(CNN) -
Archaeologists working in the Judean desert have found dozens of fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls containing biblical texts, the Israeli government reported Tuesday.
The fragments are the first pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls to be found in about 60 years.
They were recovered from a cave where Jewish rebels who were against the Roman Empire were hiding about 1,900 years ago, according to a government press release.
The parchment fragments contain verses from the books of the prophets Zechariah and Nahum.
The scrolls were written in Greek.
Archaeologists have been working in the caves and cliffs of the Judean Desert since 2017 as part of a "national operation aimed at preventing the looting of antiquities," according to the press release.
The basket photographed here is believed to be the world's oldest complete example.
(Credit: Yaniv Berman / Israel Antiquities Authority)
The teams also found a 6,000-year-old skeleton of a child, rare coins and a complete basket believed to be the oldest in the world, dating back 10,500 years.
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The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered 70 years ago in the caves of Qumran, are one of the most important scriptural finds in archeology.
They contain the oldest versions of the Hebrew Bible and other Jewish texts dating from the time of Jesus.
Most of the scrolls are kept in the Shrine of the Book, which is part of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Archaeologists also found these strange coins.
(Credit: Ofer Sion / Israel Antiquities Authority)
Fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in 'Cave of Terror'
The last fragments of the scroll were found in the 'Cave of Terror', which is about 80 meters below the top of a cliff in the Judean desert.
The place can only be accessed by abseiling from the top.
Since the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered more than 70 years ago, the area has drawn the attention of looters, according to the statement.
The ancient scrolls and documents are exceptionally well preserved due to the climatic conditions in the area.
"The goal of this national initiative is to rescue these rare and important heritage assets from the clutches of thieves," said Israel Hasson, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who called for more resources to be given to complete the operation. recovery.
The site is known as «Cueva del Terro».
(Credit: Eitan Klein / Israel Antiquities Authority)
“We must ensure that we recover all the information that has not yet been discovered in the caverns before the thieves do.
Some things are priceless, "he added.
Hananya Hizmi, Chief of Staff of the Department of Archeology of the Civil Administration in the West Bank, said it was "an exciting time" and that the results of the operation shed more light on the history of the region.
"The findings attest to a rich, diverse and complex lifestyle, as well as the harsh climatic conditions that prevailed in the region hundreds and thousands of years ago," Hizmi said.
Since October 2017, teams have explored 80 kilometers of desert caves.
Many are virtually inaccessible, according to the press release.
Some lines of text could already be reconstructed
Eleven lines of text have been reconstructed, including parts of a Greek translation of Zechariah 8: 16-17.
In another fragment verses from Nahum 1: 5-6 were identified.
The archaeologists had to rappel down to the site.
(Credit: Eitan Klein / Israel Antiquities Authority)
Archaeologists also discovered the partially mummified skeleton of a 6 to 12-year-old boy, buried in a shallow grave under two flattened stones and wrapped in cloth.
It dates back 6,000 years.
"It was obvious that whoever buried the child wrapped it up and tucked the edges of the cloth under it, in the same way that a father covers his child with a blanket," said Ronit Lupu, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority. .
'The child's skeleton and cloth wrap were remarkably well preserved and due to the climatic conditions of the cave, a natural mummification process had taken place.
The skin, tendons and even hair were partially preserved despite the passage of time, "he explained.
Due to the hot and dry climate that existed for centuries, the basket, with a capacity of between 90 and 100 liters and made of plant material, can provide new data on how products were stored about 1,000 years before ceramics were invented, according to the statement.
CNN's Andrew Carey contributed to this report.