Dead Sea Scrolls

tend

manage, watch, supervise

ancient

outdate, old-fashioned, antiquated

settlement

community, society, village

locate

place, situate, position

shepherd

sheep herder, sheepmen, sheepwomen

toss

throw, pitch, lob

opening

gap, hole, notch

shattering

crushing, smashing, wrecking

companion

friend, colleague acquaintance

stumble across

find, discover, come across

contain

include, surround, comprise

scroll

manuscript, document, copy

sum

a particular amount of money

antiquity

relic, antique, artefact

dealer

trader, seller, wholesaler

spread the word

to communicate a message to a lot of people

archaeologist

someone who studies the buildings, graves, tools, and other objects of people who lived in the past

eventually

finally, ultimately, sooner or later

unearth

uncover, discover, reveal

fragment

piece, portion, part

make up

form, comprise, constitute

origin

used to describe the particular way in which something started exist

manuscript

copy, text, document

scholarly

relating to serious study of a particular subject

debate

discussion, argument, dispute

prevailing

current, existing,

inhabit

occupy, settle, dwell

work

production, creation

troop

soldiers or armed forces.

devout

sincere, honest, earnest

sect

a group of people with their own particular set of beliefs and practices, especially within or separated from a larger religious group

fragment

piece, part

fall out of

to be used no longer

inhabitant

resident, occupant, dweller

siege

blockade, barrier, obstruction

feature

include, highlight, appear

translation

interpretation, rendition, change

preserve

conserve, maintain, sustain

date to

establish or ascertain the date of (an object or event).

biblical

the holy book of the Christian religion

sectarian

religious, rigid, sectional

regulation

rule, instruction, guideline

writing

text, script, inscription

occasionally

infrequently, uncommonly, seldom

exception

exclusion, omission, allowance

combination

arrangement, understanding, permutation

curious

odd, strange, unusual

chisel

carve, shape, mold

theorize

hypothesize, conjecture, imagine

withstand

endure, survive, resist

the passage of time

the passing of time

intriguing

fascinating, interesting, exciting

cache

supply, accumulation, collection

unconventional

strange, unusual, odd

supposedly

allegedly, evidently, apparently

rich

material, asset, resource

safekeeping

protection, charge, security

hoard

pile, store, supply

pillage

if soldiers pillage a place in a war, they steal a lot of things and do a lot of damage

hypothesis

theory, premise, suggestion

rescue

save, free, liberate

archbishop

a priest of the highest rank, who is in charge of all the churches in a particular area

acquire

get, gain, obtain

antiquity dealer

a person engaged in the business of selling antiques

miscellaneous

various, assorted, diverse

read

state, say, announce

institution

organization, establishment, association

statesman

a political or government leader, especially one who is respected as being wise and fair

negotiate

discuss, reach a deal, bargain

decipher

to change a message written in a code into ordinary language so that you can read it

reassemble

reconvene, reunite, congregate

find

discovery, invention

insight

vision, understanding

indicate

show, specify, direct