# Can the Enoch model date undated manuscripts reliably from handwriting alone? · Dead Sea Scrolls: dating, scribes and provenance > Four answers have been proposed. Enoch dates manuscripts to within about 30 years, comparable to radiocarbon, and can replace palaeographic… leads, with… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NKJ0HV2/can-the-enoch-model-date-undated-manuscripts-reliably-from Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-26T11:57:14+00:00 --- **0** # Can the Enoch model date undated manuscripts reliably from handwriting alone? Asked 26 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·Part of [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)·4 answers·0·0 following **Most likely: enoch dates manuscripts to within about 30 years, comparable to radiocarbon, and can replace palaeographic…** Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted. ## Where it stands Four answers have been proposed. Enoch dates manuscripts to within about 30 years, comparable to radiocarbon, and can replace palaeographic… leads, with evidence 2 for: partly supported by its tests. Three are still possible. ## Why it matters Enoch's predictions for 135 undated manuscripts are the largest new set of dates; whether they can be trusted depends on how the model generalises beyond 24 training dates⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4849MR4G48/dating-ancient-manuscripts-using-radiocarbon-and-ai-based). ## Answers 4 [**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) Partly supported by its tests Evidence: 2 for Most likely [**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) Partly supported by its tests Evidence: 2 for Most likely [**Enoch learns features that track something other than date (scribe, school, preservation, imaging), so its…** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484TFT5PHQ/enoch-learns-features-that-track-something-other-than-date) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: none yet Still possible [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/answers/ANS0D484TQM0WK4/none-of-these) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: none yet Still possible ## History 1. 2025[Popović et al. puts forward: enoch dates manuscripts to within about 30 years, comparable to radiocarbon, and can replace palaeographic…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4849MR4G48/dating-ancient-manuscripts-using-radiocarbon-and-ai-based) 1. 2025[Silva puts forward: enoch is a useful coarse prior but too lightly trained to settle individual dates; its accuracy on undated…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484CTA4XVX/revisitando-a-datacao-do-livro-de-daniel-uma-abordagem) 1. 2025[Popović et al.: mean absolute error 27.9 to 30.7 years; 85 per cent overlap with radiocarbon on 13 unseen test images.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4849MR4G48/dating-ancient-manuscripts-using-radiocarbon-and-ai-based)For: Enoch dates manuscripts to within about 30 years, comparable to radiocarbon, and can replace palaeographic… 1. 2025[Silva: the 79 per cent figure rests on palaeographers' judgement of what is realistic, not on independent dates.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484CTA4XVX/revisitando-a-datacao-do-livro-de-daniel-uma-abordagem)For: Enoch is a useful coarse prior but too lightly trained to settle individual dates; its accuracy on undated… 1. 2025[Anderson: a palaeographer cautioned that such tools should not be the basis for firm conclusions.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D484CJG5EPG/the-dead-sea-scrolls-changed-our-understanding-of-the-bible)For: Enoch is a useful coarse prior but too lightly trained to settle individual dates; its accuracy on undated… 1. 26 Oct 2026Asked on this site ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NKJ0HV2/can-the-enoch-model-date-undated-manuscripts-reliably-from%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NKJ0HV2/can-the-enoch-model-date-undated-manuscripts-reliably-from%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NKJ0HV2/can-the-enoch-model-date-undated-manuscripts-reliably-from%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NKJ0HV2/can-the-enoch-model-date-undated-manuscripts-reliably-from%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/dead-sea-scrolls-dating/questions/QST0D484NKJ0HV2/can-the-enoch-model-date-undated-manuscripts-reliably-from%23add-source) Where it fits Dead Sea Scrolls: dating, scribes and provenance [**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)Key question · most likely many manuscripts are older than the palaeographic chronology says, often by decades and sometimes by a… **Can the Enoch model date undated manuscripts reliably from handwriting alone?** You're here · enoch dates manuscripts to within about 30 years, comparable to radiocarbon, and can replace palaeographic… [ Ask a question under this one ]