One of the most important historical discoveries of the 20th century, the Dead Sea Scrolls are fragments of the 825 – 870 scrolls. These scrolls were discovered in caves along the northeastern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Qumran excavation site. Made of papyrus, sheep or goatskin leather and copper these were once part of the documents that are associated with the Jewish sect called the Essenes. The Essenes were radical Jewish scriveners who were messianic and apocalyptic in their thoughts. The scrolls, believed to have been scripted by them date back to 150 BC – 70 BC and are the oldest group of Old Testaments manuscripts ever found.

Discovered in 1947 by a bedouin shepherd, the fragments of the scrolls were found in eleven caves. They were subsequently named according to the cave in which they were discovered. While cave 1 and 2 had the most intact manuscripts, it was in cave 4 that nearly 15,000 fragments were discovered. The first seven scrolls that were discovered were fairly intact, notable among them being the biblical book of Isaiah.

The scrolls can be divided into biblical and non-biblical fragments. From the extensive excerpts of the 39 books of Hebrew bible or the Old Testament to the works of Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical, these fragments are evidences for the existence and the reliability of the Old Testament that have been handed down to us.

Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls provide a fascinating view of the transition of Judaism to Christianity. These Jewish and Christian scriptures in turn have influenced Islam. Containing the earliest accounts of the biblical patriarchs identified by the three religions, the scrolls allow the scholars to draw parallels between Judaism and the Jesus movement. They have also helped in establishing the veracity of the Messianic prophecies of Old Testament that existed prior to the birth of Jesus Christ. Read the rest of this entry »

A science in which human culture is studied through the recovery of artifacts, fossils, architecture, biofacts, etc. to carry out further research is known as archeology. The excavated items are studied after documenting them properly. The analysis and interpretation of artifacts, environmental data, material culture, etc. form important steps in further research. Since excavation forms an important part of archeological studies, it is necessary to have knowledge about what kind of tools do archeologists use in these excavations. Read more on different types of archeology.

What Tools Do Archeologists Use?
Excavation by archeologists can be carried out in soft or hard soils. In few cases, they may even have to go underwater for excavations. Therefore, many different tools are required by them, for the different locations and different types of excavations. The archeologists tool kit may contain two types of equipment, commonly used field site tools and those used by specialists. Let us find out what tools archeologists use in recovering artifacts.
Field Site Tools
Field site equipment include digging tools, recording apparatus and safety kit. Digging tools help in breaking the soil crust and uncovering artifacts. Here is a list of the various tools used by archeologists.
Mattock: It is a digging tool similar to the pickaxe. The mattock is used to break hard ground and make the process of digging easy. The blade and handle of the mattock are perpendicular to each other. The blade is broad and resembles a chisel.
Marshalltown Trowels: These trowels are commonly used in the United States. They have a sturdy body and flat blade which can be sharpened. Read the rest of this entry »