The scroll fragments bear verses from the books of the prophets Zechariah and Nahum. The scrolls were written in Greek.
Archaeologists have been working on caves and cliffs in the Judean desert since 2017 as part of a “national operation to prevent the looting of antiques,” according to the press release.
The basket shown here is believed to be the oldest complete example in the world. Credit: Yaniv Berman / Israel Antiquities Authority
Teams also found a skeleton of a 6,000-year-old boy, rare coins and a complete basket believed to be the oldest in the world, dating back 10,500 years.
Discovered 70 years ago in caves around Qumran, the Dead Sea Scrolls are among the most significant biblical finds in archeology, containing the oldest versions of the Hebrew Bible and other Jewish texts dating back to ‘time of Jesus. Most of the scrolls are kept in the sanctuary of the book, which is part of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Archaeologists also found these rare coins. Credit: Offer Sion / Israel Antiquities Authority
The last fragments of the scroll were found in the Cave of Horror, which is about 80 meters (262 feet) below a cliff in the Judean Desert. It can only be accessed by rappel from the top.
Since the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered more than 70 years ago, the area has caught the attention of looters, according to the press release. The climatic conditions of the area mean that the parchments and ancient documents are exceptionally well preserved.
“The goal of this national initiative is to rescue these rare and important heritage assets from the clutches of thieves,” said Israel Hasson, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, which called for more resources to complete the recovery operation.
The place is known as the Cave of Horror. Credit: Eitan Klein / Israel Antiquities Authority
“We need to ensure that we recover all the data that has not yet been discovered in the caves, before the thieves do. Some things have no value.”
Hananya Hizmi, head of the West Bank’s civil administration’s archeology department, said this was “an exciting time” and that the results of the operation shed more light on the region’s history.
“The findings attest to a rich, diverse and complex way of life, as well as the harsh climatic conditions that prevailed in the region hundreds and thousands of years ago,” Hizmi said.
Since October 2017, teams have surveyed 80 kilometers (49.7 miles) of desert caves, many of which are virtually inaccessible, according to the press release.
Eleven lines of text have been reconstructed, including parts of a Greek translation of Zechariah 8: 16-17. In another passage verses from Nahum 1: 5-6 were identified.
Archaeologists had to abseil to the Cave of Horror. Credit: Eitan Klein / Israel Antiquities Authority
Archaeologists also discovered the partially mummified skeleton of a 6-12-year-old boy, buried in a shallow well under two flat stones and wrapped in cloth, dating back 6,000 years.
“It was obvious that the person who buried the child had wrapped him and pushed the edges of the cloth under him, in the same way that a father covers his son with a blanket,” said Ronit Lupu, archaeologist of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
“The skeleton of the child and the cloth wrapper were remarkably well preserved and, due to the climatic conditions of the cave, a natural mummification process had taken place; the skin, tendons and even the hair were they partially preserved, despite the passage of time. “
Centuries of warm and dry climate mean that the large basket, with a capacity of 90-100 liters and made of plant material, can provide a new vision of how the products were stored about 1,000 years before the invention of ceramics, according to the press release.