The 1,900-year-old swords, discovered in exceptional condition alongside a pilum, may be a hidden cache that belonged to Judean rebels.
“The hiding of the swords and the pilum in deep cracks in the isolated cave north of ‘En Gedi, hints that the weapons were taken as booty from Roman soldiers or from the battlefield, and purposely hidden by the Judean rebels for reuse,” said Eitan Klein, a director of the Judean Desert Survey Project, in the authority release.
The Bar Kokhba revolt was a Jewish rebellion against Roman rule that eventually failed. But at least some Judeans apparently made away with war spoils, if the team’s initial conclusions are correct. A bronze coin dating from the time of Bar Kokhba was found in the cave, providing further evidence that the swords may have been stowed away at that time.
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