Archaeologists find dozens of Dead Sea Scroll fragments
For the first time in 60 years, Israeli archaeologists have discovered dozens of Dead Sea Scroll fragments, pieces of parchment that date back to around the first century.
The more than 80 fragments were found inside a cave in the Judean Desert, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Tuesday. Also discovered in the cave were an intact woven basket believed to be 10,500 years old and the 6,000-year-old mummified skeleton of a child. The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient Jewish religious manuscripts that were first discovered in the 1940s and 1950s, and are some of the earliest known copies of Biblical texts.
It is believed the newly found scrolls were hidden in the cave by Jewish rebels fleeing a Roman advance. The parchment fragments feature Greek text from the books of Zechariah and Nahum, including the verse, "These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to one another, render true and perfect justice in your gates."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Joe Uziel, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority's Dead Sea Scrolls unit, told The Associated Press that Biblical texts are not "static," and the slight differences picked up in different scrolls are "important." When those details are added up, he said, it allows historians to "understand a little bit better" how the Biblical text came into its Hebrew form.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Humza Yousaf clears the decks to battle no-confidence vote
Speed Read First minister is 'done', according to insider, but a single vote could change the balance
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Immunotherapy and hay fever
The Explainer Research shows that the treatment could provide significant relief from symptoms for many hay fever sufferers
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A flooded island, a ballistic missile, and more
By Anahi Valenzuela, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published