All language subtitles for Unearthed.2016.S05E07.Dead.Sea.Scrolls-The.Dark.Truth.720p.WEBRip.x264-CAFFEiNE__[English] (SUBRIP-CLEANER)-AR

Narrator:
The dead sea scrolls --

Mysterious texts from
the time of jesus christ

Hidden in desert caves
for 2,000 years.

Magness: What were they doing
in these caves?

Who put them here?
Why did they put them here?

Narrator:
Discovered by chance,

Their secrets jealously guarded.

Nothing like this
was ever found before.

Narrator:
What are these ancient writings?

Do these fragile manuscripts
predict a deadly apocalypse?

There are graves all over here.

Narrator: Today, innovative
multispectral imaging technology

Reveals the hidden meaning
of the texts.

For the first time,
we have actual writings

Dating to about the time
of jesus.

Narrator: Why are the scrolls
found in this remote desert?

Who are the writers?

To solve these mysteries,

We'll dive deep inside
desert caves...

When he came to the entrance
to a cave.

He decided to throw
a stone into the cave

To see if he could
flush out the goat.

Narrator: Instead of hearing
the stone hit rock...

...He hears it smash pottery.

He enters the cave
to investigate.

And contains almost
the entire book of isaiah

From the old testament.

These battered parchments become
known as the dead sea scrolls,

The oldest biblical texts
in the world.

Today, the dead sea scrolls
are here

In the shrine of the book
at the israel museum.

Almost one million people
visit this museum

To see the scrolls each year.

The giant isaiah scroll
is the crown jewel.

Pnina shor is the curator
of the dead sea scrolls.

Shor: This is a sample
of one of the big scrolls.

We have five of them
really well-preserved.

Narrator: Investigators
have spent 70 years

Studying and decrypting
the scrolls.

Shor:
These are the earliest copies
of the bible that we have.

They're older than anything
that we had previously.

Narrator: The scrolls
are 1,000 years older

Than any other biblical text
we have.

Today, pnina and her team

Narrator:
They photograph the scrolls

With a special camera
developed by nasa.

It allows them
to analyze the parchment

Under different
lighting conditions.

Sacred words
lost for centuries

Emerge when they combine
the images.

Can you please show me
from both sides?

Even 70 years
after their discovery,

The scrolls are still
giving up new secrets.

-Here?
-Yeah.

As you can see,
this is pretty clear.

This fragment reveals a word
missing from a biblical scroll.

It's the word...

-yeah.

Narrator:
Discoveries like this confirm

That the hebrew bible
is the same today

As in the time of jesus.

Handwritten copies of the bible
from the time of christ,

They shed light
on jesus, judaism,

And the emergence
of early christianity.

But many great mysteries
about the scrolls themselves

Remain unsolved.

Their chance discovery
is just the first of many.

More caves containing hundreds
of scrolls are soon revealed.

The remains of approximately
1,000 different scrolls

Proves the richest of them all.

Inside it,

The earliest copy
of the ten commandments

In existence...

It's a 2,000-year-old
electronic jigsaw puzzle.

We got lucky because
we got most of the fragments

From the edges of the puzzle.

Narrator: Eshbal discovers
that the writer of this scroll

Is leaving mysterious notes
between the columns.

I just had a hunch that these
two notes were connected.

Maybe just the scribe just ran
out of space, and he turned,

Immersing in cold water
at least twice a day.

From the rest
of the jewish groups.

Dr. Ratzon: The group that is
associated with this calendar

Refers to themselves
in other dead sea scrolls

As the...

Or the sons of righteousness
or the sons of light.

Today, new technology

Is deciphering
the last of the scrolls,

Proving they belong
to a mysterious jewish sect.

They call themselves
the sons of light.

Who are they, and why do they
hide their holy texts

In desert caves

To be discovered by chance
2,000 years later?

Next to the cave where
the most scrolls are found

Are the ruins
of an unusual walled settlement.

It's called qumran.

Beside it, row upon row
of mysterious stone mounds.

Towards the scorching
midday sun.

Are these the sons of light,
the keepers of the scrolls?

Nagar:
There are graves all over here.

Here. Look.
Look at this structure here.

Someone devised it.
It's not accidental.

Narrator:
He excavates 33 of the graves.

So I say, "okay. That's weird."

Narrator:
Yossi investigates

How old these men are
when they died.

Nagar: The people
that were buried here,

Their average age of death
is much higher

Than the regular cemetery
or a regular village.

Narrator: He discovers
that almost all the men

Are more than 30 years old
when they die.

Jewish respect for human remains

Means all the skeletons
are reburied,

Except for this one thigh bone.

Experts extract samples
from the qumran bone

And, for the first time,
use radiocarbon technology

For the existence of this
mysterious all-male cemetery.

Nagar: When you read
the dead sea scrolls,

Narrator: Could qumran be
the home of the sons of light?

We have no other site
like qumran anywhere.

It is a unique
archaeological site.

