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Re: orion-list Qumran skeletons/gender

On Wed, 1 Dec 1999 12:23:49 +0100 , gd@teol.ku.dk writes:
>
>
>The current issue of _Revue de Qumran_ (June 1999) has a report 
>from some German scientists on study of de Vaux's 1956 Qumran
>cemetery skeletons (which were recently found after all these years).  
>The article is Rohrer-Ertl et al, "Uber die Graberfelder von Khirbet Qumran,

   Please exuse my dumb question, but was the report reviewed
   "after all these years" or were the skeletons found again after ...?

>Insbesondere die Funde der Campagne 1956", pp. 3-46.  The authors
>concluded after study of six of the skeletons that the cemetery
>cemetery consisted of (quoting from the English abstract) "individuals 
>of all ages at death and both sexes"; also that they were "part of a 
>pre-industrial ruling class, that is they didn't earn their living by 
>physical work"; and finally that they ate little or no bread.

   Again, what was the tally in total and was it included in
   De Vaux's original report?  Either answer may tell us
   a great deal.

>De Vaux had reported women in the cemetery although they were
>categorized as exceptional and statistically minor.  In the forthcoming
>_Dead Sea Discoveries_ (Dec 1999) Joan Taylor has an article 
>citing new data saying not only that the number of women in the 
>cemetery was greater than de Vaux's picture (this may be a reference 
>to the work of Rohrer-Ertl above)--but also that de Vaux minimized
>the incidence of women already suggested from the old data, the
>data he had, through the influence of the Essene sect interpretation.

   Ah, sorry for the above q.  Taylor has answered it.  
   The original excavators had an "agenda" whena they worked, it seems.

>However apparently Joe Zias gave a presentation at SBL in Boston
>suggesting the opposite--according to my hearsay, Zias apparently 
>argued that there was no evidence of women in the cemetery, also 
>citing new data!

   Either there were or there weren't.  What was going on?  Excavators
   rarely make such egregious goofs.

>At least we can be glad that the skeletons are finally coming out
>of the closet (close to literally).  But what is going on with this 
>conflicting data?  Seeking clarification . . .

   Ah, my first question was answered.  The quantity of boxes must
   have been awesome.  Think if a load of them upset?

>Greg Doudna

   Many thanks for setting this in front of us, Greg.


For private reply, e-mail to Tom Simms <tsimms@mailserv.nbnet.nb.ca>
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