Artful
02-11-2017, 02:45 AM
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/dead-sea-scrolls-cave-filled-145210274.html
New Dead Sea Scrolls cave filled with ancient artefacts discovered for first time in 60 years
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sy/ny/api/res/1.2/1UFy30ZAnSZ.PcRH_ni.iA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODQ7aD04NDtpbD1wbG FuZQ--/https://media.zenfs.com/creatr-images/GLB/2017-01-20/65352920-ded2-11e6-8b0a-2fe0a36835e8_200x200_INDY.JPG.cf.jpg (http://www.independent.co.uk/)
Bethan McKernan
The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/)9 February 2017
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sy/ny/api/res/1.2/AYzaP8ykIASJ1Z2sOeX1Zw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en-GB/homerun/the_independent_577/1b3f4405f1d6746dad3858f774b9befdView photos
The discovery of a 12th cave containing Dead Sea Scrolls heralds exciting possibilities for more finds in the hundreds of other caves in the Qumran cliffs: Casey L. Olson and Oren Gutfeld
A new cave in the Qumran cliffs on the Dead Sea (http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/dead-sea) filled with 2,000 year old pottery, scroll jars and other antiquities has been discovered by a team of archaeologists - although no Dead Sea Scrolls fragments were found.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of almost 1,000 manuscripts found in the Qumran caves, on which the second-oldest surviving versions of works which later became Torah and Bible texts are written.
The first of the parchment, papyrus and copper texts, in a variety of languages, were discovered by Bedouin goat herders in the 1940s.
The new find puts paid to the existing consensus that the scrolls are only located in eleven caves at Qumran, a site in the West Bank (http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/west-bank) managed by Israel (http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/israel).
“Until now it was accepted that Dead Sea Scrolls were found only in 11 caves at Qumran, but now there is no doubt that this is the 12th cave,“ Dr. Oren Gutfeld, one of the joint Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Liberty University of Virginia project’s lead researchers, said in a statement.
The archaeologists found shards of pottery and broken scroll storage jars and cloth and leather straps used to protect them dating from the Second Temple period at the cave’s entrance. There was one blank parchment left in a jar, while the others - presumably the valuable texts - had been removed.
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/rsxsUDaxI9uZ_lJn11CBbg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en-GB/homerun/the_independent_577/8c2acbd828220be62cd76547eaab9d7aView photos
Fragments of jars that contained stolen scrolls (Casey L. Olson and Oren Gutfeld)
Many Dead Sea Scroll fragments have ended up on the antiquities black market over the years. Pickaxes at the site suggested that it had been discovered and looted in the 1950s.
“Although at the end of the day no scroll was found, and instead we 'only' found a piece of parchment rolled up in a jug that was being processed for writing, the findings indicate beyond any doubt that the cave contained scrolls that were stolen,” Dr Gutfeld said.
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/pUpBRHK7FtfAAno9CGSZTA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en-GB/homerun/the_independent_577/b95547094697ece45dc96ada74a8d219View photos
Scroll fragment (Casey L Olson and Oren Gutfeld)
Flint blades, arrowheads and a stamp seal made of a semi-precious stone were also found in the cave, revealing it had been in use since the Chalcolithic and Neolithic period.
There are still hundreds of caves left to excavate at Qumran. Dr Gutfield and his team are hopeful that the rest will yield more discoveries.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/12th-dead-sea-scrolls-cave-132600151.html
12th Dead Sea Scrolls Cave Found in Israel
Owen Jarus Live Science Contributor
February 9, 2017
A cave that held Dead Sea Scrolls before they were stolen in the mid-20th century has been discovered near Qumran.
Inside the cave, archaeologists found a blank scroll along with the remains of jars, cloth and a leather strap. The researchers said they believe these items were used to bind, wrap and hold the scrolls.
Between 1947 and 1956, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in a series of 11 caves located near the site of Qumran in what is now the West Bank. The scrolls contain copies of books of the Hebrew Bible along with community rules, calendars and astronomical texts, among other writings.