Narrator: Jodi magness
searches qumran for evidence

That this could be the home
of the sons of light

As described in the scrolls.

Based on the information
that we have in the scrolls,

What we would expect
to find at qumran

Where jews would immerse

In order to ritually
purify themselves in the water.

The scrolls say
that the sons of light

Must always gather at mealtimes
to eat together.

So, this room is the largest
room in the qumran settlement.

And mixed in with the debris of
this furniture were ink wells.

Narrator:
It's an exciting discovery,

But jodi thinks
the final piece of evidence

Lies not with the scrolls

But with the ceramic jars
they are found in.

Of the sons of light
and their dead sea scrolls.

Locating the sect
here by the dead sea

Reveals the sons of light
are known by another name,

Their true identity.

We do have sources
that tell us who this sect was.

All of these sources
talk about a jewish sect

That lived on the northwest
shore of the dead sea

In the area
where qumran is located

Called the essenes.

Narrator: Ancient sources
tell the story of the sect.

Where they can worship
in their own way.

Magness: In the time of jesus,
we know that there were

Many different jewish groups,
movements, and sects,

So the essenes were part
of this mosaic

Of different jewish groups
and movements.

Narrator:
The dead sea scrolls --

The oldest bibles
ever discovered.

Archaeology and forensic science
are revealing

That the scrolls are created
by a secretive jewish sect --

The essenes, religious
outcasts from jerusalem,

Exiled to the wilderness
of judea at qumran.

Why do the essenes hide their
precious scrolls in these caves

And never return
to collect them?

Magness:
This is the opening to cave 11.

One of the scrolls
that was found here

Is a copy of the war scroll

Which describes the apocalyptic
war at the end of days

Between the sons of light
and the sons of darkness.

Narrator:
2,000 years ago, the essenes,

Back then, the romans rule
a vast empire with an iron fist,

But there's resistance brewing
in the province of judea.

In 66 a.D.,
jewish rebels wipe out

The roman garrison in jerusalem

The site of qumran
was destroyed.

The excavations revealed
roman arrowheads.

I believe that
there can be little doubt

That at least some of
the scrolls were deposited

In the cave for safekeeping

Narrator: But why are
the scrolls never recovered?

Clues to this mystery
could lie here

In the most holy city in the
roman province of judea --

Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the original home
of the essenes.

This area, called mount zion,
is its wealthiest district.

Rafi lewis and his team
excavate a site here.

Their dig unearths
something extraordinary --

A house with rooms
that are sealed 2,000 years ago.

Lewis: This is probably
a blocked window,

Including the hiding
of the dead sea scrolls.

Narrator:
As the team unearths

The ritual bathing pool
of the house,

They find a missing link
to the dead sea scrolls.

They extract four mysterious
fragments from the rubble,

Parts of a carved limestone cup
used in purification rituals.

Scratched into its surface

Are three types
of mysterious scripts.

One of them is unique
to the dead sea scrolls.

Could this cup
belong to the essenes?

If so, what's it doing in a city
they have long abandoned?

Shavti...

"I returned
to the house of the lord."

Narrator: Is the cup
evidence that the essenes

Flee the destruction of qumran

And return
to their original home city?

Lewis: It might be holding
an answer for us.

He comes back
to the house of the lord,

Is very excited about it.

He picks up the first thing
that comes into his hand,

And that's his stone cup.

He's writing this script,

"I return
to the house of the lord."

Narrator:
It's an exciting discovery.

Lewis: There is a possibility
that this was actually made

By someone who came back to
jerusalem after being in qumran.

Nothing like this
was ever found in jerusalem.

Narrator: The cup tells rafi
that at least some essenes

Leave qumran
and return to jerusalem.

The frantic inscription
on the ceremonial cup,

"I return
to the house of the lord,"

Narrator:
The dead sea scrolls --

The romans lay waste
to their desert home,

And the essenes disappear
from the map...

Until a discovery...

Masada is built 100 years
before the jewish revolt

By a notorious ruler,
king herod the great.

When archaeologists
excavate this site,

They make
an astounding discovery.

Is this evidence of an
essene presence in masada?

Once a palatial villa,
masada is testament

To the power and wealth
of its former owner, king herod.

Why would the essenes
come to a fortress

Once occupied by
the most hated tyrant of judea?

Masada is an extraordinary
mountaintop megastructure.

A hanging palace
sits inside the fortress.

But by the time of the revolt,
king herod is long dead,

His palace a mothballed shell.

Dr. Guy stiebel investigates
the secrets of masada.

He wants to know who occupies
this vast fortress

During the revolt
against the romans.

Narrator: Historic accounts
from the time of the roman war

Report masada is held
by violent jewish extremists.

They are called the sicarii.

The sicarii are jewish assassins

Who take their name
from the sica,

A deadly dagger
they hide in their cloaks.

Guy investigates why
this fragment of dead sea scroll

That matches
those found at qumran

Is found here in masada
in a rebel hideout.

