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Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4807846,00.html
Volunteers Work to Save Ancient Artifacts from Looters
(Tazpit-Ynet News) Michael Bachner - To save as-yet undiscovered fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls from being looted, an extraordinary archaeological excavation is being undertaken with 500 volunteers from Israel and abroad, part of a national plan to conduct comprehensive archaeological excavations in the Judean Desert caves. The Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, were discovered between 1946 and 1956 in the Qumran Caves overlooking the Dead Sea. The current excavation is taking place at the Cave of Skulls near the Masada fortress. A group of Palestinian robbers were caught at the site in 2014 with archaeological artifacts in their possession. "The antiquity robbers are plundering the land's history and we cannot allow that," said Culture Minister Miri Regev. "It is our duty to protect these unique treasures, which belong to the Jewish people and to the entire world."