Archaeometry of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Full title
Archaeometry of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Updated By
Research notes

Reader Checked|OA 03/07/2013

Reference type
Author(s)
Rabin, Ira
Year
2013
Journal / Book Title || Series Title
Dead Sea Discoveries
Volume
20
Issue / Series Volume
1
Pages
124-142
Alternative title
DSD
Label
2013
Abstract

For many years after the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, text analysis and fragment attribution were the main concern of the scholars dealing with them. The uncertain archaeological provenance of a large part of the collection added an additional difficulty to the formidable task of sorting thousands of fragments. After sixty years of scholarly research, the questions of origin, archaeological provenance, and correct attribution of the fragments are still debated. In many cases, material characterization of the scroll writing media delivers answers to these questions. Physical and chemical examination of the skin-based material of the Dead Sea Scrolls started shortly after their discovery. Subsequent studies dedicated to long-term preservation resulted in a respectable body of knowledge about this material, in many ways very different from medieval parchment. A new multi-instrumental approach, developed for an accurate characterization of the highly inhomogeneous “parchment” of the Dead Sea Scrolls, might lead to a reliable reconstruction of their history. This approach is illustrated by the case studies, in which we discuss the specific questions of origin (1QHa), archaeological provenance (11QTa), and post-discovery interventions (1QapGen ar).