Many of Dead Sea scrolls may be older than thought, experts say

a year ago

Dead Sea scrolls may be older than previously thought, with some biblical texts dating back to their original authors.
Researchers used AI to analyze the dates of individual scrolls, challenging previous assumptions about their origins.
The study involved radiocarbon dating 30 samples after cleaning them of castor oil contamination, revealing many were older than handwriting analysis suggested.
Two different writing styles, Hasmonean and Herodian scripts, coexisted longer than previously believed.
A manuscript containing verses from the Book of Daniel was found to be older than traditional palaeography had indicated.
The AI model 'Enoch' was trained on digital images of ink traces and radiocarbon dates, accurately dating 79% of undated manuscripts.
The findings suggest that many scrolls were not written at Qumran, as the site was occupied later.
Radiocarbon dating only determines the age of the parchment, not when it was written on, highlighting limitations of the study.

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