From BPnews.net: Archaeologist recounts discovery of oldest biblical text.

Serendipity plays a role in many of the world’s greatest discoveries, and this was no less the case for biblical archaeologist Gabriel "Gaby" Barkay during a dig he led in Jerusalem 30 years ago. Barkay never would have guessed that a pesky child with a hammer would reveal the resting place of the oldest piece of biblical text ever discovered. (…)

"I was looking for less-looked-at subjects: places of extra-rural, para-urban land uses," Barkay said, describing the reasons why he chose that location as he was developing his doctoral dissertation. "I asked myself, ‘If I were a patriarch, where would I put a defensible place? Where would I put a cemetery or a stone quarry?’"

Barkay decided the answers lay outside the city walls of Old Jerusalem, out of range of ancient weapons, but close enough for easy access. This led him to the hill where St. Andrew’s Church sits. Pointing to an aerial view of the location, he described some features of the terrain.

"There was an ancient road cut out of [continue]