# Dead Sea Scrolls: dating, scribes and provenance > The Dead Sea Scrolls are Jewish manuscripts of the third century BC to the first century AD, found from 1947 in caves near Qumran and at other desert… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-27T17:47:18+00:00 --- **MYS** 0D484EH05GKB·Mystery · document # Dead Sea Scrolls: dating, scribes and provenance **0** [Follow][Ask a question](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=dead-sea-scrolls-dating) Dead Sea Scrolls: dating, scribes and provenance ![Portion of the Temple Scroll, labeled 11Q19, one of the longest of the Dead Sea Scrolls.](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/dead-sea-scrolls-dating-lead) Israel Museum · Public domain Main find site Eleven caves near Qumran, plus Masada, Wadi Murabba'at, Nahal Hever and others⁠[[2]] Date range 3rd century BC to 1st century AD (Qumran)⁠[[2]] Languages Mostly Hebrew; about 15 per cent Aramaic; a few Greek⁠[[2]] Biblical manuscripts About 230⁠[[2]] Holders Israel Antiquities Authority; Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum⁠[[8]] Images Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library; reuse by IAA permission only⁠[[9]] 2025 study 30 manuscripts radiocarbon dated; 24 dates trained the Enoch model⁠[[3]] Status Partly explained Questions 0 of 5 answered People [**Christopher Rollston** Palaeographer, George Washington University](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/people/FIG0D484J6614FC/christopher-rollston)[**Kipp Davis** Lead author of the 2017 study of dubious fragments](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/people/FIG0D484HER0NX2/kipp-davis)[**Mladen Popović** Lead author of the 2021 and 2025 studies, University of Groningen](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/people/FIG0D484G7P2Y3Q/mladen-popovic)[**Norman Golb** Proponent of the Jerusalem-libraries hypothesis](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/people/FIG0D484HYC2AXB/norman-golb)[**Emanuel Tov** Editor-in-chief of the scroll publications; co-author of the 1995 radiocarbon series](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/people/FIG0D484H6Y04P7/emanuel-tov) All 9 people › [**Jodi Magness** Archaeologist; author of the standard account of Qumran](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/people/FIG0D484HPJ2APJ/jodi-magness)[**Lambert Schomaker** Pattern-recognition lead for the Enoch and 1QIsaa studies](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/people/FIG0D484GQA2QWJ/lambert-schomaker)[**Magen Broshi** Co-author of the 1990s radiocarbon series](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/people/FIG0D484GZ42QZ8/magen-broshi)[**Maruf A. Dhali** Built the Enoch handwriting model](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/people/FIG0D484GFG5HFN/maruf-a-dhali) Catalog key**MYS** 0D484EH05GKB The Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest substantial body of Jewish manuscripts: copies of every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther, together with sectarian rules, hymns, commentaries and other works⁠[[1]]. Most come from eleven caves near the ruins of Qumran on the north-west shore of the Dead Sea; others come from Masada and from refuge caves used in the Bar Kokhba revolt⁠[[2]]. They are mostly on parchment, some on papyrus and one on copper, and they range from the third century BC to the first century AD⁠[[2]]. Three questions about them are still open. The first is the date of each manuscript. A few dozen have been radiocarbon dated; the rest are dated by palaeography, the comparison of letter shapes against a sequence built in the 1950s and 1960s⁠[[3]]. In June 2025 Mladen Popović and colleagues published new radiocarbon dates for 30 manuscripts and a machine-learning model, Enoch, trained on 24 of them to predict dates from handwriting alone. Both the dates and the predictions were often older than the palaeographic estimates⁠[[3]]. The second question is who wrote the scrolls: how many scribes there were and whether individual hands can be identified⁠[[4]]. The third is provenance: whether the scrolls were copied by a community living at Qumran or brought from elsewhere, and whether fragments that surfaced on the antiquities market after 2002 are ancient at all⁠[[1]]⁠[[5]]⁠[[6]]⁠[[7]]. Of the 5 questions on this site, 0 are answered. The most likely answer to “How many scribes wrote the scrolls, and can individual hands be identified?”, not yet confirmed: the library was written by many scribes, and machine features can distinguish hands even where the script…. ### Key questionsset by the editors [**How many scribes wrote the scrolls, and can individual hands be identified?