Cave of Letters

31°25′57″N 35°20′34″E / 31.432607°N 35.342913°E / 31.432607; 35.342913

Cave of Letters
Roman army camp above the cave
A scroll found in the cave, part of the Babatha archive
Image of a fragment of one of the biblical manuscripts found in the Cave of Letters

The Cave of Letters (Hebrew: מערת האיגרות, romanized: Marat Ha-Igerot) is a refuge cave in Nahal Hever in the Judean Desert where letters and fragments of papyri from the Roman Empire period were found. Some are related to the Bar Kokhba revolt (circa 131–136 CE), including letters of correspondence between Bar Kokhba and his subordinates. Another notable bundle of papyri, known as the Babatha cache, comprises legal documents of Babatha, a female landowner of the same period.

Manuscripts sites in the Judaean desert