Dr. Stiebel:
This construction was done

During the time of the revolt.

What we can see
is a huge mikveh here.

We have the steps that can
allow me going all the way down.

The width of this hole
is identical by the millimeter

To what we have at qumran.

The length is exactly half
the size of what we have there.

For me, this led me to
crack a riddle that we had

That transforms
our understanding

Of this mountain fortress
and its place in history.

It's what we called...
Of shackles

From the time of the revolt
on the floor.

Nice.

Narrator: They unearth huge
amounts of everyday artifacts

From these two buildings.

Dr. Stiebel: So, basically,

A wine cup to drink,
made of glass.

Let's see. It fits perfectly.

Narrator: Guy believes
that these discoveries

Are evidence of who is taking
shelter behind these walls.

They may also explain
why essenes are here in masada.

Actually, I'm really thrilled
because we just dig out

Of the ground
a beautiful discovery.

What we have here is what we
call a cabochon, the gemstone.

For me, this is
a truly big story.

Hasn't had time
to finish working on it.

Imagine the romans
are out there.

You need to leave your home.
What do you take along?

Jewelry is something
that is small enough

To be carried in your pocket
or in your purse.

Narrator: Guy believes
these discoveries prove

Masada is a refuge for all jews
escaping the romans.

That includes essenes fleeing
the destruction at qumran.

The essenes bring some of
their precious scrolls with them

And claim sanctuary at masada.

If you want to find shelter
from the romans,

They escape the romans
during a failed revolt

And flee to masada,

The last rebel stronghold
in the whole of judea,

But the roman empire
must crush all resistance.

They turn their sights
on masada.

Is this the place of
the last stand of the essenes?

This was not a fair game.
You don't mess with the romans.

Around the citadel on top
is a tall double wall,

Over 6 feet thick

With 30 towers
guarding the approach.

Guy and his team use innovative
drone mapping technology

To capture a complete 3-d model
of the roman siege system.

Their new survey reveals
the assault of masada

In unprecedented detail.

The romans construct eight forts
surrounding the mountain.

Each fort is
a self-sufficient camp

That can hold 1,000 soldiers.

Once the romans
decided to besiege masada

And to send to the desert
between 6,000 to 8,000 soldiers,

They mean business.

-Can you zoom in?
-Yeah.

Narrator: Guy and his team use
the results of the drone survey

To examine
the roman siege system.

-You can see how steep it is.
-Yeah.

-Now we can see it differently.
-Yeah, yeah.

Narrator:
Guy's survey and modeling

Reveals that
the romans construct

This 2-mile-long, 6-foot-thick
stone perimeter wall

That surrounds
the whole mountain.

The refuge of masada
is now a prison.

It seems they invested
a lot of manpower in that.

It's, like,
huge amounts of stone.

There was no way out
for the rebels whatsoever.

Narrator: The romans are experts
in siege warfare.

But they've never attempted
to storm anywhere like masada.

Narrator:
The romans must find a way

To overcome
1,000 feet of sheer cliff.

Their answer?

They decided to take advantage
of the natural spur

That we are standing on top of.

Narrator: Choosing this spot
allows the romans

To reduce the height of the ramp
they must build by half.

Even so, building
a 500-foot-tall ramp
in desert heat

Tests roman military expertise
to the limit.

The romans must shift hundreds
of thousands of tons of rubble

Before the ramp
reaches the fortress.

Only then can they finally
move their siege towers

Up to the defensive walls
and begin the assault.

Leaving only
their dead sea scrolls?

But the romans
besiege the fortress

And now launch
their final attack.

They use the battering rams
in the siege towers

To crush the fortress walls.

And to remove a second barricade
the defenders have built up,

The romans set fire to it.

As the sun goes down,
the romans pause the attack.

Dr. Stiebel:
It's a very symbolic sunset.

It was very clear
that the end was near.

Narrator:
Guy turns to a gory account

By an ancient jewish historian,
josephus.

There was one act only
that you can still do

And die as a proud man,

And that is to commit suicide.

Narrator:
Ten rebels take the lives

When the romans enter masada,
all the inhabitants are dead.

The apocalypse the essenes
predict in their scrolls

Becomes reality.

But guy stiebel
believes the sect

Performs one last
significant act before they die.

His excavations at masada

Unearth a cave
just like those at qumran.

The people of qumran used
to place their scrolls in jars

And put it in caves.

People of qumran,
used to store their scroll in,

And it was found in the cave
just next to the dining hall.

Narrator: He believes that
this pot matches the design

Of the jars found in qumran

That contain
the dead sea scrolls.

Is this evidence that the
terrified essenes, facing death,

The essenes left us an enormous
amount of information

That tells us
about the world of jesus,

Judaism in this period,
and ultimately the context

From which early christianity
would emerge.

Narrator: Without the discovery
of these caves,

The oldest bible in the world

Would remain lost
in the judean desert,

And the essenes would have been
consigned to oblivion.