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NVC6CE9/how-many-scribes-wrote-the-scrolls-and-can-individual-hands)Most likely: the library was written by many scribes, and machine features can distinguish hands even where the script… [**Is the traditional palaeographic chronology of the scrolls broadly right, or are many manuscripts substantially older?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NBR24P2/is-the-traditional-palaeographic-chronology-of-the-scrolls)Most likely: many manuscripts are older than the palaeographic chronology says, often by decades and sometimes by a… [**Where were the scrolls made, and by whom were they collected?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484P366F4K/where-were-the-scrolls-made-and-by-whom-were-they-collected)Most likely: a sectarian community living at Qumran collected and partly copied the library [All 5 questions ](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=dead-sea-scrolls-dating) ## The object The corpus is held mainly by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem; smaller groups are in other museums and in private collections⁠[[8]]⁠[[7]]. Hebrew is the most common language, with about 15 per cent of the scrolls in Aramaic and a few in Greek; about 230 manuscripts are biblical⁠[[2]]. The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library publishes high-resolution spectral images of the fragments and scans of the 1950s infrared negatives, but its terms forbid reproduction without the IAA's written permission⁠[[8]]⁠[[9]]. **Map of the area** [Open the full map](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/map) [Area][World] [+][−] 1 **Qumran** Archaeological site and caves Within 1 km 2 **Judaean Desert** Region A region 3 **Wadi Murabba'at caves** Caves Within 10 km 4 **Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem** Museum Mapped 5 **Nahal Hever caves** Caves Within 10 km 6 **Masada** Fortress Mapped MappedWithin 1 kmA regionNatural Earth ### Timeline **Timeline** Squeezed where little happened. Each mark is a published claim, by how it stands:AcceptedMost likelyStill possibleDisputedRuled out ## What is known Radiocarbon dating has fixed the broad range. Accelerator dates published in 1992 for 14 scrolls and in 1995 for further scrolls and linen fell between the third century BC and the first century AD and broadly agreed with the palaeographic sequence⁠[[10]]⁠[[11]]. A proposal in 2004 that the radiocarbon results allowed later, first-century dates for key sectarian texts was answered by a radiocarbon specialist who found that the calibrated dates did not support it⁠[[12]]⁠[[13]]. Some fragments were treated with castor oil in the 1950s, and tests in 2001 showed that standard cleaning did not remove all of it, so some earlier dates may be too young by an unknown amount⁠[[14]]. The 2025 study re-sampled 30 manuscripts from Qumran, Masada, Wadi Murabba'at and Nahal Hever, with chemical screening and cleaning for castor oil and other contaminants; 27 gave valid dates and 24 were used to train Enoch⁠[[3]]. The model binarises an image of the writing with a neural network (BiNet), extracts features of stroke angle and letter shape, and fits a Bayesian ridge regression to the radiocarbon dates. Its mean absolute error against the radiocarbon ranges was 28 to 31 years. On 13 unseen test images its predictions overlapped the radiocarbon distributions by 85 per cent, and palaeographers judged 107 of 135 predictions for undated manuscripts (79 per cent) realistic⁠[[3]]. The new radiocarbon range for 4Q114, a copy of Daniel, is 230 to 160 BC; Enoch dates 4Q109, a copy of Ecclesiastes, to the third century BC; both halves of the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) come out at about 180 to 100 BC⁠[[3]]. ## What has been tested Scribal identity has been tested with the same image tools. A 2021 study found that the columns of the Great Isaiah Scroll fall into two distinct clusters split at the scroll's midpoint, across several independent feature sets, which supports two scribes with very similar hands rather than one⁠[[4]]. [![The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/dead-sea-scrolls-dating-a-1qisaa-m1)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/artifacts/ART0D4850BA511P/the-great-isaiah-scroll-1qisaa) The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)Unknown author. Public