In 1946, archaeologists first discovered the legendary Qumran manuscripts in the caves of the Judean Desert and a fortress called Masada. These are ancient manuscripts, also known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Qumran scrolls are parchments made of goatskin or sheep skin, as well as papyrus. The texts are written mainly in Hebrew and partly in Aramaic and Greek. It is believed to be the remains of the Qumran community library. A third of them contain biblical texts (including fragments of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Psalms), the rest - apocrypha, pseudo-epigraphs and other literature of the Second Temple period. Paleographic data, external evidence, and radiocarbon dating indicate that the scrolls were created between 250 BC and 68 AD.
In the 20th century, excavations at the Dead Sea continued for 10 years. During this time, archaeologists discovered hundreds of scrolls in 11 caves, after which work in the region ceased. And now, 60 years later, archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Liberty (USA) decided to resume research in the framework of the Operation Scroll project.
The task of the project, the scientists designated a thorough examination of Qumran, and the team actually discovered another cave. It was named Q12 (Q stands for Qumran, the place of the find, and 12 is a serial number). Inside the cave (in the niches of the walls), archaeologists found jugs for storing manuscripts, similar to those found in other caves, fragments of parchments and fabrics in which the scrolls were probably wrapped, as well as a leather strap - they, most likely, were associated with manuscripts. Also in the cave was a small tunnel about five meters deep, in which, most likely, precious manuscripts were kept.
The joy was short-lived: very soon the archaeologists realized that they were not the first to visit the cave. The vessels turned out to be broken, and not far from them were two picks, which are most likely about 60 years old. Most likely, robbers have already visited the cave, archaeologists conclude, adding that in this region "black diggers" are not uncommon, some of them were even caught and brought to justice several years ago.
However, these finds also became a sensation, notes the head of the expedition, Oren Gutfeld, because before that it was believed that there were 11 caves that stored the Qumran manuscripts. There was no mention of Q12 in any text, which means that there may be other caves.
In addition, even 60 years ago, during the first excavations, it became clear that the scrolls were "distributed among the caves" unevenly: some contained a minimum of Qumran manuscripts. Therefore, it is not known exactly how many fragments of manuscripts were taken away by the looters who discovered Q12.
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Among the other treasures that the cave kept were fragments of ancient ceramics, arrowheads, and a carnelian seal. Artifacts indicate that the cave was used by people as early as the Neolithic and Eneolithic times.