Some of the scrolls were found by the Bedouin people, who sold the artifacts to antiquities dealers, while other scrolls were found during archaeological excavations. [See Images of the Dead Sea Scrolls]
Archaeologists taking part in the excavation said they could tell from modern day pickaxes found in the cave that the newly discovered cave had been robbed. Thus, any scrolls that may have held writing were taken, the researchers said. The scientists added that they think the blank scroll found in the cave was, in ancient times, being prepared for writing.
The only scroll found in the Qumran cave was blank, though archaeologists believe that in ancient times it was being prepared for writing. Oren Gutfeld & Ahiad Ovadia
"Although, at the end of the day, no scroll was found, and instead we 'only' found a piece of parchment rolled up in a jug that was being processed for writing, the findings indicate beyond any doubt that the cave contained scrolls that were stolen," said excavation director Oren Gutfeld, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology, in a statement.
"The findings include the jars in which the scrolls and their covering were hidden, a leather strap for binding the scroll, a cloth that wrapped the scrolls, tendons and pieces of skin connecting fragments, and more," he added.
Some of the thousands of fragments of Dead Sea Scrolls that are now in museums or private collections could have come from this new cave rather than the 11 previously known caves, Gutfeld said. "Finding this additional scroll cave means we can no longer be certain that the original locations (Caves 1 through 11) attributed to the Dead Sea scrolls that reached the market via the Bedouins are accurate," Gutfeld said in the statement.
The excavation of the cave is part of a larger operation in which the Israel Antiquities Authority is trying to find and excavate caves in the Judean Desert that may hold archaeological remains. The operation was sparked by the activity of looters in the Judean desert.
"The important discovery of another scroll cave attests to the fact that a lot of work remains to be done in the Judean Desert, and finds of huge importance are still waiting to be discovered," Israel Hasson, director-general of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in the statement.
"We are in a race against time as antiquities thieves steal heritage assets worldwide for financial gain. The state of Israel needs to mobilize and allocate the necessary resources in order to launch a historic operation, together with the public, to carry out a systematic excavation of all the caves of the Judean Desert," Hasson added.
New Dead Sea Scrolls cave filled with ancient artefacts discovered for first time in 60 years
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sy/ny/api/res/1.2/1UFy30ZAnSZ.PcRH_ni.iA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODQ7aD04NDtpbD1wbG FuZQ--/https://media.zenfs.com/creatr-images/GLB/2017-01-20/65352920-ded2-11e6-8b0a-2fe0a36835e8_200x200_INDY.JPG.cf.jpg (http://www.independent.co.uk/)
Bethan McKernan
The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/)9 February 2017
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sy/ny/api/res/1.2/AYzaP8ykIASJ1Z2sOeX1Zw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en-GB/homerun/the_independent_577/1b3f4405f1d6746dad3858f774b9befdView photos
The discovery of a 12th cave containing Dead Sea Scrolls heralds exciting possibilities for more finds in the hundreds of other caves in the Qumran cliffs: Casey L. Olson and Oren Gutfeld
A new cave in the Qumran cliffs on the Dead Sea (http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/dead-sea) filled with 2,000 year old pottery, scroll jars and other antiquities has been discovered by a team of archaeologists - although no Dead Sea Scrolls fragments were found.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of almost 1,000 manuscripts found in the Qumran caves, on which the second-oldest surviving versions of works which later became Torah and Bible texts are written.
The first of the parchment, papyrus and copper texts, in a variety of languages, were discovered by Bedouin goat herders in the 1940s.
The new find puts paid to the existing consensus that the scrolls are only located in eleven caves at Qumran, a site in the West Bank (http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/west-bank) managed by Israel (http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/israel).
“Until now it was accepted that Dead Sea Scrolls were found only in 11 caves at Qumran, but now there is no doubt that this is the 12th cave,“ Dr. Oren Gutfeld, one of the joint Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Liberty University of Virginia project’s lead researchers, said in a statement.
The archaeologists found shards of pottery and broken scroll storage jars and cloth and leather straps used to protect them dating from the Second Temple period at the cave’s entrance. There was one blank parchment left in a jar, while the others - presumably the valuable texts - had been removed.
