Israeli archaeologists announced the historic discovery of remnants of biblical texts in Israel on Tuesday.
Experts from the Israel Antiquities Authority revealed dozens of Dead Sea Scroll fragments, the first to have been found in 60 years as part of an effort supported by the Israeli government. Shepherds in the West Bank first found fragments of the scrolls, named because of their proximity to the Dead Sea, in 1946, and archaeologists have since built on their discovery.
The fragments contain lines of ancient Greek text of the biblical books of Zechariah and Nahum, archaeologists said.
They were radiocarbon dated to the 2nd century A.D., according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. The texts were likely hidden away during the Bar Kokhba Revolt, the armed Jewish uprising that took place against Rome during Emperor Hadrian’s reign between the years 132 A.D. and 136 A.D.
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The artifacts, of which there are about 80, are believed to belong to a collection of fragments found in the 1960s at a site known as the Cave of Horror, named because of the 40 human skeletons found there.
The Israel Antiquities Authority has been on a mission to find other scrolls and artifacts before plunderers have the opportunity. Since the 1960s, texts have appeared on the black market, and Israeli officials want to prevent as many artifacts as possible from falling into the wrong hands.
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“The desert team showed exceptional courage, dedication, and devotion to purpose, rappelling down to caves located between heaven and earth, digging and sifting through them, enduring thick and suffocating dust, and returning with gifts of immeasurable worth for mankind,” said Israel Hasson, the director of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
