Until the present day the Dead Sea is associated with the lowest point on Earth's surface, the many biblical stories that take place around the Dead Sea, or the Salt Sea as it is called in Hebrew and the large number of world famous archaeological sites. The region is certainly suited to serve as a microcosmic mirror of the different stages of archaeological and historical research in the Near East. 26 contributions explore the region of the Dead Sea in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan - in particular Qumran, Jericho, Machaerus, Kallirrhoe, En-Gedi, Ghor es-Safi. They focus on its archaeology (including environmental archaeology and studies on climate and vegetation and excavations), the history of the exploration as well as the role of the Dead Sea in the Bible. They cover a wide range of topics from Neolithic and Chalcolithic until the Byzantine Era and Early Islam.