En-Gedi (Tel Goren) Stratum V
A royal perfume village by the Dead Sea, burned in the Babylonian conquest
Found 1961 — Benjamin Mazar, Trude Dothan and Immanuel Dunayevsky (Hebrew University / Israel Exploration Society), five seasons 1961–62 and 1964–65
Where Tel Goren, En-Gedi oasis, western shore of the Dead Sea (Israel)
Dates from c. 630–582 BCE · Iron Age IIC · Reign of Yoshiyahu (Josiah) to the fall of Judah
Now at In situ at En-Gedi Nature Reserve; finds in the Israel Museum
How En-Gedi (Tel Goren) Stratum V was found
Excavation of the small mound of Tel Goren found a first settlement (Stratum V) of large houses with barrel-shaped jars, ovens and installations for processing plant products, ended by a fierce fire. Seal impressions of 'the king' (rosette type) and a bulla of 'Uriyahu son of Azaryahu' were found.
What it is
An unwalled village of well-built houses on a spur above the oasis, with hundreds of storage jars, decanters and clay 'barrels' interpreted as equipment for producing balsam perfume, En-Gedi's famous product in later sources. The destruction is dated by pottery to the Babylonian campaigns of 586–582.
Why it matters for the Bible
En-Gedi first appears in the 7th century as a royal enterprise — probably Josiah's — exploiting the oasis. Song of Songs 1:14 already knows 'the vineyards of En-Gedi', and Ezekiel 47:10 pictures fishermen from En-Gedi on a healed Dead Sea. Its burning shows that Nebuchadnezzar's army reached even the most remote corners of Judah, fulfilling Jeremiah's warning of a desolation from end to end. The site was resettled under the Persians, in line with the return.
The Hebrew word: ayn GEH-dee
עֵין גֶּדִי
עֵין גֶּדִי is pronounced ayn GEH-dee and means En-Gedi, spring of the kid (Strong's H5872).
People this discovery connects to
- Josiah — יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ (yoh-shee-YAH-hoo) — YHVH supports
Places
- En-Gedi — עֵין גֶּדִי (ayn GEH-dee) — spring of the kid (young goat)
Events
Royal development of the Judean desert under Josiah · Babylonian destruction of Judah
En-Gedi (Tel Goren) Stratum V in Scripture
Joshua 15:62 First mention of En-gedi in Scripture.
Ezekiel 47:10 Fishermen will stand at En-Gedi — the prophet's vision of the Dead Sea healed.
Song of Songs 1:14 'A cluster of henna in the vineyards of En-Gedi' — the oasis's plantations, which the Stratum V village worked.
Questions people ask
What is En-Gedi (Tel Goren) Stratum V?
An unwalled village of well-built houses on a spur above the oasis, with hundreds of storage jars, decanters and clay 'barrels' interpreted as equipment for producing balsam perfume, En-Gedi's famous product in later sources. The destruction is dated by pottery to the Babylonian campaigns of 586–582.
When was En-Gedi (Tel Goren) Stratum V discovered?
It was found in 1961 by Benjamin Mazar, Trude Dothan and Immanuel Dunayevsky (Hebrew University / Israel Exploration Society), five seasons 1961–62 and 1964–65, at Tel Goren, En-Gedi oasis, western shore of the Dead Sea.
Where is En-Gedi (Tel Goren) Stratum V today?
In situ at En-Gedi Nature Reserve; finds in the Israel Museum.
Which Bible verses does En-Gedi (Tel Goren) Stratum V relate to?
Joshua 15:62, Ezekiel 47:10, Song of Songs 1:14.
Related discoveries
- אֲשֵׁרָהJudean Pillar FigurinesThousands of little clay women from Judah's homes — Asherah, prayer aids or charms?
- בֶּגֶדMesad Hashavyahu Ostracon (Yavne-Yam Letter)A field worker's plea for his confiscated cloak — Torah law in a soldier's petition
- פַּרְעֹה נְכֹהMegiddo Area X: Necho's Army and the Death of JosiahA layer of Egyptian and Greek pottery from the time Pharaoh Necho killed King Yoshiyahu (2025)
- מְגִדּוֹMegiddo Stratum II and the Death of JosiahThe fortress where Pharaoh Necho II killed Judah's reforming king on his way to the Euphrates
- עֶבֶד הַמֶּלֶךְNathan-Melech, Servant of the King BullaSeal of an official named in the story of Josiah's reform
- תָּמָרEn Hazeva Edomite Cult VesselsA pit of deliberately smashed shrine furniture beside a Judahite fortress
Sources
- Mazar, Dothan & Dunayevsky, En-Gedi: The First and Second Seasons of Excavations 1961–1962 (Atiqot 5, 1966)
- Stern, En-Gedi Excavations I: Final Report 1961–1965 (2007)
- Encyclopedia.com (Encyclopaedia Judaica), 'En-Gedi'