Groundbreaking Study on Dead Sea Scrolls
A new study published in the journal PLOS One has revealed that some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient manuscripts discovered in the Judaean Desert, may be significantly older than previously thought. The research, which combined radiocarbon dating with artificial intelligence (AI) analysis, suggests that some of these biblical manuscripts date back to around 2,300 years ago, during the time when their presumed authors lived.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947 by Bedouin shepherds in the Judaean Desert near the Dead Sea, are considered one of the most significant archaeological finds in history. They have provided invaluable insights into ancient Judaism and early Christianity. The scrolls contain fragments of hundreds of manuscripts, with over 200 being biblical Old Testament texts, representing the oldest known copies of the Hebrew Bible.
The significance of these scrolls lies in their ability to serve as a “time machine,” allowing scholars to understand what people were reading, writing, and thinking during that period. Mladen Popović, lead author of the study and dean of the Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society at the University of Groningen, emphasized their importance, stating that they offer “physical, tangible evidence of a period of history that is crucial” for understanding the cultural evolution of the Bible.
Dating the Dead Sea Scrolls
Until now, the age of the Dead Sea Scrolls was estimated primarily through paleography, the study of ancient writing and manuscripts. This method suggested that the manuscripts dated from the third century BC to the second century AD. However, the new study, which used a combination of modern radiocarbon dating techniques and AI analysis, has pushed the date of some manuscripts back to the end of the fourth century BCE, making them up to 100 years older than previously thought.
The research team first applied new radiocarbon dating techniques to 30 manuscripts, revealing that most were older than previously believed. They then used high-resolution images of these dated documents to train an AI program named Enoch. Enoch was able to correctly estimate the age of the manuscripts 85% of the time when presented with images of other documents that had been carbon-dated but without the dating information.
Implications of the Findings
The study’s findings have significant implications for historical reconstructions and the analysis of historical manuscripts. By applying Enoch to 135 different Dead Sea Scrolls that had not been carbon-dated, the researchers found that the AI provided realistic age estimates for 79% of the samples. Some manuscripts were found to be 50 to 100 years older than previously thought, including a scroll containing verses from the Book of Daniel, which was moved from the second century BC to the time of the original author.
The development of Enoch represents a significant step forward in the field of manuscript dating. Popović suggested that AI could eventually replace carbon dating as a non-destructive and precise method of analysis. Currently, carbon dating requires destroying a small sample of the manuscript, whereas Enoch can estimate age from images alone.
Expert Reactions
Scholars not involved in the study have welcomed the findings. Charlotte Hempel, a professor at the University of Birmingham, noted that the combination of AI and enhanced carbon dating allows for a level of calibration across methodologies that is helpful. Lawrence H. Schiffman from New York University commented that while it’s not yet clear whether the new method will provide reliable information for undated texts, the approach represents an important observation about the field of Dead Sea Scrolls studies.
Brent Seales, a computer science professor at the University of Kentucky, praised the rigorous approach taken by the researchers, noting that while using AI to completely replace carbon dating may be premature, it is a “massive step forward” in the dating of ancient manuscripts.
