The Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery

The Dead Sea Scrolls are some of the oldest written papers ever found. They are over 2,000 years old. They were discovered by accident in caves near the Dead Sea in 1947. The scrolls have writing from the Bible and other old stories.

How They Were Found

A young shepherd boy was looking for a lost goat near the Dead Sea. He threw a rock into a cave and heard something break. When he climbed inside, he found old jars full of rolled-up scrolls. Soon, people came to search the caves. They found hundreds of scrolls and pieces of scrolls hidden there.

Why They Matter

The scrolls are written on animal skin and paper made from plants. They are in old languages like Hebrew and Aramaic. They show us parts of the Bible that are over 1,000 years older than other copies. Scientists carefully put the broken pieces back together. Today, the scrolls are kept in a special museum in Israel.

Fun Facts

• There are about 900 scrolls in total.
• The scrolls were kept in clay jars, which helped save them.
• Some scroll pieces are as small as a fingernail.

Did You Know?

Scientists use special computer scans to read scrolls that are too fragile to open.