Newly found Dead Sea Scrolls cave was plundered in 1950s

Yori Yalon

Small cave near Qumran contained parchment scroll dating back to Second Temple era, organic matter, and the tools thieves used to break the clay jugs that held scrolls • Scroll called “one of the most significant Qumran cave finds in the past 60 years.”

An archaeological excavation at a cave near Qumran, in the Dead Sea region, in January has turned up the first evidence of a store of Second Temple-era scrolls that were cached in the cave and apparently stolen by local Bedouin at some point in the 1950s. The findings make the cave the 12th such cache of Dead Sea scrolls.

The dig unearthed a large clay scroll jar from the time of the Second Temple that contained a piece of parchment that had been turned about three times. The discovery made waves as the first new evidence of scrolls found in clay jars to be unearthed in some 60 years. In a niche near the jug that contained the scroll, archaeologists found two pickaxe heads that had been used to steal the rest of the scrolls from the jugs six decades ago.

“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. 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,” said Dr. Oren Gutfeld.

The parchment scroll was taken to the restoration and conservation laboratory at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, from where it was transferred to the Israel Antiquities Authority’s scroll preservation laboratory. The IAA examination of the scroll revealed that it was blank, and researchers think the parchment had been in the process of being prepared to be used as a writing surface.

Gutfeld and Ahiad Ovadia from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem directed the excavation with the help of Dr. Randall Price and students from Liberty University in Virginia; Hanania Hizmi, head of the Judea and Samaria archaeology branch of the Civil Administration; the IAA; and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Gutfeld said that “this exciting excavation is the closest we’ve come to discovering new Dead Sea scrolls in 60 years. 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.”

Other findings included organic matter that had been well-preserved thanks to the area’s dry climate conditions, such as olive pits, dates, and nuts of different varieties.

Israel Hasson, director general of the IAA, said, “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.

“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.”