Archaeologists have uncovered a new cave that once housed Dead Sea Scrolls, in a discovery described as one of the “most important” in 60 years.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, date from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD.
The around 900 scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in the Qumran caves above the Dead Sea.
The cave discovered west of Qumran in the occupied West Bank contained no manuscripts, but there is ample evidence of their earlier presence. This includes fragments of pottery in which they were placed and the leather straps.
Many of the caves containing the manuscripts were looted in the 1950s.
