In 1947 when a young shepherd boy threw a rock into a cave near Khirbet Qumran (about 13 miles east of Jerusalem), trying to drive out an animal, he was led to the first findings of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls. Ten other caves in this abandoned area (along the Dead Sea) were found to contain other original scrolls. The scrolls, written on papyrus, parchment, and copper, were safely hidden in jars and preserved for two thousand years because of the region's arid climate.
Joshua 1:8
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV)