Finding the Dead Sea Scrolls

The story is told that one day in the spring of 1947, a few Bedouin goat-herders were searching for their lost goats. They climbed onto some cliffs near the Dead Sea to find them. While there, they stumbled into a cave which had been covered by blowing dust over the years. They found some old jars in the cave. When the jars were opened, they found very old, yellowed, rolled up pages. The goat-herders decided to take the jars with them. Perhaps someone would be willing to pay money for the jars.

The Dead Sea is located in the Middle East. It is on the border between the West Bank of modern day Israel and Jordan. The water got its name for good reason. The water in the Dead Sea has a salt content almost seven times greater than the average ocean. Nothing can live in that much salt. It is also about 1,371 feet below sea level, the lowest point on earth. History is rich in this area. The Jewish faith and early Christianity both have deep roots in this land.

The Bedouin goat-herders were able to sell their finds to a couple of dealers who specialized in very old artifacts. The first dealer was able to sell his jars to a professor at the Hebrew University. The other dealer brought his jars to the American School of Oriental Research. Scholars at both schools recognized almost immediately that the finds were of great value. They knew they had to send teams to investigate the area where the scrolls were found.