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PHOTO © ISRAEL MUSEUM, JERUSALEM, BY NAHUM SLAPAK

UNROLLED SCROLLS. Conservationists Marina Rosovsky, Joseph Shenhav, and David Bigelajzen of the Israel Museum carefully unrolled these two silver scrolls from Ketef Hinnom—revealing that the amulets contain writing. Though highly corroded, some of the writing, including Yahweh’s divine name, was immediately discernible. The West Semitic Research Project at the University of Southern California helped to further decipher these inscriptions, both of which resemble the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24–26: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” The inscriptions date to the eighth–sixth centuries B.C.E.