NEW DISCOVERIES AT HORVAT BURGIN IN THE JUDEAN SHEPHELAH: TOMBS, HIDING COMPLEXES, AND GRAFFITI

AbstractHorvat Burgin (Khirbet Umm Burj) occupies the summit of a hill in the Judean Shephelah. This article presents the results of archaeological fieldwork undertaken by the authors from 1995 to 2008, focusing on rock-cut underground cavities that had served as burial caves, hiding complexes, and agricultural installations. Most of the features discussed had been plundered; only one burial complex was found sealed. The article reviews the main issues published in Hebrew in preliminary form, and presents for the first time the following results: •. The stratigraphy revealed in a probing excavation of a residential area; a special find: a short ink inscription in Latin, on a handle of a locally produced storage jar.•. The relationship between the residential area and the hiding system hewn underneath it.•. An inscription in the cursive Jewish script incised on a doorjamb of an underground room in the system.•. Some outstanding burial caves and three recently looted tombs: one from the late Second Temple p...