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/rsxsUDaxI9uZ_lJn11CBbg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en-GB/homerun/the_independent_577/8c2acbd828220be62cd76547eaab9d7aView photos
Fragments of jars that contained stolen scrolls (Casey L. Olson and Oren Gutfeld)
Many Dead Sea Scroll fragments have ended up on the antiquities black market over the years. Pickaxes at the site suggested that it had been discovered and looted in the 1950s.
“Although at the end of the day no scroll was found, and instead we 'only' found a piece of parchment rolled up in a jug that was being processed for writing, the findings indicate beyond any doubt that the cave contained scrolls that were stolen,” Dr Gutfeld said.
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/pUpBRHK7FtfAAno9CGSZTA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en-GB/homerun/the_independent_577/b95547094697ece45dc96ada74a8d219View photos
Scroll fragment (Casey L Olson and Oren Gutfeld)
Flint blades, arrowheads and a stamp seal made of a semi-precious stone were also found in the cave, revealing it had been in use since the Chalcolithic and Neolithic period.
There are still hundreds of caves left to excavate at Qumran. Dr Gutfield and his team are hopeful that the rest will yield more discoveries.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/12th-dead-sea-scrolls-cave-132600151.html
12th Dead Sea Scrolls Cave Found in Israel
Owen Jarus Live Science Contributor
February 9, 2017
A cave that held Dead Sea Scrolls before they were stolen in the mid-20th century has been discovered near Qumran.
Inside the cave, archaeologists found a blank scroll along with the remains of jars, cloth and a leather strap. The researchers said they believe these items were used to bind, wrap and hold the scrolls.
Between 1947 and 1956, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in a series of 11 caves located near the site of Qumran in what is now the West Bank. The scrolls contain copies of books of the Hebrew Bible along with community rules, calendars and astronomical texts, among other writings.
Some of the scrolls were found by the Bedouin people, who sold the artifacts to antiquities dealers, while other scrolls were found during archaeological excavations. [See Images of the Dead Sea Scrolls]
Archaeologists taking part in the excavation said they could tell from modern day pickaxes found in the cave that the newly discovered cave had been robbed. Thus, any scrolls that may have held writing were taken, the researchers said. The scientists added that they think the blank scroll found in the cave was, in ancient times, being prepared for writing.
The only scroll found in the Qumran cave was blank, though archaeologists believe that in ancient times it was being prepared for writing. Oren Gutfeld & Ahiad Ovadia
"Although, at the end of the day, no scroll was found, and instead we 'only' found a piece of parchment rolled up in a jug that was being processed for writing, the findings indicate beyond any doubt that the cave contained scrolls that were stolen," said excavation director Oren Gutfeld, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology, in a statement.
"The findings include the jars in which the scrolls and their covering were hidden, a leather strap for binding the scroll, a cloth that wrapped the scrolls, tendons and pieces of skin connecting fragments, and more," he added.
Some of the thousands of fragments of Dead Sea Scrolls that are now in museums or private collections could have come from this new cave rather than the 11 previously known caves, Gutfeld said. "Finding this additional scroll cave means we can no longer be certain that the original locations (Caves 1 through 11) attributed to the Dead Sea scrolls that reached the market via the Bedouins are accurate," Gutfeld said in the statement.
The excavation of the cave is part of a larger operation in which the Israel Antiquities Authority is trying to find and excavate caves in the Judean Desert that may hold archaeological remains. The operation was sparked by the activity of looters in the Judean desert.
"The important discovery of another scroll cave attests to the fact that a lot of work remains to be done in the Judean Desert, and finds of huge importance are still waiting to be discovered," Israel Hasson, director-general of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in the statement.
"We are in a race against time as antiquities thieves steal heritage assets worldwide for financial gain. The state of Israel needs to mobilize and allocate the necessary resources in order to launch a historic operation, together with the public, to carry out a systematic excavation of all the caves of the Judean Desert," Hasson added.