Background and Excavation
I’m a former volunteer on an excavation led by Vendyl Jones—often called the “real Indiana Jones”—focused on a site described in the Copper Scroll in the search for artifacts tied to the Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant. During that work, materials identified as Temple-style incense were recovered and later analyzed, drawing international attention. I was selected to speak about the project and its significance during coverage by CNN.
Years later, that experience led me down an unexpected path. After studying a passage in the Book of Isaiah describing a “sign and altar in the midst of Egypt”—often linked by some scholars to the Great Pyramid of Giza—I arranged to burn a formulation of this ancient-style incense inside the pyramid to fulfill this prophecy.
The Cave and the Copper Scroll
According to interpretations of the Copper Scroll, Vendyl Jones believed he had identified the location of a significant cave by following directional clues described in the text. The scroll referenced a north–south line along the road to Succachiah, as well as an east–west marker formed by a wadi. The intersection of these two features was thought to pinpoint the cave’s location.
At this site, Jones identified what is referred to as the “Cave of the Column.” The name suggested a cave with two openings, which matched the physical description..
Emek HaMelek and Hidden Vessels
Another related tradition appears in the text known as Emek HaMelek (“Valley of the King”), which preserves what is traditionally understood as the full content of a lost or attributed Mishnaic work called Massekhet Keilim. This text is said to consist of twelve chapters describing sacred Temple vessels that were hidden by the prophet Jeremiah around 429 BCE, several years before the destruction of the First Temple.
According to this account, five individuals were entrusted with concealing these treasures: Shimor the Levite, Chizkiah, Tzidkiyahu, Haggai, and Zechariah. Chapter Three further notes that additional prophets, along with Ezra, were present when the text was later written down in Babylon.
The first two chapters are considered especially important. The first lists the hidden vessels, while the second states:
Mishnah 1 — The Record
The vessels of the Temple and of the Holy of Holies, made by Solomon, were written upon a copper tablet by Shimur the Levite and his companions, and were hidden from the Chaldeans
Mishnah 12 (prophetic theme — vessels revealed)
“…and in the end of days the hidden vessels shall be revealed,
which were concealed by Shimmur, Heleq, and Shamsiel.
And the rivers shall be joined,
the Euphrates and the Gihon shall flow together,
and by them the hidden things shall be made known.
And the vessels shall come forth from their places,
and they shall be restored for service as in former times,
in the days of the Messiah.”
Hebrew Phrase
- ירדו מים (yerdu mayim)
“ומים ירדו…”
“and waters will descend…”
The Tunnel and the Cave Connection
Jones further connected this to an underground water tunnel, which runs from the Temple in Jerusalem to the cave. This system was associated with traditions concerning Zedekiah’s Cave (also linked in some claims to “Zedekiah’s Tunnel”).
The tunnel can partially be accessed today from Damascus Gate through guided tours that identify it as the one Zedekiah used in an attempt to escape during the Babylonian siege, though he was ultimately captured. Jones reportedly went beyond the standard tour route with journalists, suggesting that the tunnel once connected all the way to the Temple, though earthquakes had since blocked portions of it. The Tunnel extended toward the cave location which was blocked at the final point as well.
This theory is also linked to a passage in 2 Maccabees, which states that the prophet Jeremiah hid sacred Temple items in a cave while traveling toward Mount Nebo. Based on this account, Jones argued that the cave he identified corresponded to one located along that route, reinforcing his conclusion about its significance. It had a double tunnel underpass and identified as a water tunnel through archeology and is also traditionally associated with the tunnel that once carried water to the desert, nearby the cave.
Water Flowing from the Temple
Another recurring image in these traditions appears in the Book of Zechariah, which describes water flowing outward from Jerusalem in a symbolic future vision.
Zechariah 14:8 states:
“On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem,
half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea…”
This imagery of water emerging from under the porsh of the Temple confirms.
Book of Ezekiel 47:1
“Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and, behold,
waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward…
and the waters came down from under,
from the right side of the house,
at the south side of the altar.”
Temple Incense
The Incense & the Cave
Before I arrived at the excavation led by Vendyl Jones, I had been following updates through his project communications.
In one of his newsletters, he described his interpretation of the Copper Scroll as indicating that materials associated with Temple practices—specifically a form of sacred incense—might be located near the entrance of a cave described in the text.
That expectation shaped part of the focus of the excavation. When I later joined the project, the idea that specific items could correspond to locations described in the Copper Scroll was not just theoretical—it was actively guiding where and how the team was searching.
For me, encountering that connection firsthand—between an ancient text, a modern interpretation, and physical exploration on the ground—was one of the most striking aspects of the experience.
At the opening of the cave, there was a hidden silo carved into bedrock. Inside was a reddish, powder-like substance. Analysis by Dr.Marvin Antelman (chemist, sometimes described as a Nobel Prize winner) and researcher Terry Hutter reportedly analyzed it at the Weizmann Institute and concluded it consisted of a refined mixture of nine spices.
Nearby, additional materials—Karsina lye and Sodom salt—were found, which completed the formula for the sacred incense known as the Ketoret, described in the Torah and Talmud as being used in the Temple ritual.
Approximately 900 pounds of this substance were uncovered and given to the Temple Institute. Shlomo Goren, who had previously served as both Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel and Chief Rabbi of the Israeli Defense Forces thanked the members of Vendyl’s team. Since the incense was not classified, these members were awarded some of the incense for their participation in the dig. I was one of them.
Closing Reflection
Little did I know at that time, what this would mean to my future.