Impressive remains of agricultural systems on the western shore of the Dead Sea attest to human efforts to prepare the land for cultivation, despite detrimental conditions. Surviving terraces and water installations of ancient farming systems attest that the economy of the ‘En Gedi inhabitants was based mainly on crops. These crops were grown for both local consumption and for market; the most notable plant was date palms. The earliest irrigation system dates to the Hasmonean period. During the Herodian dynasty, the ‘En Gedi Oasis was at its zenith, reaching its peak in the second third of the first century CE. These irrigation systems also served the Jewish population at ‘En Gedi during the Byzantine period.