Babatha

Who is Babatha?

Babatha was a Jewish woman who lived in the port town of Maoza in modern day Jordan at beginning of the 2nd century CE. In 1960, archeologist Yigael Yadin discovered a leather pouch containing her personal documents in what came to be known as the Cave of Letters, near the Dead Sea. The documents found include such legal contracts concerning marriage, property transfers, and guardianship. These documents, ranging from CE 96 to 134, depict a vivid picture of life for an upper-middle class Jewish woman during that time. They also provide an example of the Roman bureaucracy and legal system under which she lived.