Israel unveiled fragments of 2,000-year-old biblical manuscripts on Tuesday Discovered in the Judean desert, in the south of the country. It is a “historical” discovery and one of the most important discoveries since the Dead Sea Scrolls.
“For the first time in nearly 60 years, archaeological excavations have uncovered parts of a scroll of the Bible,” the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement.
The The Greek portions made it possible to reconstruct passages from the books of Zechariah and Nahum, And it is part of the book of the twelve minor prophets in the Bible, according to Israeli researchers.
The manuscripts were found during excavations In a steep cave in the Nahal Hever Nature ReserveAs part of a campaign to combat heritage looting.
Archaeologists worked with drones and mountain equipment, including zipline ropes. His mission was focused on the Judean desert region in the West Bank, an area occupied by Israel since 1967.
In addition to parchment fragments, Objects from Bar Kokhba’s Jewish revolt against the Romans (132-136 AD) have been discovered, as well as the skeleton of a 6000 year old mummified child. AAI estimated it was wrapped in a 10,500-year-old cloth and basket, possibly the oldest in the world.
Yisrael Hasson, director of the Arab Institute for Pharmaceutical Industries, which displays the pieces in its laboratory at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, said that the initiative launched in 2017 aims to “save these rare and important heritage pieces from the clutches of thieves.”
Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls more than 70 years ago in the Caves of Qumran, the rocky caves in the Judean Desert have become a target for thieves of antiquity.
These 900 manuscripts are considered one of the most important archaeological finds of all time because they contain religious texts in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, in addition to the oldest known copy of the Old Testament.