domain[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/artifacts/ART0D4850BA511P/the-great-isaiah-scroll-1qisaa) Provenance has been tested with DNA. A 2020 study sequenced the animal skins of fragments and grouped pieces by species and by individual animal. It found that some Jeremiah fragments were on skins that point to an origin outside Qumran, that patterns in non-biblical scrolls such as the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice fit a wider Judaean milieu, and that some debated fragments do not belong with the Qumran scrolls at all⁠[[6]]. Authenticity has been tested on the market fragments. In 2017 Kipp Davis and colleagues argued on material and palaeographic grounds that nine fragments sold after 2002 were modern⁠[[7]]. In 2020 an investigation commissioned by the Museum of the Bible concluded that all 16 of its "Dead Sea Scroll" fragments were forgeries on ancient leather⁠[[15]]. ## The readings On dating, three positions are in play. The first, from the 2025 authors, is that many manuscripts are older than the traditional palaeographic chronology, sometimes by a century, and that the chronology needs rebuilding on radiocarbon and model dates⁠[[3]]. The second is that palaeography remains broadly right and that Enoch is a useful aid but too lightly trained to overturn it: 24 training dates span a period of three centuries, and the 79 per cent figure depends on palaeographers' own judgement of what is realistic⁠[[16]]. Christopher Rollston told Science that such tools should not be the basis for firm conclusions because handwriting is "a deeply human thing"⁠[[17]]. The third, that key texts are later than the consensus places them, has not survived radiocarbon review⁠[[13]]. On provenance, the majority view holds that a sectarian community at Qumran collected and partly copied the library, with some scrolls brought in from outside⁠[[1]]. Norman Golb argued that the scrolls were the libraries of Jerusalem, hidden in the caves during the war with Rome, and that Qumran was not a sectarian settlement⁠[[5]]. The DNA results fit a mixed library in which some manuscripts were imported⁠[[6]]. ### Published claims **Published claims and their status** | Year | Who | Claimed | Status | Reason | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1949 | Solomon Zeitlin⁠[18] | The Cave 1 scrolls are not ancient; they were written in the Middle Ages. | Ruled out | Accelerator radiocarbon dates on the scrolls themselves fall between the third century BC and the first century AD⁠[10]⁠[11]. | | 1951 | Willard F. Libby⁠[19] | Linen wrapping from Qumran Cave 1 dates by radiocarbon to around the turn of the era, within a margin of about two centuries. | Accepted | Accelerator dates on the scrolls themselves confirmed an ancient date with much smaller errors⁠[10]⁠[11]. | | 1961 | Frank Moore Cross⁠[20] | The scrolls' hands follow a datable sequence of archaic, Hasmonean and Herodian scripts, so a manuscript can be dated from its letter forms. | Disputed | The 1990s radiocarbon series broadly agreed with it, but the 2025 dates put several manuscripts earlier than the sequence allows⁠[11]⁠[3]. | | 1973 | Roland de Vaux⁠[21] | Khirbet Qumran was the settlement of a community, identified with the Essenes, that owned the scrolls hidden in the nearby caves. | Most likely | The standard archaeological account still reads the site as sectarian, though skin DNA shows some scrolls were brought from elsewhere⁠[1]⁠[6]. | | 1992 | Georges Bonani and colleagues⁠[10] | Accelerator radiocarbon dates for fourteen scrolls fall between the third century BC and the first century AD and broadly agree with the palaeographic dates. | Accepted | The 1995 Arizona series agreed⁠[11]; whether the agreement holds manuscript by manuscript is what the 2025 study disputes⁠[3]. | | 1995 | Norman Golb⁠[5] | The scrolls are the libraries of Jerusalem, hidden in the caves during the war with Rome, and Qumran was a fortress, not a sectarian settlement. | Disputed | Most archaeologists still read Qumran as a sectarian site, though skin DNA does show that some scrolls came from elsewhere⁠[1]⁠[6]. | | 1995 | A. J. Timothy Jull and colleagues⁠[11] | Further accelerator dates on scrolls and linen from the Judaean Desert fall in the same range and agree broadly with palaeography. | Accepted | Consistent with the Zurich series; castor-oil contamination may make some of these dates slightly too young⁠[10]⁠[14]. | | 2001 | Kaare Lund Rasmussen and colleagues⁠[14] | Castor oil applied to fragments in the 1950s survives standard cleaning and can make radiocarbon dates too