176 BElWEENTEXTANDARTIFACT'WithregardtotheDeadSeaScrolls,thecontrollingquestionsforthefirst
decadeswerepredominantlyrelatedtotheinterpretationoftheNewTes-
tamentandearlyChristianity,suchasthenatureofmessianicbelief.Ittook
threedecades(untilthepublicationoftheTempleScroll)beforescholars
startedtopaysignificantattentiontolegalinterpretation,whichisamuch
morecentralconcerninthesectariantexts.Inthecaseofthearchaeology
ofQumran,controllingquestionsfromthebeginninghadtodowiththe
relationshiptothescrollsandidentifyingthecommunityinthelightofthe
descriptionsoftheEssenesinantiquity.
Ontheonehand,thesecontrollingquestionsinfluencedhowthesite
ofQumranwasdescribed:anemphasisonisolationandausterity,margin-
alizingofevidence for women,and useof language associatedwith
monasticism. Ontheotherhand, theyalsoinfluencedwhatdata wcre
includedinthepiclUre,Thatis,datathatreinforcedorafrirmedfeaturesin
thescrollsorinancientdescriptionsoftheEsseneswerehighlighted,and
otherdatareceivedcomparablylessattention, Forexample,onlyinthe
courseofSiftingthroughdeVaux'sexcavationnotesandcollectionsofarti-
factsfromQumraninpreparationfora finalpublicationofthearchaeology
ofQumran(ateamappointedin1986)didthefullextentoffinepottery
;mdglassandstonewarefromQumrancometolight,ofaquantiryand
qualitycompletelyunexpectedfromthedescriptionsoftheaustcrityofthe
site,>,gMuchofthism.lterialescapedcommentinthepublishedreportsof
deVaux.
A certain amountoffilteringofdata is inevitable, especiallywith
regardtotheweighingofrelevantdata.InhisbookdeVauxreferredto
onlyonefemaleskeletonidentifiedinwhathecalledthe"maincemetery,"
without repeating that his anthropological expert, 1-1. Vallois, reported
skeletonsof"severalwomen"there)?Thefilteringofrelevantdataonthe
basisofahypothesiscanhavedramaticimplications,asinanotherexam-
pleconcerningthesexofskeletons.Ina freshexaminationofsomeofthe
skeletons,o.Rohrer-Ertlhadreclassifiedthreeskeletonsas fcmale:two
fromthe"maincemctcry"(T22andT24b)andonefromoneoftheexten-
sions(1'37):10J. Ziasarguesthatallofthesereclassificationsshouldbe
overturnedprimarilybecausetheestimateds!aturesoftheskeletons(163
em, 159 em,and 159 em)aretoolargeforfemales.-llHeprovidesstatistics
fortheestimatedstatureofJewishfemalesatfourothercontempof'.lrysites
(EinGedi,Meiron,MountScopus,GushHalav),withanaveragemeanof
jKDono;:ed:ll1dDonced-Volue,"TheArch:lco[ogyofKhirhCIQUtllr:lll:7-13.
.'19dcY:mx,Arcb{l£'o{OBY{/lid{beDeadSeaSero(Js,47.
40 Rohrer-En!.Rohrhirsch,andHahn,"UberdicGr~itx:rfcldervonKhirtx:!Qumr:m:47.
41 Zia~,~Ct:lIle!eriesofQun1r:lnandCelibacy,"232-34.