New fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls found

[Minimalist]

Buried in the ground means no oxygen gets to it.  That environment, one of the driest places means no water gets to it.  Being inside a cave prevents a whole lot of weathering effects from interfering.  The scrolls themselves were not buried but were stored in jars above ground and very few of them survived in any sort of intact condition.

Dumb luck, really.

[no one]

10,500 years old? How can that be when the Earth is barely 6,000 years old?

[Minimalist]

Interesting commentary.

https://www.rawstory.com/sea-scrolls/

Indeed, some scholars believe that the documents were left behind by Jewish priests who "retreated to the desert," Lawler said. "Still others insist they were hidden by refugees fleeing the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE. It may be that the scrolls were secreted in the caves by a variety of people — both locals and refugees — during the tumultuous first and second centuries CE."

Lawler noted that the recent discovery may support the idea that the scrolls were put in these caves by a number of groups over varying periods of time.
"They were apparently placed in the cave during the second Jewish revolt that began around 132 CE, some half century after most of the other scrolls were hidden," Lawler told Salon. "Given that they also found a 10,000-year-old basket and a Roman sandal in this particular cave, there's no doubt that lots of people used these shelters for a variety of purposes."

[Free]

Very cool.

A few weeks ago an old archeologist friend of mine came into my shop. He had been working on a dig in Israel sometime in the past. He brought with him two 1st century lamps almost exactly like the pic below, and some coins. Don't ask me how he got them out of Israel with the way they protect their antiquities, but somehow he got them.

It was so cool actually holding an ancient lamp in my hands.

[Minimalist]

If they have no provenance the IAA probably doesn't care.  There are so many fakes on the antiquities market that they'd go nuts if they tried to track them all down.  Phony religious "relics" have been a cottage industry in Palestine since the 4th century.

[Free]

If they have no provenance the IAA probably doesn't care.  There are so many fakes on the antiquities market that they'd go nuts if they tried to track them all down.  Phony religious "relics" have been a cottage industry in Palestine since the 4th century.

I think my friend explained to me that those types of lamps are so common that- I assume- there just wasn't an issue getting them out. He told me that you can actually find some in the junk heap at digs, because they don't want them.

[Minimalist]

It was an age before electric lights!

[Dancefortwo]

Very cool.

A few weeks ago an old archeologist friend of mine came into my shop. He had been working on a dig in Israel sometime in the past. He brought with him two 1st century lamps almost exactly like the pic below, and some coins. Don't ask me how he got them out of Israel with the way they protect their antiquities, but somehow he got them.

It was so cool actually holding an ancient lamp in my hands.

Did you rub it and make a wish?   I would not let that opportunity pass if someone came in with a lamp like that.  Geez, it's right out of Aladdan.

[Dancefortwo]

If they have no provenance the IAA probably doesn't care.  There are so many fakes on the antiquities market that they'd go nuts if they tried to track them all down.  Phony religious "relics" have been a cottage industry in Palestine since the 4th century.

I think my friend explained to me that those types of lamps are so common that- I assume- there just wasn't an issue getting them out. He told me that you can actually find some in the junk heap at digs, because they don't want them.

It must be similar to Roman fibula which were like a safety pin that was used to keep togas and clothing pinned together.  Everyone had them, even poor people and archaeologists find them everywhere in Roman digs.  The wealthy had nice decorative fibula but most were mundane and boring.   

[Minimalist]

Did you rub it and make a wish?

I hope you are referring to the lamp, D42?

[skyking]

I've read the thread before but had no comment until a Freudified the title to "new Fragrance of dead sea scrolls found"
Musty fart came to mind.

[Minimalist]

Those lamps are not as numerous as the amphorae on Mt. Testaccio but archaeologists still study those.

https://www.archaeology.org/exclusives/a...mphoras%22

In the middle of Rome’s trendiest neighborhood, surrounded by sushi restaurants and nightclubs with names like Rodeo Steakhouse and Love Story, sits the ancient world’s biggest garbage dump—a 150-foot-tall mountain of discarded Roman amphoras, the shipping drums of the ancient world. It takes about 20 minutes to walk around Monte Testaccio, from the Latin testa and Italian cocci, both meaning “potsherd.” But despite its size—almost a mile in circumference—it’s easy to walk by and not really notice unless you are headed for some excellent pizza at Velavevodetto, a restaurant literally stuck into the mountain’s side. Most local residents don’t know what’s underneath the grass, dust, and scattering of trees. Monte Testaccio looks like a big hill, and in Rome people are accustomed to hills.

There is nothing an archaeologist appreciates more than a good garbage midden!