young. | Accepted | The 2025 study screened and cleaned its samples for castor oil for this reason⁠[3]. | | 2004 | Steve Braunheim, Joseph Atwill and Robert Eisenman⁠[12] | The radiocarbon results allow first-century AD dates for key sectarian scrolls. | Disputed | A radiocarbon specialist found that the calibrated dates do not support the later chronology⁠[13]. | | 2004 | Yizhar Hirschfeld⁠[22] | Qumran was a Hasmonean fort and then a Herodian manor house, and the scrolls were hidden there by people from Jerusalem. | Disputed | A minority reading of the site; the standard account keeps the sectarian interpretation⁠[1]. | | 2007 | Johannes van der Plicht⁠[13] | Correctly calibrated, the radiocarbon dates do not support moving key sectarian texts into the first century AD. | Accepted | No later radiocarbon work has revived the later chronology, and the 2025 dates point earlier, not later⁠[3]. | | 2017 | Kipp Davis and colleagues⁠[7] | Nine fragments sold as Dead Sea Scrolls after 2002 are modern, on material and palaeographic grounds. | Accepted | The later investigation of the Museum of the Bible's fragments found all sixteen forged⁠[15]. | | 2018 | Yitzhak Magen and Yuval Peleg⁠[23] | Qumran was not a distinctive sectarian settlement, and its residents did not write the scrolls. | Disputed | The excavators' reading is contested; the standard account keeps the sectarian interpretation⁠[1]. | | 2020 | Art Fraud Insights for the Museum of the Bible⁠[15] | All sixteen of the Museum of the Bible's Dead Sea Scroll fragments are modern forgeries on ancient leather. | Accepted | The museum accepted the finding, which matches the earlier material case against market fragments⁠[15]⁠[7]. | | 2020 | Sarit Anava and colleagues⁠[6] | Animal-skin DNA shows that some scrolls, including copies of Jeremiah, were made outside Qumran and brought there. | Accepted | The genetic grouping is the strongest material evidence on provenance so far and has not been challenged in print⁠[6]. | | 2021 | Mladen Popović, Maruf A. Dhali and Lambert Schomaker⁠[4] | The Great Isaiah Scroll was written by two scribes with very similar hands, who split the work at the scroll's midpoint. | Most likely | The split holds across several independent feature sets, but the study has not yet been repeated by another group⁠[4]. | | 2025 | Mladen Popović and colleagues⁠[3] | Many manuscripts are older than palaeography says, and the Enoch model dates handwriting to within about 30 years. | Still possible | The model's accuracy rests on 24 training dates and 13 test images, and critics argue that is too few to overturn palaeography⁠[16]⁠[17]. | | 2025 | Rodrigo Pereira da Silva⁠[16] | Enoch is a useful aid but too lightly trained to overturn the palaeographic chronology, and its 79 per cent figure rests on palaeographers' judgement. | Still possible | No held-out radiocarbon test has yet been run to decide between the model and the palaeographers⁠[3]. | ## What would settle it More radiocarbon dates, sampled with the 2025 cleaning protocol across all script styles, would test Enoch properly, especially on manuscripts it dates earliest. A blind test, in which palaeographers and the model date manuscripts whose radiocarbon results are withheld, would show which is more accurate. Open images under a reuse licence would let other groups train competing models. For provenance, DNA and isotope profiles of skins across the whole corpus, matched against local and imported livestock, would show how much of the library was made at Qumran. Every unprovenanced fragment needs material tests before it is used as evidence. ## Questions 0 of 5 questions are answered. **Key questions** [All 5](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=dead-sea-scrolls-dating) **0** [How many scribes wrote the scrolls, and can individual hands be identified?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NVC6CE9/how-many-scribes-wrote-the-scrolls-and-can-individual-hands) 0 of 0 sub-questions answered·0 Most likely: the library was written by many scribes, and machine features can distinguish hands even where the script… **0** [Is the traditional palaeographic chronology of the scrolls broadly right, or are many manuscripts substantially older?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NBR24P2/is-the-traditional-palaeographic-chronology-of-the-scrolls) 0 of 1 sub-questions answered·0 Most likely: many manuscripts are older than the palaeographic chronology says, often by decades and sometimes by a… **0** [Where were the scrolls made, and by whom were they collected?