‘Historic discovery’ of ancient Biblical fragments made in Israel Archaeologists have unearthed fragments of a 1,900-year-old Biblical scroll in Israel, in what experts are calling the most important discovery in the last 60 years. By Devin Watkins The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has unveiled an historic discovery of Biblical proportions in several desert caves. In a dig that began in 2017, archaeologists discovered around 80 new parchment fragments of Old Testament texts. They contain verses written in Greek—with the name of God appearing in Hebrew—from the books of Zechariah and Nahum, which are part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets.