The archaeology of the Judean Desert has been a main focus of my research since joining the Dead Sea Escarpment Survey (DSES) in 2003. During this survey, spearheaded by Roi Porat under the directorship of Amos Frumkin and the late Hanan Eshel, ca. 400 caves and other sites were documented along the Dead Sea Escarpment between Nahal Qidron and En Gedi. Based on the survey results, combined with new surveys in and re-examination of previously-studied caves in the area stretching between Qumran and Masada, I launched a long-time research of human activity patterns in the Judean Desert caves, centered around their exploitation for temporary refuge in late prehistoric and early historic periods.

In my doctoral research I applied a multi-faceted research program aimed to investigate the role played by the Judean Desert in the intricate relations between the desert and the sown in the southern Levant during the Chalcolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. Drawing on a systematic landscape archaeological survey I conducted in the Masada and Nahal Ze'elim area, as well as on continued work in Judean Desert cliff caves (e.g., the 2009 excavations of Yoram Cave in Masada, with Nimrod Marom) and on meticulous reevaluations of past excavations in all sites dated from these periods, I was able to demonstrate that the Judean Desert was not inhabited by significant pastoral-nomadic populations during the investigated time-span. This conclusion contradicts the commonly held view of the region, and also differs from what is known from other south Levantine deserts. On the other hand, the region was intermittently used by the ‘people of the sown’ for various purposes, taking advantage both of its environmental resources, which include winter-spring pastures as well as Dead Sea salt and asphalt, and of its hazards, i.e. precipitous landscapes dotted by numerous caves used for refuge and ritual. Land use patterns in the region changed significantly only during the Late Iron Age, with the initiation of agricultural cash-crop enterprises in the Dead Sea oases. Thus, although essentially part of a wide desert belt, the Judean Desert was mostly influenced by, and serves as a proxy to, socio-political processes in the settled lands (mainly the Judean Highlands). Particular emphasis was given during the research to the improvement of field survey and dating methodologies of desert sites, resulting in deep critique of past regional surveys. The multidisciplinary cave research yielded multiple publications, highlighted by the Judean Desert Cave Atlas published in 2015.

My current research in the Judean Desert is three-fold:

1. Human-environment interactions during the Holocene, as part of the DEADSEA_ECO project headed by Nimrod Marom (ERC-Stg grant no. 802752). The study focuses on the changes in the regional ecosystem of the Judean Desert in relation to periods of prosperity and decline in human activity in this region, and En Gedi Oasis in particular. This study entails the collection and analysis of biological data from a 40+ caves in the southern Judean Desert, dating of leopard traps, and detailed archaeological and environmental research at main foci of human activity in En Gedi.
2. New studies on the archaeology of the En Gedi oasis. As part of the DEADSEA_ECO project, we conduct high-resolutions surveys and multiple small-scale excavations in En Gedi since 2019, examining different components within the rich cultural landscape of the oasis. Major advances include the identification of a Chalcolithic hamlet related to the famous Chalcolithic shrine on the slope of the En Gedi Spring; new structures from the Iron Age and Roman-Byzantine periods in the En Gedi Spring terrace; revaluation of the stratigraphy and chronology of Iron Age Tel Goren; and the discovery of a new, significant component of the Roman-period settlement of En Gedi south of Nahal David ('Tombstone Hill').
3. The emergence of regional road systems. This study involves the creation of a large database of ancient roads and trails in the Judean Desert, with special focus on the ascents of the Dead Sea Escarpment; GIS analysis of optimal movement between focal points within and outside the region and its relation to the actual course of trails and roads; and systematic high-resolution surveys along routes followed by spatial analysis of road structures, stations and movement wastes. These will be used to delineate the formation of regional route systems over time, taking advantage of the excellent preservation and visibility of durable archaeological remains in the desert landscape.