During the time of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the shelter was partially back-filled through the ventilation shafts, before a playground was built over it and the structure below forgotten.
The grave was discovered during preliminary investigations ahead of construction of a solar park scheduled to be built near Bad Camberg.
Isn’t it remarkable to find a unique object that made the journey from Marrakesh to Jerusalem a few hundred years ago?
The stone, known also as a massebah, was discovered during excavations of the First Temple era site, inside a large residence named by archaeologists as "Building 101," or the Governor's Residency.
The blackened, fragile scrolls cannot be physically opened without severe damage. Researchers have instead used high-resolution scans and computational techniques to "virtually unwrap" them.
Researchers explained that when bones exposed to high levels of heat are illuminated with specific light wavelengths, they light up with a distinctive glow.
The stream valley lies between the villages of Sleen and Oosterhesselen, and is currently under redevelopment to make space for nature and water.
The artifacts were received in Cairo on June 5 before being transferred to the Egyptian Museum for further examination, documentation and restoration ahead of their display in the museum.
The work, which includes genetic analyses, dating, and material studies, began in 2024 and will continue until May 2027 as part of the monastery’s 700th anniversary celebrations.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery,” added Oren and Reiss. “It was very unexpected, but somehow, the really big discoveries always turn up on the excavation’s very last day.”
Archaeologists have also uncovered the foundations of houses and rooms belonging to a Roman villa used between the 3rd century BCE and the 4th century CE.
