 B.C., showed the longevity of the site, but Klein said there was no evidence hinting at why the building was vacated, although it collapsed at some point. Evidence shows that during Roman times the building was reused as a monumental grave, likely because of its picturesque location atop a hill. Looters largely emptied the grave portion of the site.
“The Judean Desert survey is one of the most important archaeological operations ever undertaken in the state of Israel’s history,” Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in a statement. “The discoveries are exciting and even emotional, and their significance for archaeological and historical research is enormous.”
Research into what is written on the papyrus documents hasn’t yet started, but Klein believes it could be part of tax documents. “Finding written records from such a long time ago is very rare,” he said, “and the dream of every archaeologist.”
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Tim Newcomb is a journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. He covers stadiums, sneakers, gear, infrastructure, and more for a variety of publications, including Popular Mechanics. His favorite interviews have included sit-downs with Roger Federer in Switzerland, Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, and Tinker Hatfield in Portland.