Scientists Found a Pyramid With Treasures Buried For Over 2,000 Years

Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen pyramid immersed in the sands of Judea. After a little digging, they discovered that it held treasures that had been untouched for over two millennia and historical secrets that we can only now access. At the Zohar Fortress site, 2,600 feet above the Dead Sea, archaeologists were searching for manuscripts that would provide new information about the history of the site. The excavation was originally part of a long-standing campaign launched by the authorities. Its goal was to protect the sites from looting and unauthorized excavations. What they didn't expect was to find a pyramid-shaped structure built on top of a hill made of hand-cut stones, each weighing hundreds of pounds. At first, the experts thought it was just a tomb, but they soon noticed the shape of the original walls and understood that the mound was a construction. They immediately realized that someone had dug into the top of the structure, probably looters who had spotted something valuable there. Luckily, most of the structure was still buried in sand, so the most valuable finds were hidden from sight. In the first week of excavation, volunteers found fragments of papyrus, bronze vases, and even ancient furniture which were exceptionally well-preserved. The desert climate had been a great ally in preserving those artifacts over the millennia. With little humidity in the air, mold cannot form. So, organic materials such as wood and fibers are protected from cracking and deformation. Hypotheses suggested that the pyramid had been built during the First Temple period. However, new discoveries have shown that it's more recent, from the Hellenistic period. Considering this and the fact that the structure dates back 2,200 years, it's believed that it probably appeared shortly after the death of Alexander the Great. The famous ancient Greek king of Macedonia. At that time, his generals divided the former Seleucid empire. Ptolemy took control of Egypt and the surrounding regions, including the Dead Sea area, while Seleucus took control of the north, which is now part of the Middle East. It's still not known for sure whether the pyramid was built under the rule of the Ptolemaics or the Seleucids. Both Ptolemaic coins and coins from the Seleucid kingdom have been found at the site. Even so, many scholars believe it was built when the region was under Ptolemaic control. Evidence also suggests that the building, despite its longevity, collapsed at some point. But that's not why it was abandoned by the ancient Egyptians, which begs the question of what purpose it was built for. Some believe it was used as a tomb due to its picturesque location on top of a hill. Others believed it may have served as a historical monument. However, one of the strongest theories is that the pyramid was a guard tower, protecting an important trade route along which salt and bitumen resources from the Dead Sea were transported to coastal ports. They also believe it may have been used by Ptolemaic officials to collect taxes from travelers. It would be something equivalent to our modern-day tollbooths or even port inspection agencies. Although the contents of the papyrus documents remain a mystery, it seems very likely they were written using the Greek alphabet. And some experts believe that they may have been tax documents, which would make perfect sense, given the theory that the pyramid was a guard tower. The team calls it a fascinating historical mystery that the dig is helping to unravel, but the find is just a grain of sand in an entire desert. The dig is part of a larger project that's been going on for a long time. And in the last eight years alone, it has scanned 111 miles of desert cliffs and identified approximately 900 caves within that radius. Using rappelling equipment, advanced technology, and specialized documentation methods, archaeologists discovered thousands of rare items, such as hidden scrolls, woodworking tools, carpets, leather goods, and even treasures. For them, the Judean desert is an ancient vault just waiting to be opened to reveal its secrets. A few years before they found the mysterious pyramid, they discovered a cave that had served as a refuge for Jewish rebels almost 1900 years ago. The site was about 262 feet from the top of a cliff, and because of its difficult access, it hadn't been explored yet. Inside, they found previously unpublished fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls that contained religious passages written in Greek. Eleven lines of text were reconstructed thanks to the good condition of the papyri. So, scientists were able to identify their etymological content. Probably the best thing, there was no problem with preservation. Thanks to the dry and hot conditions of the desert, the artifacts were in impeccable condition. And there were other historical treasures there. The teams found rare coins, a partially mummified skeleton over 6,000 years old with skin, tendons, and even strands of hair. There was also a giant basket made of plant fibers, considered the oldest in the world, more than 10,000 years old. With a capacity of up to 26 gallons, it was made about 1,000 years before the invention of ceramics. Speaking of historical treasures, there's another one that has caught the attention of the scientific community. A small piece of fabric that is around 3,800 years old. But it's more than just simple fabric. Dyed with the rare scarlet paint mentioned many times in ancient religious texts, this find is the oldest known evidence of fabric painted with a dye made from insects known as scarlet worms. This is where the intense red hue comes from. It was a highly valued color, like royal blue and purple, because those insects lived in oak trees and could only be harvested for a short period during the year. So, those dyes were reserved for sacred fabrics, such as priests' clothes, marking status and religious importance. And although this discovery had great significance for archaeology, its size was actually tiny, measuring less than one inch. The fragment was discovered in 2016 during excavations in the so-called Cave of Skulls, but it's not known exactly how this fabric got there. According to experts, it's evidence that people knew how to dye wool fibers already 3,800 years ago or so. It also provides us with proof that the ancient textile industry already used animals at about the same time people began to create written sources. Fabrics painted using this type of dye were recorded in more recent periods. But what makes this piece really special is the fact that it is much older than any other. Another important discovery was made in 1980 when scientists found a seed that was over a thousand years old, which turned into a mysterious tree named Sheba. They spent 14 years cultivating this plant, which is now about 10 feet tall, only to discover later that it could belong to an extinct lineage of trees that had grown in the region. The seed dates back to a period between 993 and 1202 CE, and they believe that Sheba may be a biblical tree commonly associated with healing. Although it's not been possible to identify the exact species since the tree hasn't flowered, we know that it belongs to the genus Comefora, which is related to famous African plants such as the Myrrh tree. But time has revealed something even more special. Its leaves and resins are rich in compounds that have medicinal, antioxidant, and even skin-soothing properties. This means that the tree may represent a forgotten lineage whose resin had medicinal value and was mentioned in ancient texts. This brings to light how ancient people dealt with botanical medicine.