Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

On February 7th 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which date from around 150 BC – AD 68, were discovered in some caves near the Jordan River. The 900 scrolls, which are made of leather and papyrus, make up three types of documents – texts from the Hebrew Bible, books from the Old Testament and documents composed by an ascetic community, including some poems and a book of community rules. They are considered of great religious and historical significance and are now kept in Jerusalem. It's commonly thought that the scrolls were found when a shepherd threw a rock into a cave to encourage a missing animal to come out. After hearing the sound of shattering pottery, he went into the cave to investigate. In this image, Israeli archeologist and politician Yigael Yadin is seen in one of the caves where the scrolls were found. Yadin not only excavated some of the most important sites in the region but also worked tirelessly to translate the Dead Sea Scrolls.