The Israel Antiquities Authority has announced the discovery of ancient Dead Sea Scrolls that contain ancient Biblical verses written almost 2,000 years ago. The scrolls include passages from the books of Zechariah and Nahum, which are part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets. They were discovered in what is known as the "Cave of Horror," a site where the 1,900-year-old remains of Jewish rebels were unearthed years ago.
Archeologists said the scrolls were radiocarbon-dated to the second century A.D. and were believed to have been hidden during a Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire.
The scrolls were written in Greek and have been reconstructed and translated as part of a four-year project. Archeologists managed to reconstruct 11 lines of text, including the following passage from the Book of Nahum.
"The mountains quake because of Him, And the hills melt. The earth heaves before Him, The world and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before His wrath? Who can resist His fury? His anger pours out like fire, and rocks are shattered because of Him."
They also unearthed the 6,000-year-old skeleton of a partially mummified child and a 10,500-year-old basket. They said that the child's skin, tendons, and hair were partially preserved. They estimated the child's age to be between six and 12-years-old. The basket may be one of the oldest baskets ever discovered.
"These are new pieces of the puzzle, and we can add them to our greater picture of the period and of the text," said Oren Ableman of the Antiquities Authority's Dead Sea Scrolls Unit. "Even though these pieces are small, they did give us some new information that we did not know before."
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