European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 17, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pho by Richard Nowitz Michel Day age Mendetta curator of Lintel museum exhibit at oldest known biblical writing examines Hillve scroll. Hebrew writings older than the dead sea scrolls by Mary Stewart Krosney two tiny Silver amulets Moat probably worn around the neck of a jewish woman who walked the Hills of Jerusalem 2.600 year Sago have provided israeli  the oldest hebrew a Wycal writings Yel discovered. More than 400 years older than the dead sea scrolls. The amulets were rolled Inlo Light scrolls leaving a tiny space in the Center for a string and contained words found today in jewish and Christian prayer books the lord bless you and keep you the lord make his face to Shine upon you the lord life up his countenance upon you and Grant you  these words found on the Small scrolls unearthed by archaeologist prof. Gabriel Barkay of Tel Aviv University had a profound emotional of Mac when Israel museum laboratories finally deciphered Thorn in 1986. It was several years since they had been excavated from a Larruiz burial site outside the Walls of Jerusalem s old City. The priestly Benediction was the Tex my father used to bless me with when i was a boy said Barkay. To Barkay his team of scientists and scholars through of the world the ancient texts and the entire contents of the burial Cave Are expected to open up debates for years to come. Nol Only Are the scrolls the hrs archaeological object Lound in Jerusalem Wilh the lord s name written on it in hebrew. The existence of the burial caves also is evidence that jews survived the baby Oman destruction of Jerusalem in 586 . And continued to live in the holy City shedding new Light on jewish presence in the area. The scrolls found together Wilh a remarkable collection of Gold and Silver jewelry coins Glass pots vessels arrowheads and Bone objects provide Strong evidence thai some Wear Why jewish families continued to live in Jerusalem after the babylonian destruction say the israeli archaeologists studying these finds another important aspect of the finds was choir location because jews traditionally buried their dead outside but near the City Walls the actual Walls of first Temple Jerusalem must have extended much farther to he West perhaps our Tes farther than had been believed until  and so is is now assumed Jerusalem was much larger and More important than scholars have previously argued Barkay expresses Gie Al Awe Over the Luck he and his excavation Crew have had in finding the Large. Undisturbed burial repository located under a Bunal Bench after 120 years of great archaeologists digging in Jerusalem you Don t expect o find very  he said. So. When he and his Crew inspected the series of nire burial caves carved out of the Stone of the Hillside. They were amazed to find one Cave which had l been looted Over the centuries. Grave robbers missed it. He explained because the roof of the Cave had collapsed burying everything inside in Lor More than 2,000 years the contents of the Cave have recently gone on display at the Israel museum in Jerusalem. The exhibit has been overseen by curator Michal Kayagi Mendels among lha jewelry Are the firs Silver earrings found n the hoi land. Their design is so intricate that today s jewellers in Jerusalem were unable to make satisfactory reproductions. Among the other More interesting items was a Day Pendant in the shape of a goddess which indicated the extent of egyptian influence in the area Many Iron rings of various sizes of Bolh men and women were found one ring bore the insignia of a Griffin a greek mythological animal with the for quarters of an Eagle and the hindquarters at a lion Sot among the 1 .000 items he Silver scrolls w in he hebrew  Yowh for Jehovah or god inscribed on them were obviously the most exciting finds frustratingly the full implications of the scrolls and their inscriptions remained a secret to the excavators Tor six years Afler they were silted Oul of their resting place having been rolled up and corroded into position Tor 2,600 years the Israel museum was Uncertain about How to examine them. But the museum lab. Which in the past has been known for ingenious ways of meeting such challenges finally unrolled lha two tiny scrolls following the instructions of Joseph Shem hav the lab s director. They were first cleaned in alkaline Salt and formic acid and la Ler coated Uilah acrylic glue which was transparent and flexible minute unfurling of the scrolls Over a period of weeks revealed scrolls measuring 97 and 39 Millimetres 3 b and 1 .5 inches artist Ada Yardeni was called on o make sense of the ancient hebrew Sellers. To others they were incomprehensible scratches. But to Tardoni they seemed to be the holy words of Tho Priesley Benediction numbers 6,24 -26. An excited phone Call Tor Barkey to come and examine them Wilh her confirmed her deductions the lord bless you and keep you. Slowly the artist and archaeologist read together and confirmed creating a new Page in biblical and jewish history. Fri Iii from Viiu Matni Clay Pendant fit the shape efm egyptian goddess jewelry found in 7th Century . Burial Cave in Jerusalem included the lint Silver earrings to be found in the holy land below. Saturday january 17, 1987 the stars Ano stripes Paga 17