![mostrecent ancient discoveries mostrecent ancient discoveries](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4jr3xF0eGMU/maxresdefault.jpg)
An ash layer is an archaeologist’s dream.
![mostrecent ancient discoveries mostrecent ancient discoveries](https://cocktailvp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/maxresdefault-min-8.jpg)
The inscription had been sealed by a later Assyrian destruction layer firmly dated to 733/722 BC. They convincingly argued that the word means “house of David” and dates to the ninth century BC. In 1993, excavators at Tel Da uncovered an inscription with the word BYTDWD on it. The meaning of the text itself is not affected by these differences. It is encouraging to note that the differences are minimal between the OT texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls and various editions of the Hebrew texts produced a thousand years later and used today, involving the smallest textual details. Perhaps the greatest contribution of this find is to our understanding of the transmission of the biblical text. It appears the earliest scrolls date to the mid-third century BC, and most to the first or second centuries BC. Almost every OT book is present, and there are also other writings valued by the community that dwelt in those caves. Most of these are small, containing no more than one-tenth of a book however, a complete Isaiah scroll has been found. What did these caves contain? Over 800 fragmentary documents, mainly consisting of Hebrew writings on leather (with a few on parchment), including fragments of 190 biblical scrolls. Over the next few years, other, similar remote caves in the area were found. What they discovered was soon proclaimed the greatest archaeological find of the twentieth century. In 1947, shepherds stumbled upon a cave in a rugged, arid area on the western side of the Dead Sea. Translation of hieroglyphics marked the beginning of the study of ancient Egyptian texts and grammar and provided the basis for modern Egyptology studies. The Greek, well known to scholars at the time, proved to be a translation of the ancient Egyptian language on the stone. The stone dated to the period of Ptolemy V (204–180 BC) and was inscribed in three scripts: demotic, Greek, and hieroglyphic. It proved to be valuable as the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The most important find of the expedition was the Rosetta Stone. He brought with him a scientific team of scholars and draftsmen to survey the monuments of the land. The following article is adapted from the ESV Archaeology Study Bible-a new study tool that roots biblical text in its cultural and historical context.