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484P366F4K/where-were-the-scrolls-made-and-by-whom-were-they-collected) 0 of 1 sub-questions answered·0 Most likely: a sectarian community living at Qumran collected and partly copied the library ## Evidence 18 findings [Is the traditional palaeographic chronology of the scrolls broadly right, or are many manuscripts substantially older?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NBR24P2/is-the-traditional-palaeographic-chronology-of-the-scrolls)6 findings [Many manuscripts are older than the palaeographic chronology says, often by decades and sometimes by a…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484PJT091H/many-manuscripts-are-older-than-the-palaeographic-chronology)Most likely +[The 2025 radiocarbon ranges and Enoch predictions are often older than traditional palaeographic estimates.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484PTM2YFF/the-2025-radiocarbon-ranges-and-enoch-predictions-are-often)Supported +[4Q114 (Daniel) has a 2-sigma range of 230 to 160 BC.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484Q2E0JSB/4q114-daniel-has-a-2-sigma-range-of-230-to-160-bc)Supported +[Castor oil left by 1950s conservation can make earlier radiocarbon dates too young.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484QA8030S/castor-oil-left-by-1950s-conservation-can-make-earlier)Supported [The palaeographic chronology is broadly right; differences from the 2025 dates fall within the combined…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484QJ216BX/the-palaeographic-chronology-is-broadly-right-differences)Most likely +[The 1990s radiocarbon series broadly agreed with the palaeographic sequence.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484QSW2HPQ/the-1990s-radiocarbon-series-broadly-agreed-with-the)Supported +[Enoch was trained on only 24 dated manuscripts, which a reviewer argued is too few to overturn palaeography.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484R1P56HK/enoch-was-trained-on-only-24-dated-manuscripts-which-a)Suggestive [Key sectarian manuscripts are later than the consensus, into the first century AD.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484R9G6ND6/key-sectarian-manuscripts-are-later-than-the-consensus-into)Disputed −[A re-examination of the calibrations found they do not support the later chronology.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484RHA4SK3/a-re-examination-of-the-calibrations-found-they-do-not)Supported [Can the Enoch model date undated manuscripts reliably from handwriting alone?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NKJ0HV2/can-the-enoch-model-date-undated-manuscripts-reliably-from)4 findings [Enoch dates manuscripts to within about 30 years, comparable to radiocarbon, and can replace palaeographic…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484S0Y60DV/enoch-dates-manuscripts-to-within-about-30-years-comparable)Most likely +[Mean absolute error 27.9 to 30.7 years; 85 per cent overlap with radiocarbon on 13 unseen test images.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484S8R7WW0/mean-absolute-error-27-9-to-30-7-years-85-per-cent-overlap)Supported +[Palaeographers judged 107 of 135 predictions realistic (79 per cent).](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484SGJ429T/palaeographers-judged-107-of-135-predictions-realistic-79)Suggestive [Enoch is a useful coarse prior but too lightly trained to settle individual dates; its accuracy on undated…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484SRC3EEX/enoch-is-a-useful-coarse-prior-but-too-lightly-trained-to)Most likely +[The 79 per cent figure rests on palaeographers' judgement of what is realistic, not on independent dates.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484T0667DN/the-79-per-cent-figure-rests-on-palaeographers-judgement-of)Supported +[A palaeographer cautioned that such tools should not be the basis for firm conclusions.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484T804G6C/a-palaeographer-cautioned-that-such-tools-should-not-be-the)Speculative [How many scribes wrote the scrolls, and can individual hands be identified?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NVC6CE9/how-many-scribes-wrote-the-scrolls-and-can-individual-hands)2 findings [The library was written by many scribes, and machine features can distinguish hands even where the script…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484TZE3KKW/the-library-was-written-by-many-scribes-and-machine-features)Most likely +[Columns of 1QIsaa split into two clusters at the scroll's midpoint across several feature sets.