The En-Gedi Scroll
In 1970, Israeli archeologists excavated an ancient synagogue just west of the Dead Sea. Inside the synagogue's holy ark -- essentially a chest where scrolls considered holy are kept -- was what looked like a burnt piece of driftwood. It was actually a scroll that was so badly burnt and crushed that it would disintegrate on touch. With no way to unroll it, scientists shelved the mystery of this scroll in the hope that one day, science and technology could come to the rescue. Luckily, that day arrived.
Using a technique developed by Dr. Brent Seales from the University of Kentucky, scientists were finally able to virtually unwrap this ancient scroll to see the historically significant text inside. And it is significant: it is an early copy Leviticus, the third book in the Hebrew Bible.
The results are published in this week's issue of the journal, Science Advances.
Related Links:
- University of Kentucky story (prior to scientific publication and dating of scroll)
- University of Kentucky's computer science department
- Dr. Brent Seale's paper from Science Advances
