The "Cave of the Treasure" refers to a specific cave in Nahal Mishmar, located in the Judean Desert of Israel. It's known for the discovery of a hoard of Chalcolithic artifacts from around 3500 BCE, which includes copper mace heads, scepters, and other ritual objects. These artifacts were found wrapped in a reed mat, concealed behind a large stone in a crevice within the cave. In 1961, Israeli archaeologist Pessah Bar-Adon and his team unearthed the hoard of artifacts while exploring caves near Qumran. The cave contained over 400 objects, primarily made of copper, along with some ivories and hematite. These included mace heads, scepters, and enigmatic objects like "crowns," according to the Israel Museum. The artifacts illustrate the advanced copper-working skills of Chalcolithic smiths, who were the first people to extensively work with metal. The hoard is believed to have belonged to a shrine at En Gedi, about 12 km away, and was likely hidden in the cave during a time of danger.

The Cave of the Treasure. The Finds from the Caves in Nahal Mishmar A report on the artifacts discovered in the course of the excavations in the caves of Nahal Mishmar, including 429 Chalcolithic objects of copper, ivory and Haematite, found wrapped in a reed mat and hidden in a natural crevice of the cave wall. A sparse stratum of finds from the time of the Bar-Kokhba revolt was also found in the cave.

Ritual hoard of copper objects from the Cave of the Treasure, Nahal Mishmar, present-day Israel, Late Chalcolithic period (4500 – 3500 BC). Israel Museum, Jerusalem

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