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484V78309J/columns-of-1qisaa-split-into-two-clusters-at-the-scrolls)Supported [Many of the manuscripts were copied at Qumran itself by members of the community, in the room excavators…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484VF2187R/many-of-the-manuscripts-were-copied-at-qumran-itself-by)Most likely −[The DNA results show some manuscripts were brought from elsewhere, which weighs against a single local scriptorium for the whole library.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484VPW4T9R/the-dna-results-show-some-manuscripts-were-brought-from)Suggestive [Where were the scrolls made, and by whom were they collected?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484P366F4K/where-were-the-scrolls-made-and-by-whom-were-they-collected)3 findings [A sectarian community living at Qumran collected and partly copied the library.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484W6G601R/a-sectarian-community-living-at-qumran-collected-and-partly)Most likely +[The standard archaeological account interprets the site as a sectarian settlement linked to the caves.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484WEA2HC5/the-standard-archaeological-account-interprets-the-site-as-a)Supported [The scrolls are the libraries of Jerusalem hidden during the revolt against Rome; Qumran was not their home.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484WP43C53/the-scrolls-are-the-libraries-of-jerusalem-hidden-during-the)Still possible +[DNA shows divergent Jeremiah versions on skins that point to origins outside Qumran and patterns that reflect a wider milieu.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484WXY3128/dna-shows-divergent-jeremiah-versions-on-skins-that-point-to)Suggestive [The library is mixed; part was produced at Qumran and part brought in from elsewhere.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484X5R714Y/the-library-is-mixed-part-was-produced-at-qumran-and-part)Most likely +[Genetic sorting supports some scrolls having been brought to the caves from elsewhere.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484XDJ3E2T/genetic-sorting-supports-some-scrolls-having-been-brought-to)Supported [Are the fragments that surfaced on the antiquities market after 2002 genuine?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484PB02ASS/are-the-fragments-that-surfaced-on-the-antiquities-market)3 findings [Most or all post-2002 market fragments are modern forgeries, often on ancient leather.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484XX65V4D/most-or-all-post-2002-market-fragments-are-modern-forgeries)Most likely +[Nine market fragments show material and palaeographic signs of modern production.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484Y501WHB/nine-market-fragments-show-material-and-palaeographic-signs)Supported +[An investigation found all 16 Museum of the Bible fragments to be forgeries.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484YCT5637/an-investigation-found-all-16-museum-of-the-bible-fragments)Supported [Some market fragments are forged but others are genuine pieces from the caves.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484YMM4R7S/some-market-fragments-are-forged-but-others-are-genuine)Still possible +[DNA analysis separated some debated fragments from the Qumran scrolls, which shows that tests can sort them.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/evidence/EVD0D484YWE1PT1/dna-analysis-separated-some-debated-fragments-from-the)Suggestive ## Artifacts The films, photos, papers and objects this mystery rests on, each with its own key and its distance from the original. **Artifacts** [See all 7](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/artifacts) Photo1 step from object [The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/artifacts/ART0D4850BA511P/the-great-isaiah-scroll-1qisaa) Unknown author · Public domain Scan1 step from object [4Q114 (4QDaniel c)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/artifacts/ART0D4850K44AMJ/4q114-4qdaniel-c) Israel Antiquities Authority · © IAA; permission required Scan1 step from object [4Q109 (4QQohelet a)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/artifacts/ART0D48512R005R/4q109-4qqohelet-a) Israel Antiquities Authority · © IAA; permission required Document1 step from object [The Museum of the Bible's 16 "Dead Sea Scroll" fragments](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/artifacts/ART0D4851JC6NEC/the-museum-of-the-bibles-16-dead-sea-scroll-fragments) Museum of the Bible, Washington DC [See all 7 artifacts](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/artifacts) ## See also [ **Voynich Manuscript** A fifteenth-century illustrated codex in an unknown script, never reliably read. