Ancient child’s skeleton found in Israel’s ‘Cave of Horrors’ along with Dead Sea scrolls
- A CAT scan revealed that the child, who had skin, tendons and hair partially preserved, was aged between six and 12 years old and thought to be a girl
- The 6,000-year-old skeleton was found along with ancient Dead Sea scrolls, which are among the earliest texts ever written in Hebrew
Archaeologists have discovered the 6,000-year-old skeleton of a child in the “Cave of Horrors” in Israel's Judaean Desert, alongside ancient Dead Sea scrolls and the world's ‘oldest basket’.
The “Cave of Horrors” takes its name from the 40 skeletons found there during excavations in the 1960s. Researchers found the child's remains preserved naturally mummified in the dry atmosphere of the cave, which can only be accessed by climbing ropes.
A CAT scan revealed that the child, who had skin, tendons, and even hair partially preserved, was aged was between six and 12 years old and is thought to have been a girl, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Prehistorian Ronit Lupu of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said in a statement: “It was obvious that whoever buried the child had wrapped [them] up and pushed the edges of the cloth beneath [them], just as a parent covers [their] child in a blanket. A small bundle of cloth was clutched in the child's hands.”
The skeleton was found along with ancient Dead Sea scrolls, which are among the earliest texts ever written in Hebrew.