More Scrolls Discovered Near Dead Sea

A recent Associated Press article on the Jerusalem Post Web site reports the discovery of more artifacts in the region where the Dead Sea Scrolls were originally found in 1947. A cave survey in Israel's Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, near the Dead Sea, led to the discovery of papyrus scrolls, scraps of cloth, wooden arrows and metal arrowheads, and coins.

The coins bear the name Shimon, referring to Simeon ben Kosiba (nicknamed Bar Kokhba), leader of the second-century Jewish rebellion against the Roman Empire. "Historians believe the rebels fled to the desert after the Romans crushed the revolt, hiding out in hillside caves dotted throughout the rugged terrain."

The article also reports that the unopened scrolls were given to the Israel Museum for study and are "believed to be less significant than the Dead Sea Scrolls." More on this find will appear in Insights as that information becomes available.