Dead Sea Scrolls much older than previously thought, AI-based study finds
Share this @internewscast.com

A new study reveals that many of the Dead Sea Scrolls are significantly older than scholars had previously estimated, with some aligning with the era in which they were originally composed.

Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands employed artificial intelligence to scrutinize the handwriting on these ancient pieces. They assert that this approach has allowed them to determine more precise dates for several manuscripts, including the Book of Daniel, as detailed in a paper published in Plos One.


A fragment of the Isaiah Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, on display.
A part of the Isaiah Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, is seen inside the vault of the Shrine of the Book building at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Getty Images

The AI program “Enoch,” was designed to analyze a wide range of pre-dated ancient manuscripts from contemporary locations in Israel and the West Bank, which were also radiocarbon dated. Through machine learning, it examined the stylistic development in the handwriting of 135 Dead Sea Scroll fragments.

The study claimed that the fragment of the Book of Daniel 8-11, which was thought to be dated to 160s BC, could be as old as 230 BC, which overlaps with the period in which the biblical book was authored.

“With the Enoch tool we have opened a new door into the ancient world, like a time machine, that allows us to study the hands that wrote the Bible,” the study’s authors wrote in a statement, Eureka Alert reported. 

“Especially now that we have established, for the first time, that two biblical scroll fragments come from the time of their presumed authors,” the statement continued.


Fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
 A 2,000-year-old fragment from the Dead Sea Scrolls on display at The Jewish Museum in New York City in 2008. Getty Images

Researchers also claim that fragments written in Herodian Aramaic and Hasmonaean Hebrew — considered to have emerged in the First and Second centuries BC — are actually older than initially thought and provide a new lens for the presumed proliferation of writing during that era.

These new dating claims result in “a new chronology of the scrolls and the re-dating of ancient Jewish key texts that contribute to current debates on Jewish and Christian origins,” the study stated.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered in 1943 by two Bedouin shepherds who found them secreted in caves in the Qumran section of Israel near the Dead Sea and are the oldest known fragments of Jewish manuscripts written in Hebrew, Greek, Arabic and Aramaic dating back to the Third and Second century BC.

Scholars attribute the trove of religious manuscripts to the Essens, who were Jewish sectarians at the turn of the first millennium.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Kelly Rutherford poses with son Hermés in fashion magazine

Kelly Rutherford Appears with Son Hermés in Stylish Magazine Spread

Kelly Rutherford and her look-alike son, Hermés Giersch, are cover models. The…
Photo of a young woman with long blonde hair sitting in a car.

Reality TV Star Kristina Belaya, 24, Tragically Passes Away After Bathroom Accident

A reality TV star tragically passed away after experiencing a fall in…
'Sinners' puts 'truth on screen' for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

‘Sinners’ Highlights the Untold Stories of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians on Screen

CHOCTAW, Miss. (AP) — It’s a small part in a big movie,…
Chinese bioweapon smuggling case shows US 'trains our enemies,' 'learned nothing' from COVID: security expert

US ‘Trains Our Enemies’ and ‘Hasn’t Learned from COVID,’ Says Security Expert on Chinese Bioweapon Smuggling Case

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Following the Department of…
San Diego authorities arrest 3 noncitizens allegedly involved in transporting more than $5M worth of meth

San Diego Officials Detain 3 Foreign Nationals Suspected of Smuggling Over $5 Million in Meth

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Federal and local authorities…
Man being detained, Apple Pay prank gone wrong, London Eye in background.

TikTok Influencer Faces Instant Karma After Prank Backfires on Wrong Target

A TIKTOK influencer experienced immediate consequences when a prank went terribly wrong.…
ICE agents in Chicago news: Mother of 3 in US for 10 years, Grace & Peace Church volunteer among those detained in South Loop

ICE Agents Make Arrests in Chicago: Long-term Resident and Mother of Three, a Volunteer at Grace & Peace Church, Among Those Detained in South Loop

CHICAGO (WLS) — There are new details Thursday about some of the…
NFL news: Former Green Bay Packers, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers signs 1-year deal with Pittsburgh Steelers

NFL Update: Aaron Rodgers, Ex-Packers and Jets QB, Joins Pittsburgh Steelers on 1-Year Contract

PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin are taking their long-simmering bromance…
Jury finds Crosetti Brand guilty in murder trial for Edgewater, Chicago stabbing death of Jayden Perkins: LIVE

Jury Convicts Crosetti Brand of Murder in Edgewater, Chicago Stabbing of Jayden Perkins: LIVE Update

CHICAGO (WLS) — A jury reached a guilty verdict for Crosetti Brand…
False rumors of Minneapolis ICE raid spark protest as police decry ‘irresponsible’ info from elected officials

Rumors of Nonexistent ICE Raid in Minneapolis Lead to Protests; Police Criticize Officials for Spreading Inaccurate Information

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A tumultuous protest erupted…
Former University of St. Francis basketball player Landus Anderson fulfills dreams as NBA lawyer for Portland Trail Blazers

Ex-University of St. Francis Basketball Star Landus Anderson Achieves Dream as Legal Counsel for Portland Trail Blazers

CHICAGO (WLS) — Despite a birth injury, a former basketball player from…
Trump EPA rollbacks would weaken rules projected to save billions of dollars and thousands of lives

EPA Rollbacks Under Trump Could Undermine Regulations That Save Billions and Protect Thousands of Lives

When the Environmental Protection Agency’s chief revealed plans to significantly scale back…