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/voynich-manuscript) [ **Herculaneum Papyri and the Vesuvius Challenge** Carbonised rolls from a library buried by Vesuvius in AD 79, now read by X-ray. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/herculaneum-papyri) [ **Archimedes Palimpsest** A 13th-century prayer book written over an erased 10th-century copy of Archimedes. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/archimedes-palimpsest) [ **Copiale cipher** A 105-page cipher manuscript broken in 2011, the rule book of a secret society. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/copiale-cipher) ## References 1. 1.[Magness, J. 2021. The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (2nd edition). Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484DSJ4QVM/the-archaeology-of-qumran-and-the-dead-sea-scrolls-2nd)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139013833.007)cited 7 times here**SRC** 0D484DSJ4QVM 1. 2.[Israel Antiquities Authority n.d.. Introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls. deadseascrolls.org.il.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484D9Y4DAM/introduction-to-the-dead-sea-scrolls)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0D484D9Y4DAM 1. 3.[Popović, M., Dhali, M., Schomaker, L. et al. 2025. Dating ancient manuscripts using radiocarbon and AI-based writing style analysis. PLOS One 20(6), e0323185.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4849MR4G48/dating-ancient-manuscripts-using-radiocarbon-and-ai-based)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323185)cited 18 times here**SRC** 0D4849MR4G48 1. 4.[Popović, M., Dhali, M., Schomaker, L. 2021. Artificial intelligence based writer identification generates new evidence for the unknown scribes of the Dead Sea Scrolls exemplified by the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa). PLOS One 16(4), e0249769.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484AC64RP8/artificial-intelligence-based-writer-identification)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249769)cited 6 times here**SRC** 0D484AC64RP8 1. 5.[Golb, N. 1995. Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? The Search for the Secret of Qumran. Scribner, New York.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484E1C24H3/who-wrote-the-dead-sea-scrolls-the-search-for-the-secret-of)[doi](https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.32-5022)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0D484E1C24H3 1. 6.[Anava, S., Neuhof, M., Gingold, H. et al. 2020. Illuminating Genetic Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Cell 181(6), 1218-1231.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484BV21WC8/illuminating-genetic-mysteries-of-the-dead-sea-scrolls)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.046)cited 7 times here**SRC** 0D484BV21WC8 1. 7.[Davis, K., Rabin, I., Feldman, I. et al. 2017. Nine Dubious "Dead Sea Scrolls" Fragments from the Twenty-First Century. Dead Sea Discoveries 24(2), 189-228.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484C2W581K/nine-dubious-dead-sea-scrolls-fragments-from-the-twenty)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1163/15685179-12341428)cited 6 times here**SRC** 0D484C2W581K 1. 8.[Israel Antiquities Authority n.d.. The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library. deadseascrolls.org.il.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484D244SH0/the-leon-levy-dead-sea-scrolls-digital-library)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0D484D244SH0 1. 9.[Israel Antiquities Authority n.d.. Terms and Conditions, The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library. deadseascrolls.org.il.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484DHR6M5E/terms-and-conditions-the-leon-levy-dead-sea-scrolls-digital)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0D484DHR6M5E 1. 10.[Bonani, G., Ivy, S., Wölfli, W. et al. 1992. Radiocarbon Dating of Fourteen Dead Sea Scrolls. Radiocarbon 34(3), 843-849.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484AM03SE1/radiocarbon-dating-of-fourteen-dead-sea-scrolls)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200064158)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0D484AM03SE1 1. 