Rare Aramaic Inscription Discovered in Dead Sea Cave

EIN GEDI, ISRAEL—When researchers entered a cave high above the Dead Sea, they intended to use multispectral imaging on a faint ancient Hebrew inscription found there, which they believed dated to the early first millennium b.c. However, according to the Greek Reporter, the team unexpectedly came across another inscription, a rare four-line passage written in Aramaic. The 3.15- by 1.38-inch message was etched into the bottom of a stalactite. Although the full text has yet to be deciphered, scholars believe the first line translates to “Abba of Naburya has perished.” Abba was a common Jewish name in the first few centuries a.d., while Naburya was the name of a known Galilean village near Safed. Due to the style and context, the Aramaic inscription may have been written around the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt (a.d. 132–136), when Jews in the province of Judea violently rebelled against Roman rule. Archaeologists also previously discovered four well-preserved Roman swords dating from that period hidden inside the same cave. To read about those finds, go to "Cave of Swords," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2023.