2,000-Year-Old Burial Box Could Reveal Location of the Family of Caiaphas (Science Daily)
Ancient burial box offers biblical clues (UPI)
I'm not sure of the reason for the renewed interest, since there are no significant revelations in either article. But the following from the Science Daily piece seems to give a few new details:
A genuine among fakesBackground here and links.
In the Laboratory for Comparative Microarchaeology, Prof. Goren conducted a thorough examination of the limestone box, which boasts decorative rosettes in addition to the inscription. "When a rock is deposited in the ground for millennia, it is affected by the surrounding environment and affects the surrounding environment," he notes. Processes such as erosion by acidic ground water and the accumulation of calcareous or siliceous coatings, biological activity such as the development of bacteria, algae, lichens, and the nearby activity of flora and fauna lead to a coating of the stone. Most of these features are impossible to replicate in the lab.
Conclusive evidence of these natural processes was found not only on the stone of the ossuary, but also above and below the inscriptions. "Beyond any reasonable doubt, the inscription is authentic," says Prof. Goren.