11.[Jull, A., Donahue, D., Broshi, M. et al. 1995. Radiocarbon Dating of Scrolls and Linen Fragments from the Judean Desert. Radiocarbon 37(1), 11-19.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484AVT58YE/radiocarbon-dating-of-scrolls-and-linen-fragments-from-the)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200014740)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0D484AVT58YE 1. 12.[Braunheim, S., Atwill, J., Eisenman, R. 2004. Redating the Radiocarbon Dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Dead Sea Discoveries 11(2), 143-157.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484BBE78QG/redating-the-radiocarbon-dating-of-the-dead-sea-scrolls)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1163/1568517041717854)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0D484BBE78QG 1. 13.[van der Plicht, J. 2007. Radiocarbon Dating and the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Comment on "Redating". Dead Sea Discoveries 14(1), 77-89.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484BK803AP/radiocarbon-dating-and-the-dead-sea-scrolls-a-comment-on)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1163/156851707779141218)cited 2 times here**SRC** 0D484BK803AP 1. 14.[Rasmussen, K., van der Plicht, J., Cryer, F. et al. 2001. The Effects of Possible Contamination on the Radiocarbon Dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls I: Castor Oil. Radiocarbon 43(1), 127-132.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484B3M1R74/the-effects-of-possible-contamination-on-the-radiocarbon)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200031702)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0D484B3M1R74 1. 15.[Greshko, M. 2020. 'Dead Sea Scrolls' at the Museum of the Bible are all forgeries. National Geographic.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484CAP1B1R/dead-sea-scrolls-at-the-museum-of-the-bible-are-all)cited 5 times here**SRC** 0D484CAP1B1R 1. 16.[Silva, R. 2025. Revisitando a datação do livro de Daniel: uma abordagem integrada com radiocarbono, linguística e inteligência artificial. Protestantismo em Revista 51(2), 1-23.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484CTA4XVX/revisitando-a-datacao-do-livro-de-daniel-uma-abordagem)cited 4 times here**SRC** 0D484CTA4XVX 1. 17.[Anderson, S. 2025. The Dead Sea Scrolls changed our understanding of the Bible. Could some of them be even older than we thought?. Smithsonian Magazine.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484CJG5EPG/the-dead-sea-scrolls-changed-our-understanding-of-the-bible)cited 3 times here**SRC** 0D484CJG5EPG 1. 18.[Zeitlin, S. 1949. The Alleged Antiquity of the Scrolls. The Jewish Quarterly Review 40(1), from p. 57.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484EH071HW/the-alleged-antiquity-of-the-scrolls)[doi](https://doi.org/10.2307/1453006)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0D484EH071HW 1. 19.[Libby, W. 1951. Radiocarbon Dates, II. Science 114(2960), 291–296.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484ERT5M1F/radiocarbon-dates-ii)[doi](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.114.2960.291)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0D484ERT5M1F 1. 20.[Cross, F. 1961. The Development of the Jewish Scripts. G. E. Wright (ed.), The Bible and the Ancient Near East, Doubleday, Garden City, pp. 133–202.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484F0M7C7E/the-development-of-the-jewish-scripts)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0D484F0M7C7E 1. 21.[de Vaux, R. 1973. Archaeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Oxford University Press for the British Academy (Schweich Lectures).](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484F8E2RFD/archaeology-and-the-dead-sea-scrolls)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0D484F8E2RFD 1. 22.[Hirschfeld, Y. 2004. Qumran in Context: Reassessing the Archaeological Evidence. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Mass..](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484FG82K02/qumran-in-context-reassessing-the-archaeological-evidence)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0D484FG82K02 1. 23.[Magen, Y., Peleg, Y. 2018. Back to Qumran: Final Report (1993–2004). Israel Antiquities Authority.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484FR25EMW/back-to-qumran-final-report-19932004)[doi](https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1t8cdq)cited 1 time here**SRC** 0D484FR25EMW Last edited 27 Oct 2026