Tunisian authorities announced that they prevented a 15th-century Torah scroll from being smuggled out of the country. The scroll was written on bovine skin Tunisian local media said.
According to Tunisian authorities, a group of suspects were arrested following a tip that the Torah scroll was being transferred to a European country as part of an antiquities smuggling operation.
During a press conference, Tunisian National Guard spokesman Khalifa Shibani presented the rare Torah scroll, which measures 37m long and 47cm wide.
According to Shibani, unidentified foreign elements attempted to buy the scroll, which he described as “a unique historical item for the world.”
Later in the press conference, Shibani said, “Experts at the National Heritage Institute have confirmed that the Torah scroll is an extremely rare, historical and invaluable item that is from the 15th century.”
The scroll seems to contain all parts of the Torah, yet Hebrew language experts argue that this scroll was written before the various books of the Torah were organized into their present order.
The Hebrew language experts indicated that Hebrew inscriptions, written by scribes, were relative to the number zero in its former version before the advent of the contemporary zero used today.
A major archaeological discovery that gives details on the scientific history of ancient Judaism.
MNHN via Businessnews
