Khirbet Jamjum

Khirbet Jamjum is an archeological site located at the western part of Gush Etzion, in the West Bank. It is situated on top of a high hill with cliff walls surrounding on three of its sides. The site was surveyed in the 1990s and excavated in 2005 and 2008.

History
Findings at the site indicate it was alternately populated from the Hasmonean period up to the Ottoman period, but mainly during the Second Temple period and the Byzantine period. It seems the site was abandoned after the Byzantine period and reinhabited at a smaller extent at the top of the hill during the Mamluk period onwards.

Archeology
Archeological finding at the site includes the remains of a large public building, a large and small mikveh, and ossuary fragments, leading to the assumption that there was a Jewish settlement at the site during the late Hasmonean period. Ceramic findings and underground passages connecting the cavities constitute a hiding complex, implying that the place was also used as a stronghold during the Bar Kokhba revolt. Furthermore, large water cisterns such as those found in the Second Temple period Desert Fortresses were identified at the site.

The remains of an oil press and an ancient small oil extraction device were found on the lower areas of the site, even though the area is not known for its oil production. In addition, a small columbarium was discovered, alongside a furnace and a pottery workshop where fragments of decorated pottery shards were found. Nearby the site, rock-cut tombs were also found.