Jordanians recover ancient works said smuggled into Israel

Jordan has demanded Israel return the manuscripts but has gotten no response; the recovered writings are among 70 manuscripts Jordanian archaeologists discovered five years ago in a cave in the north which were later stolen.

Jordan's archaeology chief said yesterday that security police recovered seven ancient manuscripts from local smugglers, part of a larger group believed to have been smuggled into Israel.

Jordan has demanded Israel return the manuscripts but has gotten no response. The recovered writings are among 70 manuscripts Jordanian archaeologists discovered five years ago in a cave in the north which were later stolen.

Ziad al-Saad said the manuscripts were reportedly found by a Bedouin.

If verified, he added, the relics could be the most significant find in Christian archaeology since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

For more interesting topics related to archaeology, visit archaeology excavations.