Israeli archaeologists announced the discovery of dozens of new ones this week Fragments of Dead Sea parchment. Found in a desert cave and probably hidden during a Jewish revolt against Rome almost 1,900 years ago, fragments of biblical texts offer a rare window into the history of Judaism, the lives of early Christians, and mankind.
Imtiaz Tyab of CBS News reports that when the first fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found more than 70 years ago, it was widely regarded as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.
To make the new discovery, archaeologists abducted down a cliff to the cave of horrors, so named because of the dozens of human remains found inside. But while the history of the cave is as dark as its name suggests, excavators have described what they found inside as “between heaven and earth.”
Dozens of fragments of Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered after nearly two millennia. The parchment pieces are small, some tiny, but large enough to draw wisdom from, according to Dr. Oren Ableman.
“These are the things you have to do,” he quotes from a Greek text of the fragments. “Tell each other the truth, do true and perfect justice at your gates, and do not invent evil against one another. And do not love perjury because these are things that I hate,” declares the Lord.
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The arid conditions of the Judean desert ensured that dozens of other objects found next to the scroll fragments also stood the test of time, including ancient olive pits; remnants of clothing and sandals and a pint of wooden lice similar to the one that could be used today.
Protect culture or steal it?
Archaeologist Chaim Cohen says the four-year project has been vital in protecting the treasures of the cave system from future looting.
“This project is protecting the area because, again, it’s almost impossible to beat the looters,” he said. “They are working and the solution was to get to the case in front of the looters.”
The mass excavation site covers parts of southern Israel and the West Bank occupied by Israel. Israel has long been criticized for removing objects found in the Palestinian territories.
Under international law, it is forbidden to take cultural property from an occupied territory, but these concerns have not prevented the Israeli Antiquities Authority from displaying the findings.
Beyond the biblical
Some of the artifacts go far beyond the biblical, including the skeleton of a 6,000-year-old boy and an almost perfectly preserved basket, which today would not look too out of place in a home furniture store.
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“We didn’t understand it because we thought the cave was empty and when we arrived we looked at a whole huge basket intact,” said Yaniv Berman of the Antiquities Authority. He said that when they got the results of the carbon dating analysis, “it surprised us! It’s 10,500 years old!”
It was another dazzling piece of the puzzle of the past, which was found alongside ancient wisdoms that still resonate today.