2/14/2017 Archaeologists Might Have Found Another Dead Sea Scroll Cave | Smart News | Smithsonian

Smithsonian.com
SmartNewsKeepingyoucurrent

ArchaeologistsMightHaveFoundAnotherDeadSeaScroll
Cave
Itcouldbecavenumber12

ArcheologistsfoundthispieceofparchmentrolledupinajuginacaveonthecliffswestofQumran.(CaseyL.
OlsonandOrenGutfeld)

ByLaurenYoung
smithsonian.com
February8,2017

Inthelate1940s,teenagersexploredacavehiddenintheflanksofjaggedhillsofWadiQumranintheJudeanDesert.Inside,
theydiscoveredfragmentsoftheoriginalDeadSeaScrollsancientcollectionsoftextthatcontaintheoldestknownbiblical
manuscripts.Sincethen,archaeologistshavefound11Qumrancavesthattheyhaveextensivelyexcavatedinsearchofthe
preciousscrollsthatdatebackmorethan2,000yearsago.Now,ateamofarchaeologistsfromtheHebrewUniversityof
JerusalemandLibertyUniversityinVirginiahavediscoveredwhattheybelievetobea12thcaveonthecliffswestofQumran.

TheHebrewUniversitypressreleasewritesthatinthefirstwidescalesurveyintheareasince1993,theteamunearthedstorage
jarsandlidsfromtheSecondTempleperiod(datingfrom530BCto70CE)inthecavethatsomescholarsarealreadycalling
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-might-have-found-another-dead-sea-scroll-cave-180962092/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=e 1/3
2/14/2017 Archaeologists Might Have Found Another Dead Sea Scroll Cave | Smart News | Smithsonian
number12.Theyalsofoundapairofironpickaxeheadsthattheyidentifiedasbeingfromthe1950s,suggestingthecavehad
beenlooted.

OrenGutfeld,anarchaeologistatHebrewUniversitywhowaspartofthedig,saysheisconfidentthatthenewlydiscoveredcave
oncecontainedDeadSeaScrolls.Althoughattheendofthedaynoscrollwasfound,andinsteadweonlyfoundapieceof
parchmentrolledupinajugthatwasbeingprocessedforwriting,thefindingsindicatebeyondanydoubtthatthecavecontained
scrollsthatwerestolen,hesaysintherelease.

TheDeadSeaScrollsarefirstpersonaccountsofhistory,andtheinformationtheycontainispriceless.AsAndrewLawler
explainedinSmithsonianMagazine:TheDeadSeaScrollscomprisingmorethan800documentsmadeofanimalskin,
papyrusandevenforgedcopperdeepenedourunderstandingoftheBibleandshedlightonthehistoriesofJudaismand
Christianity.

InadditiontoBiblicaltext,thescrollscontainhymns,prayers,commentaries,andmysticalformulas,Lawlerwrites.Theyreso
valuablethatafragmentofanoriginalscrollthesizeofafingernailcancostupto$1,000,000,theBiblicalMuseumatLiberty
Universitynotes.

ThenewdiscoveryhasIsraelHasson,directorgeneraloftheIsraelAntiquitiesAuthority,callingformorefundingto
systematicallysearchallcavesintheJudeanDesertforartifactsthathaveyettobediscovered.Weareinaraceagainsttimeas
antiquitiesthievesstealheritageassetsworldwideforfinancialgain,hesaysintherelease.

Likethisarticle?
SIGNUPforournewsletter
Email SIGNUP

PAIDCONTENT

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-might-have-found-another-dead-sea-scroll-cave-180962092/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=e 2/3
2/14/2017 Archaeologists Might Have Found Another Dead Sea Scroll Cave | Smart News | Smithsonian

subscriberenewgiveagiftSmithsonianmagazine

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-might-have-found-another-dead-sea-scroll-cave-180962092/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=e 3/3