Archaeologists have found parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Israel. It is the first time in some sixty years that parts of the 2,000-year-old Biblical documents have been found in the country.
The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the Judean Desert, which lies near the Dead Sea in the West Bank. According to Israeli authorities, coins, a 6,000-year-old skeleton and a basket at least 10,000 years old have also been found. It would be “the oldest basket in the world”.
The usually rolled up parchment documents were hidden in caves during a Jewish revolt against the Romans in the period 132-136 AD. The Biblical documents were discovered in the period 1947-1956. The texts are generally written in Ancient Greek, but the name of God is always in an old version of Hebrew.
The Antiquities Authority (IAA) has been conducting excavation work in the desert since 2017. According to Israel Hasson of the IAA, only half of the targeted desert area has actually been searched and many more caves may contain historical artifacts. The area is therefore also popular among looters.
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